Birds associate species-specific acoustic and visual cues: recognition of heterospecific rivals by male blackcaps

Matyjasiak, Piotr

doi:10.1093/beheco/ari012

Cited by 41 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Following previous studies [15,16,36,37] we adopted a simultaneous presentation of dummy dyads at host nests (i.e., essentially a choice test). Great reed warblers attack almost all intruders near their nests, including the mounts of both cuckoo morphs and sparrowhawks at the highest levels of aggression [5,15,16,38-40].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

Trnka

Grim

2013

Front Zool

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BackgroundPlumage polymorphism may evolve during coevolution between brood parasites and their hosts if rare morph(s), by contravening host search image, evade host recognition systems better than common variant(s). Females of the parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are a classic example of discrete color polymorphism: gray females supposedly mimic the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), while rufous females are believed to mimic the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Despite many studies on host responses to adult cuckoos comprehensive tests of the “hawk mimicry” and “kestrel mimicry” hypotheses are lacking so far.ResultsWe tested these hypotheses by examining host responses to stuffed dummies of the sparrowhawk, kestrel, cuckoo and the innocuous turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) as a control at the nest. Our experimental data from an aggressive cuckoo host, the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), showed low effectiveness of cuckoo-predator mimicry against more aggressive hosts regardless of the type of model and the degree of perfection of the mimic. Specifically, warblers discriminated gray cuckoos from sparrowhawks but did not discriminate rufous cuckoos from kestrels. However, both gray and rufous cuckoos were attacked vigorously and much more than control doves. The ratio of aggression to gray vs. rufous cuckoo was very similar to the ratio between frequencies of gray vs. rufous cuckoo morphs in our study population.ConclusionsOverall, our data combined with previous results from other localities suggest polymorphism dynamics are not strongly affected by local predator model frequencies. Instead, hosts responses and discrimination abilities are proportional, other things being equal, to the frequency with which hosts encounter various cuckoo morphs near their nests. This suggests that female cuckoo polymorphism is a counter-adaptation to thwart a specific host adaptation, namely an ability to not be fooled by predator mimicry. We hypothesize the dangerousness of a particular model predator (sparrowhawks are more dangerous to adult birds than kestrels) may be another important factor responsible for better discrimination between the gray cuckoo and its model rather than between the rufous cuckoo and its model. We also provide a review of relevant existing literature, detailed discussion of plumage polymorphism in cuckoos, methodological recommendations and new ideas for future work.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

Trnka

Grim

2013

Front Zool

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“…The equivalent tests on allopatric H. subflava were not possible due to logistical difficulties. Heterospecific responses are sometimes learnt in sympatry (e.g., Emlen et al 1975; Matyjasiak 2005; den Hartog et al 2008), providing a possible alternative explanation for muted responses in allopatry. We therefore assessed the role of learning by comparing (1) the response of naïve H. peruviana at Los Indios to H. subflava with (2) the response of naïve H. peruviana at CICRA to H. striata .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SIGNAL DESIGN AND PERCEPTION INHYPOCNEMISANTBIRDS: EVIDENCE FOR CONVERGENT EVOLUTION VIA SOCIAL SELECTION

2009

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Natural selection is known to produce convergent phenotypes through mimicry or ecological adaptation. It has also been proposed that social selection-i.e., selection exerted by social competition-may drive convergent evolution in signals mediating interspecific communication, yet this idea remains controversial. Here, we use color spectrophotometry, acoustic analyses, and playback experiments to assess the hypothesis of adaptive signal convergence in two competing nonsister taxa, Hypocnemis peruviana and H. subflava (Aves: Thamnophilidae). We show that the structure of territorial songs in males overlaps in sympatry, with some evidence of convergent character displacement. Conversely, nonterritorial vocal and visual signals in males are strikingly diagnostic, in line with 6.8% divergence in mtDNA sequences. The same pattern of variation applies to females. Finally, we show that songs in both sexes elicit strong territorial responses within and between species, whereas songs of a third, allopatric and more closely related species (H. striata) are structurally divergent and elicit weaker responses. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that social selection can act across species boundaries to drive convergent or parallel evolution in taxa competing for space and resources.

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“…Redundancy across multiple modalities, and any ability of birds to associate cues across multiple modalities (e.g. Matyjasiak 2005), would presumably facilitate morph discrimination. The informational redundancy of vocal and visual signals, together with the intermorph discrimination abilities demonstrated here, offers a mechanistic basis for observed patterns of assortative mating (Huber et al 2007).…”

Section: Discrimination Of Sympatric Morphs J Podos 1035mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic discrimination of sympatric morphs in Darwin's finches: a behavioural mechanism for assortative mating?

Podos

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Populations with multiple morphological or behavioural types provide unique opportunities for studying the causes and consequences of evolutionary diversification. A population of the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) at El Garrapatero on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, features two beak size morphs. These morphs produce acoustically distinctive songs, are subject to disruptive selection and mate assortatively by morph. The main goal of the present study was to assess whether finches from this population are able to use song as a cue for morph discrimination. A secondary goal of this study was to evaluate whether birds from this population discriminate songs of their own locality versus another St Cruz locality, Borrero Bay, approximately 24 km to the NW. I presented territorial males with playback of songs of their own morph, of the other morph, and of males from Borrero Bay. Males responded more strongly to same-morph than to other-morph playbacks, showing significantly shorter latencies to flight, higher flight rates and closer approaches to the playback speaker. By contrast, I found only minor effects of locality on responsiveness. Evidence for morph discrimination via acoustic cues supports the hypothesis that song can serve as a behavioural mechanism for assortative mating and sympatric evolutionary divergence.

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Birds associate species-specific acoustic and visual cues: recognition of heterospecific rivals by male blackcaps

Cited by 41 publications

References 34 publications

Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

Color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites

SIGNAL DESIGN AND PERCEPTION INHYPOCNEMISANTBIRDS: EVIDENCE FOR CONVERGENT EVOLUTION VIA SOCIAL SELECTION

Acoustic discrimination of sympatric morphs in Darwin's finches: a behavioural mechanism for assortative mating?

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