1
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Behrens C, Maciejewski MF, Arredondo E, Dalziel AC, Weir LK, Bell AM. Divergence in Reproductive Behaviors Is Associated with the Evolutionary Loss of Parental Care. Am Nat 2024; 203:590-603. [PMID: 38635363 DOI: 10.1086/729465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
AbstractThe mechanisms underlying the divergence of reproductive strategies between closely related species are still poorly understood. Additionally, it is unclear which selective factors drive the evolution of reproductive behavioral variation and how these traits coevolve, particularly during early divergence. To address these questions, we quantified behavioral differences in a recently diverged pair of Nova Scotian three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations, which vary in parental care, with one population displaying paternal care and the other lacking this. We compared both populations, and a full reciprocal F1 hybrid cross, across four major reproductive stages: territoriality, nesting, courtship, and parenting. We identified significant divergence in a suite of heritable behaviors. Importantly, F1 hybrids exhibited a mix of behavioral patterns, some of which suggest sex linkage. This system offers fresh insights into the coevolutionary dynamics of reproductive behaviors during early divergence and offers support for the hypothesis that coevolutionary feedback between sexual selection and parental care can drive rapid evolution of reproductive strategies.
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2
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Mizuno A, Soma M. Pre-existing visual preference for white dot patterns in estrildid finches: a comparative study of a multi-species experiment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231057. [PMID: 37859833 PMCID: PMC10582589 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The diverse characteristics of animal signal designs can be explained by the sensory bias hypothesis, which suggests that natural selection shapes sensory bias and preferences associated with signal design. Traditionally, this hypothesis has focused on female sensory biases and male sexual traits. However, considering shared sensory systems between males and females in non-sexual contexts, existing sensory bias possibly contributes to the evolution of shared social and sexual traits. Our previous studies on the family Estrildidae supported this idea. An evolutionary relationship probably existed between diet and white dot plumage, and a species of estrildid finches showed a visual preference for white dot patterns. To investigate this further, we examined hunger-related visual preferences using phylogenetic comparative methods and behavioural experiments. Specifically, we compared the gazing responses of 12 species of estrildids to monochromatic printed white dot and stripe patterns, considering their phylogenetic relationships. The results support our idea that the common estrildid ancestor had a hunger-related visual preference for white dot patterns. Subject species generally preferred white dots to stripes. Furthermore, males and females showed a similar preference towards dots. Our findings provide insights into the role of sensory bias in the evolution of mutual ornamentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumi Mizuno
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
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3
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Birdsong: Not all contest but also cooperation? Curr Biol 2023; 33:R67-R69. [PMID: 36693311 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong generally functions to defend territories from same-sex competitors and to attract mates. Wild zebra finch males now are shown to sing prolifically outside the breeding season and without defending territories, suggesting potential social functions for birdsong beyond competition.
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4
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Tatarsky RL, Guo Z, Campbell SC, Kim H, Fang W, Perelmuter JT, Schuppe ER, Conway KW, Reeve HK, Bass AH. Acoustic and postural displays in a miniature and transparent teleost fish, Danionella dracula. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276185. [PMID: 35916179 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic behavior is widespread across vertebrates, including among fishes. We report robust acoustic displays during aggressive interactions for a laboratory colony of Danionella dracula, a miniature and transparent species of teleost fish closely related to zebrafish (Danio rerio), which are hypothesized to be sonic based on the presence of a hypertrophied muscle associated with the male swim bladder. Males produce bursts of pulsatile sounds and a distinct postural display-extension of a hypertrophied lower jaw, a morphological trait not present in other Danionella species-during aggressive, but not courtship interactions. Females show no evidence of sound production or jaw extension in such contexts. Novel pairs of size-matched or -mismatched males were combined in resident-intruder assays where sound production and jaw extension could be linked to individuals. In both dyad contexts, resident males produced significantly more sound pulses than intruders. During heightened sonic activity, the majority of highest sound producers also showed increased jaw extension. Residents extended their jaw more than intruders in size-matched, but not -mismatched contexts. Larger males in size-mismatched dyads produced more sounds and jaw extensions compared to their smaller counterparts, and sounds and jaw extensions increased with increasing absolute body size. These studies establish D. dracula as a sonic species that modulates putatively acoustic and postural displays during aggressive interactions based on residency and body size, providing a foundation for further investigating the role of multimodal displays in a new model clade for neurogenomic and neuroimaging studies of aggression, courtship, and other social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose L Tatarsky
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Zilin Guo
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Sarah C Campbell
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Helena Kim
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Wenxuan Fang
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | - Eric R Schuppe
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Kevin W Conway
- Texas A&M University, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Hudson K Reeve
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Ithaca, New York, USA
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5
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Mizuno A, Soma M. Star finches Neochmia ruficauda have a visual preference for white dot patterns: a possible case of trypophilia. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1271-1279. [PMID: 35294684 PMCID: PMC9617841 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01609-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many animals have polka dot patterns on their body surface, some of which are known to have signalling functions; however, their evolutionary origins remain unclear. Dot patterns can trigger a fear response (trypophobia) in humans and are known to function as aposematic signals in non-human animals, suggesting that dots may deserve attention for biological reasons. Interestingly in many birds, plumage dot patterns serve for social/sexual signalling. To understand their evolution, we have focused on the sensory bias hypothesis, which predicts the role of pre-existing sensory preference driven by natural selection in shaping signal design. Our previous phylogenetic comparative study supported the hypothesis and showed that diet-driven visual preference promoted the evolution of plumage patterns, as there was an evolutionary correlation between termite-eating (white roundish gregarious prey) and the presence of plumage dot patterns in species of the family Estrildidae. This suggests that these species possess an intrinsic preference for dots. To test this, we compared the responses of an Estrildid species with dot plumage pattern (star finch Neochmia ruficauda) towards simultaneously presented monochrome-printed white dot vs white stripe patterns under both food-deprived and -supplied conditions. Overall, star finches preferred dots to stripes. They showed foraging-like behaviours almost only toward dots when hungry and gazed at dots frequently even when food was available, suggesting both hunger-related and hunger-neutral dot preferences. These results are rather surprising, given how strongly the subjects were attracted to abstract dot patterns without organic structure, but provided good support for the sensory bias hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayumi Mizuno
- Biosystems Science Course, The Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan.
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6
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Prior NH, Bentz EJ, Ophir AG. Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social-sensory framework of social behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12781. [PMID: 34905293 PMCID: PMC9744507 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Organisms filter the complexity of natural stimuli through their individual sensory and perceptual systems. Such perceptual filtering is particularly important for social stimuli. A shared "social umwelt" allows individuals to respond appropriately to the expected diversity of cues and signals during social interactions. In this way, the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of sociality and social bonding cannot be disentangled from perceptual mechanisms and sensory processing. While a degree of embeddedness between social and sensory processes is clear, our dominant theoretical frameworks favor treating the social and sensory processes as distinct. An integrated social-sensory framework has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying individual variation in social bonding and sociality more broadly. Here we leverage what is known about sensory processing and pair bonding in two common study systems with significant species differences in their umwelt (rodent chemosensation and avian acoustic communication). We primarily highlight that (1) communication is essential for pair bond formation and maintenance, (2) the neural circuits underlying perception, communication and social bonding are integrated, and (3) candidate neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate pair bonding also impact communication and perception. Finally, we propose approaches and frameworks that more fully integrate sensory processing, communication, and social bonding across levels of analysis: behavioral, neurobiological, and genomic. This perspective raises two key questions: (1) how is social bonding shaped by differences in sensory processing?, and (2) to what extent is sensory processing and the saliency of signals shaped by social interactions and emerging relationships?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Ehren J. Bentz
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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7
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Anderson NK, Gururaja KV, Mangiamele LA, Netoskie EC, Smith S, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D. Insight into the Evolution of Anuran Foot Flag Displays: A Comparative Study of Color and Kinematics. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K. Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - K. V. Gururaja
- Research and Development Center and Science Media Center, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Gubbi Labs, Bengaluru 560012, India;
| | - Lisa A. Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Erin C. Netoskie
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 16652;
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Matthew J. Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Vienna Zoo, 1130 Vienna, Austria; Department of Evolutionary Biology, University Vienna, Austria;
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8
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de Reus K, Soma M, Anichini M, Gamba M, de Heer Kloots M, Lense M, Bruno JH, Trainor L, Ravignani A. Rhythm in dyadic interactions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200337. [PMID: 34420383 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review paper discusses rhythmic interactions and distinguishes them from non-rhythmic interactions. We report on communicative behaviours in social and sexual contexts, as found in dyads of humans, non-human primates, non-primate mammals, birds, anurans and insects. We discuss observed instances of rhythm in dyadic interactions, identify knowledge gaps and propose suggestions for future research. We find that most studies on rhythmicity in interactive signals mainly focus on one modality (acoustic or visual) and we suggest more work should be performed on multimodal signals. Although the social functions of interactive rhythms have been fairly well described, developmental research on rhythms used to regulate social interactions is still lacking. Future work should also focus on identifying the exact timing mechanisms involved. Rhythmic signalling behaviours are widespread and critical in regulating social interactions across taxa, but many questions remain unexplored. A multidisciplinary, comparative cross-species approach may help provide answers. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen de Reus
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Marianna Anichini
- Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study, 'Brain' Research Area, Delmenhorst, Germany.,Division of Animal Physiology and Behaviour, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Miriam Lense
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Laurel Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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9
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Beco R, Silveira LF, Derryberry EP, Bravo GA. Ecology and behavior predict an evolutionary trade-off between song complexity and elaborate plumages in antwrens (Aves, Thamnophilidae). Evolution 2021; 75:2388-2410. [PMID: 34382212 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The environment can impose constraints on signal transmission properties such that signals should evolve in predictable directions (Sensory Drive Hypothesis). However, behavioral and ecological factors can limit investment in more than one sensory modality leading to a trade-off in use of different signals (Transfer Hypothesis). In birds, there is mixed evidence for both sensory drive and transfer hypothesis. Few studies have tested sensory drive while also evaluating the transfer hypothesis, limiting understanding of the relative roles of these processes in signal evolution. Here, we assessed both hypotheses using acoustic and visual signals in male and female antwrens (Thamnophilidae), a species-rich group that inhabits diverse environments and exhibits behaviors, such as mixed-species flocking, that could limit investment in different signal modalities. We uncovered significant effects of habitat (sensory drive) and mixed-species flocking behavior on both sensory modalities, and we revealed evolutionary trade-offs between song and plumage complexity, consistent with the transfer hypothesis. We also showed sex- and trait-specific responses in visual signals that suggest both natural and social selection play an important role in the evolution of sexual dimorphism. Altogether, these results support the idea that environmental (sensory drive) and behavioral pressures (social selection) shape signal evolution in antwrens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Beco
- Seção de Aves, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 04263-000, Brazil.,Departamento de Zoologia do Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Luís F Silveira
- Seção de Aves, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 04263-000, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996
| | - Gustavo A Bravo
- Seção de Aves, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 04263-000, Brazil.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138.,Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
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10
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Prior NH, Smith E, Dooling RJ, Ball GF. Monogamy in a Moment: How do Brief Social Interactions Change Over Time in Pair-Bonded Zebra Finches ( Taeniopygia guttata)? Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa034. [PMID: 33791572 PMCID: PMC7810576 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on monogamy has largely focused on marked behaviors that are unique to pair bonded partners. However, these marked behaviors represent only a subset of the pair-directed behaviors that partners engage in; the influence of pair bonding on mundane or subtle social interactions among partners remains largely unknown. In this study, we describe the changes that occur during brief social reunions (or greets) over the course of pair bonding in zebra finches. We quantified pair-directed behavior during 5-min reunions from three stages of pair bonding: initial pairing (between 4 and 72 h), early pairing (1–2 weeks), and late pairing (>1 month). These social interactions were operationalized in multiple ways. First, we quantified the overall activity levels (call and movement rates) for both the male and female. Overall, females were more active than males, but for both males and females calling activity was highest at initial pairing. We quantified behavioral coordination between partners in two ways: (1) similarity in call and movement rates between partners and (2) temporal synchrony of calls and movements between partners (via sliding correlation coefficients of time-stamped calls and movements). Overall, there were no effects of pairing stage on behavioral coordination. Finally, we used principal component analyses to disentangle behavioral coordination from the activity levels of the male and female. These results contribute to a growing line of evidence that male and female zebra finches differentially contribute to social dynamics and highlight the influence of pair bonding on the development of social dynamics. Furthermore, our preliminary analyses raise the hypothesis that behavioral coordination during the earliest phases of pairing is modulated by the extent and nature of prior experience. Overall, while behavioral coordination is clearly important for many salient interactions such as duetting, courtship displays, and biparental care, the significance of mundane social interactions for monogamous partnerships remains largely unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Edward Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Robert J Dooling
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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11
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Leitão AV, Hall ML, Mulder RA. Female and male plumage color is linked to parental quality, pairing, and extrapair mating in a tropical passerine. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Sexual selection has been proposed to drive the evolution of elaborate phenotypic traits in males, which often confer success in competition or mating. However, in many species, both males and females display such traits. Studies examining how selection acts on both sexes are scarce. In this study, we investigated whether plumage ornamentation is sexually selected in females and males lovely fairy-wren Malurus amabilis, a cooperatively breeding songbird. We found that female and male plumage color was correlated with parental quality but not with individual quality or survival. We also found evidence of positive assortative mating based on plumage color. Microsatellite analyses of paternity indicated that the lovely fairy-wren has high levels of extrapair paternity (EPP), with 53% of offspring (in 58% of broods of 57% of females) resulting from extrapair (EP) mating. Female and male plumage color did not predict reproductive success or the proportion of EP offspring in their own nest, but less colorful males obtained higher EPP when paired with more colorful females and gained overall higher total paternity (own nest and other nests). We argue that plumage color may be under sex-specific selection, highlighting the importance of looking at both sexes in studies of sexual selection and ornament evolution. The current findings together with the previous study suggest that plumage color in female and male lovely fairy-wrens appears to be an honest signal relevant in both intrasexual and intersexual competition contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana V Leitão
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Raoul A Mulder
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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12
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Opposing population trends of fork-tailed swallows and reddish-coloured swallows in our changing world. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:331-338. [PMID: 33164309 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection can in theory lead to positive and negative effect on population-level fitness and hence population increase/decline in our changing world, but the empirical evidence is scarce. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we examined whether and how different sexually selected ornaments affect recent population trends and extinction risk in swallows (Aves: Hirundininae). We found that population trends decreased with increasing depth of male tails, that is a well-known sexually selected trait, and increased with increasing score of reddish plumage coloration, another sexually selected ornament. Similar contrasting patterns were observed for extinction risk. These findings indicate ornament-specific population trends and extinction risk, perhaps due to the differential costs and benefits of ornamentation. Previous studies have mostly focused on the overall effects of sexual selection by combining different kinds of traits, presumed to be sexually selected. However, as predicted by theory, sexual selection would not be a process with the same universal effect on population dynamics as we found here. Divergent ecological consequences would occur through minor differences in sexual selection, which should not be dismissed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Hasegawa
- Department of Environmental Science, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Emi Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Kanagawa, Japan
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13
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Abstract
The duets of birds have intrigued biologists for a long time, yet much remains unknown about the evolution of these striking collective displays. This is partly because previous studies on duet evolution have been biased to songbirds and neglected other bird groups. In songbirds, the absence of migration has been found to predict the occurrence of duetting, indirectlysupporting the idea that duet communication is linked with pair bonding. Here, we used phylogenetic comparative analyses in a sedentary clade of non-songbirds, the barbets (Capitonidae), to reveal new correlates of duet evolution. We found (i) that duets evolved several times independently in different barbet lineages and (ii) that duetting evolved in association with group living (i.e. the presence of helpers or non-breeding adults during the breeding period), but not with sexual monochromatism or habitat type. Our findings are consistent with a duet function in mate guarding and dominance against subordinate group members as well as joint territory defence. Altogether, the results highlight the importance of the social environment for the evolution of collective signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayo Soma
- Behavioral Neurobiology Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Henrik Brumm
- Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
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14
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Mizuno A, Soma M. Potential role of sensory bias in plumage pattern evolution: termite-eating and polka-dots in estrildid finches. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2020.1803414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayumi Mizuno
- Biosystems Science Course, The Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
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15
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Prior NH. What's in a Moment: What Can Be Learned About Pair Bonding From Studying Moment-To-Moment Behavioral Synchrony Between Partners? Front Psychol 2020; 11:1370. [PMID: 32848962 PMCID: PMC7417665 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the behavioral and physiological mechanisms of monogamy largely comes from studies of behavioral interactions unique to pair-bonded individuals. By focusing on these highly marked behaviors, a remarkable conservation in the mechanisms underlying pair bonding has been revealed; however, we continue to know very little about the range of behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that could explain the great diversity of pair-bonding phenotypes that exists both within and across species. In order to capture the dynamic nature of bonds over time and across contexts, we need specific, operationally-defined behavioral variables relevant across such a diversity of scenarios. Additionally, we need to be able to situate these behavioral variables within broader frameworks that allow us to interpret and compare patterns seen across species. Here I review what is known about behavioral synchrony with respect to pair bonding and discuss using synchrony as such a variable as well as a framework to expand on our understanding of pair bonding across timescales, contexts and species. First, I discuss the importance of behavioral synchrony and parental coordination for reproductive success in monogamous biparental bird species. Second, I highlight research documenting the critical importance of interpersonal coordination for human social relationships. Finally, I present recent work that experimentally bridges these lines of research by quantifying moment-to-moment behavioral synchrony during brief social interactions in zebra finch dyads. All together, these distinct perspectives support the notion that synchrony (1) is a shared premise for sociality across species, (2) is deeply shaped by social experiences, and (3) exists across timescales, behaviors, and levels of physiology. Conceptualizing pair bonding through the framework of behavioral synchrony is likely to facilitate a deeper understanding of the nuances of how social experiences and interactions impact the brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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16
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Menezes JCT, Santos ESA. Habitat structure drives the evolution of aerial displays in birds. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:482-493. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- João C. T. Menezes
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- BECO do Departamento de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Eduardo S. A. Santos
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- BECO do Departamento de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
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17
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Anderson AP, Jones AG. Choosy Gulf pipefish males ignore age but prefer active females with deeply keeled bodies. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Miles MC, Fuxjager MJ. Phenotypic Diversity Arises from Secondary Signal Loss in the Elaborate Visual Displays of Toucans and Barbets. Am Nat 2019; 194:152-167. [PMID: 31318292 DOI: 10.1086/704088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Complexity and diversity are fundamental characteristics of life, but the relationship between the two remains murky. For example, both gaining and losing complexity can support diversity-so how exactly does complexity influence the emergence of unique phenotypes? Here we address this question by examining how complexity underlies the diversity of elaborate visual displays in the avian clade Ramphastides (toucans and barbets). These species communicate in part by using body movement and colorful ornaments on the tail. We find that sexual size dimorphism predicts the evolution of one specific signal, the tail-cock gesture, implying that tail cocking is more likely to evolve under stronger sexual selection. We also discover process-level constraints on the evolution of complexity: signals are gained along a strict order of operations, where the tail-cock gesture arises before other colors and gestures. Yet virtually any signal can be lost at any time. As a result, many extant phenotypes were more likely to arise through loss of complexity, highlighting the importance of secondary signal loss to phenotypic diversity. Collectively, our results demonstrate how sexual selection catalyzes the evolution of complex phenotypes, which indirectly support diversity by allowing different traits to be modified or lost in the future.
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Hensley NM, Ellis EA, Gerrish GA, Torres E, Frawley JP, Oakley TH, Rivers TJ. Phenotypic evolution shaped by current enzyme function in the bioluminescent courtship signals of sea fireflies. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182621. [PMID: 30963873 PMCID: PMC6367180 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating behaviours are diverse and noteworthy, especially within species radiations where they may contribute to speciation. Studying how differences in mating behaviours arise between species can help us understand how diversity is generated at multiple biological levels. The bioluminescent courtship displays of cypridinid ostracods (or sea fireflies) are an excellent system for this because amazing variety evolves while using a conserved biochemical mechanism. We find that the evolution of one aspect in this behavioural phenotype-the duration of bioluminescent courtship pulses-is shaped by biochemical function. First, by measuring light production from induced bioluminescence in 38 species, we discovered differences between species in their biochemical reactions. Then, for 16 species for which biochemical, phylogenetic and behavioural data are all available, we used phylogenetic comparative models to show that differences in biochemical reaction are nonlinearly correlated with the duration of courtship pulses. This relationship indicates that changes to both enzyme (c-luciferase) function and usage have shaped the evolution of courtship displays, but that they differentially contribute to these phenotypic changes. This nonlinear dynamic may have consequences for the disparity of signalling phenotypes observed across species, and demonstrates how unappreciated diversity at the biochemical level can lead to inferences about behavioural evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholai M. Hensley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9620, USA
| | - Emily A. Ellis
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9620, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Torres
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
| | - John P. Frawley
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
| | - Todd H. Oakley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9620, USA
| | - Trevor J. Rivers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66405, USA
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Takeda KF, Hiraiwa-Hasegawa M, Kutsukake N. Uncoordinated dances associated with high reproductive success in a crane. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kohei F Takeda
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, School of Advanced Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, School of Advanced Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, School of Advanced Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
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21
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Ligon RA, Diaz CD, Morano JL, Troscianko J, Stevens M, Moskeland A, Laman TG, Scholes E. Evolution of correlated complexity in the radically different courtship signals of birds-of-paradise. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2006962. [PMID: 30457985 PMCID: PMC6245505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ornaments used in courtship often vary wildly among species, reflecting the evolutionary interplay between mate preference functions and the constraints imposed by natural selection. Consequently, understanding the evolutionary dynamics responsible for ornament diversification has been a longstanding challenge in evolutionary biology. However, comparing radically different ornaments across species, as well as different classes of ornaments within species, is a profound challenge to understanding diversification of sexual signals. Using novel methods and a unique natural history dataset, we explore evolutionary patterns of ornament evolution in a group—the birds-of-paradise—exhibiting dramatic phenotypic diversification widely assumed to be driven by sexual selection. Rather than the tradeoff between ornament types originally envisioned by Darwin and Wallace, we found positive correlations among cross-modal (visual/acoustic) signals indicating functional integration of ornamental traits into a composite unit—the “courtship phenotype.” Furthermore, given the broad theoretical and empirical support for the idea that systemic robustness—functional overlap and interdependency—promotes evolutionary innovation, we posit that birds-of-paradise have radiated extensively through ornamental phenotype space as a consequence of the robustness in the courtship phenotype that we document at a phylogenetic scale. We suggest that the degree of robustness in courtship phenotypes among taxa can provide new insights into the relative influence of sexual and natural selection on phenotypic radiations. Animals frequently vary widely in ornamentation, even among closely related species. Understanding the patterns that underlie this variation is a significant challenge, requiring comparisons among drastically different traits—like comparing apples to oranges. Here, we use novel analytical approaches to quantify variation in ornamental diversity and richness across the wildly divergent birds-of-paradise, a textbook example of how sexual selection can profoundly shape organismal phenotypes. We find that color and acoustic complexity, along with behavior and acoustic complexity, are positively correlated across evolutionary timescales. Positive links among ornament classes suggests that selection is acting on correlated suites of traits—a composite courtship phenotype—and this integration may be partially responsible for the extreme variation in signal form that we see in birds-of-paradise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell A. Ligon
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Christopher D. Diaz
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Janelle L. Morano
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
| | - Annalyse Moskeland
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Timothy G. Laman
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Edwin Scholes
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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22
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Ota N, Gahr M, Soma M. Couples showing off: Audience promotes both male and female multimodal courtship display in a songbird. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat4779. [PMID: 30306131 PMCID: PMC6170041 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Social environments can shape animal communication. Although mutual courtship displays are generally thought to function in private communication between a male and a female, we provide experimental evidence that they work in a broader social context than previously thought. We examined the audience effect on mutual courtship in blue-capped cordon-bleus, a socially monogamous songbird. This species is characterized by conspicuous courtship shared between sexes: Both sexes sing songs and sometimes add a unique dance display that looks like human tap dancing. We found that in both sexes, multimodal courtship displays (song accompanied by dance) were promoted in the presence of an audience, especially if it was the opposite sex. In contrast, unimodal displays (song without dance) were suppressed by audiences. Because birds directed the courtship dancing toward their partners (but not the audience), multimodal courtship displays are likely meant to advertise their current mating status to other cordon-bleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nao Ota
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Biosystems Science Course, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 0600810, Japan
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 0600810, Japan
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23
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Soma M, Garamszegi LZ. Evolution of patterned plumage as a sexual signal in estrildid finches. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Masayo Soma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, c/Americo Vespucio, Seville, Spain
- MTA-ELTE, Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány, Budapest, Hungary
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24
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Differential visual ornamentation between brood parasitic and parental cuckoos. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:446-456. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems; Sokendai (the Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Hayama-machi Kanagawa Japan
| | - E. Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems; Sokendai (the Graduate University for Advanced Studies); Hayama-machi Kanagawa Japan
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25
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da Rocha SMC, Lima AP, Kaefer IL. Territory size as a main driver of male-mating success in an Amazonian nurse frog (Allobates paleovarzensis, Dendrobatoidea). Acta Ethol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-017-0280-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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26
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Gomes ACR, Funghi C, Soma M, Sorenson MD, Cardoso GC. Multimodal signalling in estrildid finches: song, dance and colour are associated with different ecological and life‐history traits. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1336-1346. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. C. R. Gomes
- CIBIO – Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Campus Agrário de Vairão Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
| | - C. Funghi
- CIBIO – Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Campus Agrário de Vairão Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
| | - M. Soma
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Hokkaido University Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | | | - G. C. Cardoso
- CIBIO – Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Campus Agrário de Vairão Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
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27
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Miles MC, Cheng S, Fuxjager MJ. Biogeography predicts macro-evolutionary patterning of gestural display complexity in a passerine family. Evolution 2017; 71:1406-1416. [PMID: 28240772 PMCID: PMC5485165 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13213] [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: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Gestural displays are incorporated into the signaling repertoire of numerous animal species. These displays range from complex signals that involve impressive and challenging maneuvers, to simpler displays or no gesture at all. The factors that drive this evolution remain largely unclear, and we therefore investigate this issue in New World blackbirds by testing how factors related to a species’ geographical distribution and social mating system predict macro‐evolutionary patterns of display elaboration. We report that species inhabiting temperate regions produce more complex displays than species living in tropical regions, and we attribute this to (i) ecological factors that increase the competitiveness of the social environment in temperate regions, and (ii) different evolutionary and geological contexts under which species in temperate and tropical regions evolved. Meanwhile, we find no evidence that social mating system predicts species differences in display complexity, which is consistent with the idea that gestural displays evolve independently of social mating system. Together, these results offer some of the first insight into the role played by geographic factors and evolutionary context in the evolution of the remarkable physical displays of birds and other vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith C Miles
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27109
| | - Samantha Cheng
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27109
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28
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Abstract
Mutual interactions between sexes have multiple signalling functions. Duet singing in songbirds is related to mutual mate guarding, joint resource defence, and signalling commitment. Coordinated visual displays of mating pairs are thought to perform similar functions, but are less well understood. The current study evaluated mutual interactions in an Estrildid species to explore the relative importance of duet dancing and male singing in mating success of pairs in a first encounter. When Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora) court prospective mates, only males sing. However, both males and females perform courtship dances, often in a duet-like manner. These dances are typically terminated by female copulation solicitation displays (CSDs). In the current study, we observed higher mating success when courtship dances were mutually exchanged, and when males sang. However, the sex initiating the courtship did not affect mating success. Most females produced CSDs after duet dancing but before hearing the entire song, indicating that duet dancing played a crucial role in mating. This finding highlights an unexplored aspect of duetting behaviour in the process of mutual mate choice. These results conflict with the majority of past songbird research, which has interpreted songs as primary behavioural sexual signals.
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29
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Krause ET. Colour Cues That Are Not Directly Attached to the Body of Males Do Not Influence the Mate Choice of Zebra Finches. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167674. [PMID: 27977719 PMCID: PMC5157975 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice decisions of female zebra finches are generally thought to rely on the assessment of male quality, which includes the specific ornamentation of males. A commonly used paradigm to experimentally manipulate a male’s attractiveness is to add a coloured leg ring to the bird. Some studies have shown that female zebra finches prefer or alter their investment in males that have an additional red leg ring compared with males with green leg rings. Whether the coloured artificial ornaments need to be attached to the male’s body or whether environmental colouration could have a similar effect on male attractiveness remains unclear. Here, I investigated this novel context to determine whether female choice between males is affected by environmental colour cues that are not directly attached to the male’s body in four experiments involving 220 zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). A first experiment revealed that females chose males with red colour cues in the environmental background over males with green cues in the background. Based on this finding, I conducted follow-up experiments to obtain a deeper understanding of how environmental colour cues affect mate choice. Therefore, I examined whether female choice behaviour or male behaviour was altered in two additional experiments. Both experiments failed to show any effects of environmental colour cues on female choice or on male behaviour. Therefore, I replicated the initial experiment in a fourth experiment. Again replication failed; thus, the initial results indicating that environmental colouration affects mate choice behaviour of female zebra finches were not supported by the three subsequent experiments; thus, the outcome of the first experiment seems to be a false positive. Taking my results together, I found no robust support for the idea that environmental colour cues that are not directly attached to the body of male zebra finches affect female mate choice decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Tobias Krause
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, Bielefeld, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Dörnbergstr. 25–27, Germany
- * E-mail:
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30
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Norton P, Scharff C. "Bird Song Metronomics": Isochronous Organization of Zebra Finch Song Rhythm. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:309. [PMID: 27458334 PMCID: PMC4934119 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human capacity for speech and vocal music depends on vocal imitation. Songbirds, in contrast to non-human primates, share this vocal production learning with humans. The process through which birds and humans learn many of their vocalizations as well as the underlying neural system exhibit a number of striking parallels and have been widely researched. In contrast, rhythm, a key feature of language, and music, has received surprisingly little attention in songbirds. Investigating temporal periodicity in bird song has the potential to inform the relationship between neural mechanisms and behavioral output and can also provide insight into the biology and evolution of musicality. Here we present a method to analyze birdsong for an underlying rhythmic regularity. Using the intervals from one note onset to the next as input, we found for each bird an isochronous sequence of time stamps, a “signal-derived pulse,” or pulseS, of which a subset aligned with all note onsets of the bird's song. Fourier analysis corroborated these results. To determine whether this finding was just a byproduct of the duration of notes and intervals typical for zebra finches but not dependent on the individual duration of elements and the sequence in which they are sung, we compared natural songs to models of artificial songs. Note onsets of natural song deviated from the pulseS significantly less than those of artificial songs with randomized note and gap durations. Thus, male zebra finch song has the regularity required for a listener to extract a perceived pulse (pulseP), as yet untested. Strikingly, in our study, pulsesS that best fit note onsets often also coincided with the transitions between sub-note elements within complex notes, corresponding to neuromuscular gestures. Gesture durations often equaled one or more pulseS periods. This suggests that gesture duration constitutes the basic element of the temporal hierarchy of zebra finch song rhythm, an interesting parallel to the hierarchically structured components of regular rhythms in human music.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Norton
- AG Verhaltensbiologie, Freie Universität Berlin Berlin, Germany
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31
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Mahr K, Evans C, Thonhauser KE, Griggio M, Hoi H. Multiple Ornaments—Multiple Signaling Functions? The Importance of Song and UV Plumage Coloration in Female Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus). Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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32
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Dalziell AH, Welbergen JA. Elaborate Mimetic Vocal Displays by Female Superb Lyrebirds. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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33
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Brunton DH, Roper MM, Harmer AMT. Female Song Rate and Structure Predict Reproductive Success in a Socially Monogamous Bird. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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34
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Hasegawa M, Arai E, Kutsukake N. Evolution of tail fork depth in genus Hirundo. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:851-8. [PMID: 26865972 PMCID: PMC4739571 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Revised: 12/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A classic example of a sexually selected trait, the deep fork tail of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica is now claimed to have evolved and be maintained mainly via aerodynamic advantage rather than sexually selected advantage. However, this aerodynamic advantage hypothesis does not clarify which flight habits select for/against deep fork tails, causing diversity of tail fork depth in hirundines. Here, by focusing on the genus Hirundo, we investigated whether the large variation in tail fork depth could be explained by the differential flight habits. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we found that migrant species had deeper fork tails, but less colorful plumage, than the other species, indicating that migration favors a specific trait, deep fork tails. At the same time, tail fork depth but not plumage coloration decreased with increasing bill size – a proxy of prey size, suggesting that foraging on larger prey items favors shallower fork tails. Variation of tail fork depth in the genus Hirundo may be explained by differential flight habits, even without assuming sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) 1560-35 Kamiyamaguchi Hayama-machi Miura-gun Kanagawa 240-0115 Japan
| | - Emi Arai
- Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate School of Life Sciences Tohoku University 6-3 Aoba Aoba-ku Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578 Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) 1560-35 Kamiyamaguchi Hayama-machi Miura-gun Kanagawa 240-0115 Japan
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35
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Tap dancing birds: the multimodal mutual courtship display of males and females in a socially monogamous songbird. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16614. [PMID: 26583485 PMCID: PMC4994120 DOI: 10.1038/srep16614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
According to classical sexual selection theory, complex multimodal courtship displays have evolved in males through female choice. While it is well-known that socially monogamous songbird males sing to attract females, we report here the first example of a multimodal dance display that is not a uniquely male trait in these birds. In the blue-capped cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus), a socially monogamous songbird, both sexes perform courtship displays that are characterised by singing and simultaneous visual displays. By recording these displays with a high-speed video camera, we discovered that in addition to bobbing, their visual courtship display includes quite rapid step-dancing, which is assumed to produce vibrations and/or presumably non-vocal sounds. Dance performances did not differ between sexes but varied among individuals. Both male and female cordon-bleus intensified their dance performances when their mate was on the same perch. The multimodal (acoustic, visual, tactile) and multicomponent (vocal and non-vocal sounds) courtship display observed was a combination of several motor behaviours (singing, bobbing, stepping). The fact that both sexes of this socially monogamous songbird perform such a complex courtship display is a novel finding and suggests that the evolution of multimodal courtship display as an intersexual communication should be considered.
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36
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The songbird as a percussionist: syntactic rules for non-vocal sound and song production in Java sparrows. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0124876. [PMID: 25992841 PMCID: PMC4438869 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Music and dance are two remarkable human characteristics that are closely related. Communication through integrated vocal and motional signals is also common in the courtship displays of birds. The contribution of songbird studies to our understanding of vocal learning has already shed some light on the cognitive underpinnings of musical ability. Moreover, recent pioneering research has begun to show how animals can synchronize their behaviors with external stimuli, like metronome beats. However, few studies have applied such perspectives to unraveling how animals can integrate multimodal communicative signals that have natural functions. Additionally, studies have rarely asked how well these behaviors are learned. With this in mind, here we cast a spotlight on an unusual animal behavior: non-vocal sound production associated with singing in the Java sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora), a songbird. We show that male Java sparrows coordinate their bill-click sounds with the syntax of their song-note sequences, similar to percussionists. Analysis showed that they produced clicks frequently toward the beginning of songs and before/after specific song notes. We also show that bill-clicking patterns are similar between social fathers and their sons, suggesting that these behaviors might be learned from models or linked to learning-based vocalizations. Individuals untutored by conspecifics also exhibited stereotypical bill-clicking patterns in relation to song-note sequence, indicating that while the production of bill clicking itself is intrinsic, its syncopation appears to develop with songs. This paints an intriguing picture in which non-vocal sounds are integrated with vocal courtship signals in a songbird, a model that we expect will contribute to the further understanding of multimodal communication.
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