A comparative study of song form and duetting in neotropical Thryothorus wrens

Mann, Nigel I.; Dingess, Kimberly; Barker, F. Keith; Graves, Jeff A.; Slater, Peter J.

doi:10.1163/156853908x390913

Cited by 69 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…It is likely that there are other important clusters of duetting songbirds that were not identified owing to the limits of our sampling. Our finding of moderate phylogenetic signal of duetting in the songbirds is consistent with the finding that ancestry influences duet structure in the taxonomic cluster of wrens formerly belonging to the genus Thryothorus [26,27]. Both results affirm both the necessity of controlling for phylogeny in comparative analyses of duetting and the importance of considering ancestry in single-species studies of duet function.…”

Section: Discussion (A) Taxonomic Distribution Of Vocal Duettingsupporting

confidence: 89%

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

Logue

Hall

2014

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Many groups of animals defend shared resources with coordinated signals. The best-studied of these signals are the vocal duets produced by mated pairs of birds. Duets are believed to be more common among tropical-breeding species, but a comprehensive test of this hypothesis is lacking, and the mechanisms that generate latitudinal patterns in duetting are not known. We used a stratified sample of 372 songbird species to conduct the first broad-scale, phylogenetically explicit analysis of duet evolution. We found that duetting evolves in association with the absence of migration, but not with sexual monochromatism or tropical breeding. We conclude that the evolution of migration exerts a major influence on the evolution of duetting. The perceived association between tropical breeding and duetting may be a by-product of the migrationduetting relationship. Migration reduces the average duration of partnerships, potentially reducing the benefits of cooperative behaviour, including duetting. Ultimately, the evolution of coordinated resource-defence signals in songbirds may be driven by ecological conditions that favour sedentary lifestyles and social stability.

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Section: Discussion (A) Taxonomic Distribution Of Vocal Duettingsupporting

confidence: 89%

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

Logue

Hall

2014

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…The same pattern of females producing lower-pitched duet phrases than males has also been described for Pheasant Coucals (Maurer et al 2008). In a similar vein, female 'Thryothorus' Wrens are usually smaller than males and they have higher duet songs (Mann et al 2009). Most interestingly, we did not only find a divergence of song frequencies between the sexes, but also a correlation between body size and song pitch within sexes, with bigger individuals producing lower pitched song elements (but the strength of this correlation was much higher in females than in males).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…This astounding variety of duet styles (and the presence of duetting in a species in the first place) can be explained, at least in part, by evolutionary history. The strongest evidence for this notion comes from a comprehensive comparative study on singing modes in Neotropical Wrens (Mann et al 2009). Combining molecular and bioacoustic methods, Mann et al (2009) found that singing modes and duet styles map onto phylogeny in this group of songbirds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The strongest evidence for this notion comes from a comprehensive comparative study on singing modes in Neotropical Wrens (Mann et al 2009). Combining molecular and bioacoustic methods, Mann et al (2009) found that singing modes and duet styles map onto phylogeny in this group of songbirds. In other words, ancestry is a strong predictor of duet structure (Mann et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Combining molecular and bioacoustic methods, Mann et al (2009) found that singing modes and duet styles map onto phylogeny in this group of songbirds. In other words, ancestry is a strong predictor of duet structure (Mann et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

On the natural history of duetting in White-browed Coucals: sex- and body-size-dependent differences in a collective vocal display

Brumm

Goymann

2017

J Ornithol

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Avian duets have long fascinated biologists, but much remains unknown about what information may be contained in these collective displays and how duet structures vary between taxa. In this study, we describe the structure and performance rules of duets in White-browed Coucals Centropus superciliosus, a tropical non-parasitic Cuckoo. We recorded vocal behaviours of 11 focal pairs and measured temporal, frequency, and amplitude characteristics of their duets. Molecular sexing and radio telemetry revealed that duets were initiated by both sexes, but the majority of them were led by the male. Moreover, we found that duet contributions were sex specific with females producing lower-pitched songs than males, reflecting the general size dimorphism in this species. Finally, we also found that song peak frequencies varied with body size within each sex, suggesting that songs used in duets may act as index signals of body size. We speculate that sexual selection has driven White-browed Coucals to sing as low as possible, a notion that is further supported by our observation of special singing postures that may help in lowering song pitch even further.

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Sex role similarity and sexual selection predict male and female song elaboration and dimorphism in fairy‐wrens

Odom

Cain

Hall

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Historically, bird song complexity was thought to evolve primarily through sexual selection on males; yet, in many species, both sexes sing and selection pressure on both sexes may be broader. Previous research suggests competition for mates and resources during short, synchronous breeding seasons leads to more elaborate male songs at high, temperate latitudes. Furthermore, we expect male–female song structure and elaboration to be more similar at lower, tropical latitudes, where longer breeding seasons and year‐round territoriality yield similar social selection pressures in both sexes. However, studies seldom take both types of selective pressures and sexes into account. We examined song in both sexes in 15 populations of nine‐fairy‐wren species (Maluridae), a Southern Hemisphere clade with female song. We compared song elaboration (in both sexes) and sexual song dimorphism to latitude and life‐history variables tied to sexual and social selection pressures and sex roles. Our results suggest that song elaboration evolved in part due to sexual competition in males: male songs were longer than female songs in populations with low male survival and less male provisioning. Also, female songs evolved independently of male songs: female songs were slower paced than male songs, although only in less synchronously breeding populations. We also found male and female songs were more similar when parental care was more equal and when male survival was high, which provides strong evidence that sex role similarity correlates with male–female song similarity. Contrary to Northern Hemisphere latitudinal patterns, male and female songs were more similar at higher, temperate latitudes. These results suggest that selection on song can be sex specific, with male song elaboration favored in contexts with stronger sexual selection. At the same time, selection pressures associated with sex role similarity appear to favor sex role similarity in song structure.

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A comparative study of song form and duetting in neotropical Thryothorus wrens

Cited by 69 publications

References 30 publications

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

Migration and the evolution of duetting in songbirds

On the natural history of duetting in White-browed Coucals: sex- and body-size-dependent differences in a collective vocal display

Sex role similarity and sexual selection predict male and female song elaboration and dimorphism in fairy‐wrens

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