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Schober JM, Merritt J, Ulrey M, Yap TY, Lucas JR, Fraley GS. Vocalizations of the Pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus): how stimuli, sex, and social groups affect their vocal repertoire. Poult Sci 2024; 103:103738. [PMID: 38749107 PMCID: PMC11112367 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Pekin ducks are exposed to stressors such as heat stress, enteric pathogens, mycotoxins, and other environmental stressors. We know from wild bird literature that birds communicate through vocalizations. We hypothesized that Pekin ducks would have a diverse repertoire that is affected by the sex, social group, and specific stimuli. We utilized adult Pekin ducks to develop a vocal repertoire. We placed 1 to 4 ducks of varying sexes into a sound chamber with various stimuli used to encourage new vocalizations. Birds were recorded for 20 min with several variations of number and sexes of ducks. Once the ducks were recorded each vocalization that was clipped was named based on a predetermined naming system. We characterized the vocal system of the ducks under each stimulus and social treatment in 4 ways: overall call rates, call diversity, call repertoire, and call spectral properties. In all cases, normality of residuals and homogeneity of variances for GLM and ANOVA models were confirmed using Proc Univariate (SAS v9.4) where a p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. We found that Pekin ducks produce up to 16 different vocalizations. The treatments had a significant effect on the overall rate of calls given by the ducks (ANOVA: F6,31 = 8.55, p < 0.0001). Ducks produced the most calls by far when someone was sitting in the chamber with them (30.04 ± 4.45 calls/min). For call diversity, we found that there was a significant main effect of hen number (F218 = 12.21, p = 0.0004) but no main effect of drake number (F3,18 = 3.04, p = 0.0555). Cluster analyses indicated that certain types of calls were given under specific conditions. There were generally 6 major clusters of vocal repertoires (R-square = 0.899, Cubic Clustering Criterion = 9.30). Our results suggest that Pekin ducks are affected by the types of stimuli and social environment in how much they vocalize and in the properties of the calls they use. In addition, males and females differ somewhat in the repertoire of the calls they use, and in the spectral properties of their calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Schober
- Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - J Merritt
- Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - M Ulrey
- Biology Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - T Y Yap
- Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - J R Lucas
- Biology Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - G S Fraley
- Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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Guo S, Wu W, Liu Y, Kang X, Li C. Effects of Valley Topography on Acoustic Communication in Birds: Why Do Birds Avoid Deep Valleys in Daqinggou Nature Reserve? Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12212896. [PMID: 36359019 PMCID: PMC9655978 DOI: 10.3390/ani12212896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Landscape structure may influence animal acoustic communication. Our playback experiments showed that the acoustic intensity and frequency of bird vocalizations differed between the upper and lower valley. Valley topography on acoustic communication could lead birds to avoid deep valleys. Abstract To investigate the effects of valley topography on the acoustic transmission of avian vocalisations, we carried out playback experiments in Daqinggou valley, Inner Mongolia, China. During the experiments, we recorded the vocalisations of five avian species, the large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827), common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus Linnaeus, 1758), Eurasian magpie (Pica pica Linnaeus, 1758), Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus Linnaeus, 1758), and meadow bunting (Emberiza cioides Brand, 1843), at transmission distances of 30 m and 50 m in the upper and lower parts of the valley and analysed the intensity, the fundamental frequency (F0), and the first three formant frequencies (F1/F2/F3) of the sounds. We also investigated bird species diversity in the upper and lower valley. We found that: (1) at the distance of 30 m, there were significant differences in F0/F1/F2/F3 in Eurasian magpies, significant differences in F1/F2/F3 in the meadow bunting and Eurasian tree sparrow, and partially significant differences in sound frequency between the upper and lower valley in the other two species; (2) at the distance of 50 m, there were significant differences in F0/F1/F2/F3 in two avian species (large-billed crow and common cuckoo) between the upper and lower valley and partially significant differences in sound frequency between the upper and lower valley in the other three species; (2) there were significant differences in the acoustic intensities of crow, cuckoo, magpie, and bunting calls between the upper and lower valley. (3) Species number and richness were significantly higher in the upper valley than in the lower valley. We suggested that the structure of valley habitats may lead to the breakdown of acoustic signals and communication in birds to varying degrees. The effect of valley topography on acoustic communication could be one reason for animal species avoiding deep valleys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songkai Guo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenhui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China
| | - Yaxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Xiaofang Kang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Chunwang Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence:
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Chen Y, Li L, Zhu X, Shen Y, Ma A, Zhang X, Chen P, Lu C. Urban Low-Rise Residential Areas Provide Preferred Song Post Sites for a Resident Songbird. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182436. [PMID: 36139294 PMCID: PMC9494978 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is expanding rapidly worldwide, and brings additional selection pressure on animals. The song differences between urban and rural songbirds have been widely verified, but the effects of urban morphological variation on long-settled urban birds have been poorly explored. Here, we investigated the distribution and song differences of a common resident songbird—the oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) between three urban morphology types (i.e., urban park, low-rise residential area, and high-rise residential area). The results indicated that the population density in low-rise residential areas was significantly higher than in urban parks, while it was the lowest in high-rise residential areas. Males in low-rise residential areas had greater song length, syllable numbers, frequency bandwidth, and song diversity than those in urban parks. The song differences were mainly related to habitat types, independent of singing height and perch type. Our findings suggest that low-rise residential areas may provide preferred song post sites for the oriental magpie-robin, which is well-adapted to the low-rise building morphology, but rejects the emerging high-rise buildings. Future studies are needed to assess the effects of urban morphological variation on more resident animals to determine which urban morphologies are conducive to enhancing biodiversity and encouraging animals to settle in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Lijing Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Xiaotian Zhu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Yicheng Shen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Anran Ma
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Pan Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
- Correspondence: (P.C.); (C.L.)
| | - Changhu Lu
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- Correspondence: (P.C.); (C.L.)
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Loning H, Griffith SC, Naguib M. Zebra finch song is a very short-range signal in the wild: evidence from an integrated approach. Behav Ecol 2021; 33:37-46. [PMID: 35197805 PMCID: PMC8857932 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is typically seen as a long-range signal functioning in mate attraction and territory defense. Among birds, the zebra finch is the prime model organism in bioacoustics, yet almost exclusively studied in the lab. In the wild, however, zebra finch song differs strikingly from songbirds commonly studied in the wild as zebra finch males sing most after mating and in the absence of territoriality. Using data from the wild, we here provide an ecological context for a wealth of laboratory studies. By integrating calibrated sound recordings, sound transmission experiments and social ecology of zebra finches in the wild with insights from hearing physiology we show that wild zebra finch song is a very short-range signal with an audible range of about nine meters and that even the louder distance calls do not carry much farther (up to about fourteen meters). These integrated findings provide an ecological context for the interpretation of laboratory studies of this species and indicate that the vocal communication distance of the main laboratory species for avian acoustics contrasts strikingly with songbirds that use their song as a long-range advertisement signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Loning
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Boycott TJ, Gao J, Gall MD. Deer browsing alters sound propagation in temperate deciduous forests. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211569. [PMID: 30759129 PMCID: PMC6373924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of animal signals is strongly influenced by the structure of the habitat in which they are propagating. In recent years, the habitat structure of temperate forests has been increasingly subject to modifications from foraging by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Increasing deer numbers and the accompanying browsing have been shown to alter vegetation structure and thus the foraging, roosting, and breeding habitats of many species. However, despite a large body of literature on the effects of vegetation structure on sound propagation, we do not yet know what impact deer browsing may have on acoustic communication. Here we used playback experiments to determine whether sound fidelity and amplitude of white noise, pure tones, and trills differed between deer-browsed and deer-excluded plots. We found that sound fidelity, but not amplitude, differed between habitats, with deer-browsed habitats having greater sound fidelity than deer-excluded habitats. Difference in sound propagation characteristics between the two habitats could alter the efficacy of acoustic communication through plasticity, cultural evolution or local adaptation, in turn influencing vocally-mediated behaviors (e.g. agonistic, parent-offspring, mate selection). Reduced signal degradation suggests vocalizations may retain more information, improving the transfer of information to both intended and unintended receivers. Overall, our results suggest that deer browsing impacts sound propagation in temperate deciduous forest, although much work remains to be done on the potential impacts on communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Boycott
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
| | - Jingyi Gao
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
| | - Megan D. Gall
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Phillips JN, Derryberry EP. Urban sparrows respond to a sexually selected trait with increased aggression in noise. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7505. [PMID: 29760398 PMCID: PMC5951809 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25834-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals modify acoustic communication signals in response to noise pollution, but consequences of these modifications are unknown. Vocalizations that transmit best in noise may not be those that best signal male quality, leading to potential conflict between selection pressures. For example, slow paced, narrow bandwidth songs transmit better in noise but are less effective in mate choice and competition than fast paced, wide bandwidth songs. We test the hypothesis that noise affects response to song pace and bandwidth in the context of competition using white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). We measure male response to song variation along a gradient of ambient noise levels in San Francisco, CA. We find that males discriminate between wide and narrow bandwidth songs but not between slow and fast paced songs. These findings are biologically relevant because songs in noisy areas tend to have narrow bandwidths. Therefore, this song phenotype potentially increases transmission distance in noise, but elicits weaker responses from competitors. Further, we find that males respond more strongly to stimuli in noisier conditions, supporting the ‘urban anger’ hypothesis. We suggest that noise affects male responsiveness to song, possibly leading to more territorial conflict in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Phillips
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA.
| | - Elizabeth P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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Ronald KL, Zeng R, White DJ, Fernández-Juricic E, Lucas JR. What makes a multimodal signal attractive? A preference function approach. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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Nelson DV, Klinck H, Carbaugh-Rutland A, Mathis CL, Morzillo AT, Garcia TS. Calling at the highway: The spatiotemporal constraint of road noise on Pacific chorus frog communication. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:429-440. [PMID: 28070305 PMCID: PMC5216672 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of acoustic habitat due to anthropogenic noise is a key environmental stressor for vocal amphibian species, a taxonomic group that is experiencing global population declines. The Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) is the most common vocal species of the Pacific Northwest and can occupy human‐dominated habitat types, including agricultural and urban wetlands. This species is exposed to anthropogenic noise, which can interfere with vocalizations during the breeding season. We hypothesized that Pacific chorus frogs would alter the spatial and temporal structure of their breeding vocalizations in response to road noise, a widespread anthropogenic stressor. We compared Pacific chorus frog call structure and ambient road noise levels along a gradient of road noise exposures in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. We used both passive acoustic monitoring and directional recordings to determine source level (i.e., amplitude or volume), dominant frequency (i.e., pitch), call duration, and call rate of individual frogs and to quantify ambient road noise levels. Pacific chorus frogs were unable to change their vocalizations to compensate for road noise. A model of the active space and time (“spatiotemporal communication”) over which a Pacific chorus frog vocalization could be heard revealed that in high‐noise habitats, spatiotemporal communication was drastically reduced for an individual. This may have implications for the reproductive success of this species, which relies on specific call repertoires to portray relative fitness and attract mates. Using the acoustic call parameters defined by this study (frequency, source level, call rate, and call duration), we developed a simplified model of acoustic communication space–time for this species. This model can be used in combination with models that determine the insertion loss for various acoustic barriers to define the impact of anthropogenic noise on the radius of communication in threatened species. Additionally, this model can be applied to other vocal taxonomic groups provided the necessary acoustic parameters are determined, including the frequency parameters and perception thresholds. Reduction in acoustic habitat by anthropogenic noise may emerge as a compounding environmental stressor for an already sensitive taxonomic group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle V Nelson
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA; ARCS Foundation Scholar Arcata CA USA
| | - Holger Klinck
- Bioacoustics Research Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA; Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Oregon State University and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Newport OR USA
| | | | - Codey L Mathis
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Anita T Morzillo
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| | - Tiffany S Garcia
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
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Kleist NJ, Guralnick RP, Cruz A, Francis CD. Anthropogenic noise weakens territorial response to intruder's songs. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J. Kleist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 80309‐0334 USA
| | - Robert P. Guralnick
- University of Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida at Gainesville Gainesville Florida 32611‐2710 USA
| | - Alexander Cruz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 80309‐0334 USA
| | - Clinton D. Francis
- Department of Biological Sciences California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo California 93407 USA
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LaZerte SE, Otter KA, Slabbekoorn H. Relative effects of ambient noise and habitat openness on signal transfer for chickadee vocalizations in rural and urban green-spaces. BIOACOUSTICS 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2015.1060531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Moiron M, González-Lagos C, Slabbekoorn H, Sol D. Singing in the city: high song frequencies are no guarantee for urban success in birds. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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