Faux frogs: multimodal signalling and the value of robotics in animal behaviour

Taylor, Rabun; Klein, Barrett Anthony; Stein, Joey; Ryan, Michael J.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.01.031

Cited by 129 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

100

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…We know that female frogs assess the male's vocal sac in the visual domain Taylor et al, 2008) and we have shown that bats monitor frog vocal sacs mainly using echolocation. Changes to the light environment are thus likely to affect sexual selection pressures, but not natural selection pressures, whereas the opposite holds true for changes affecting echolocation cues such as background clutter.…”

Section: Benefits From Perch Huntingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used robotic frogs developed by Taylor et al (Taylor et al, 2008) to mimic calling frogs emitting either unimodal (acoustic cue) or multimodal stimuli (acoustic cue plus additional cue derived from vocal sac movement). Our experimental setup consisted of two frog models, each placed 50 cm apart on a smooth-surfaced Plexiglas platform (10×60 cm), echo-acoustically mimicking a water surface (Siemers et al, 2001;Siemers et al, 2005) (Fig.…”

Section: Playback Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous studies have provided experimental evidence for receiver preferences for multimodal over unimodal signals (see Holldobler, 1999;Narins et al, 2003;Taylor et al, 2008;Uetz and Roberts, 2002). Responses to multimodal signals also can favor receivers, as multimodal perception is thought to increase the accuracy of processing cues, which is particularly useful under complex environmental conditions (Bro-Jørgensen, 2010;Higham and Hebets, 2013;Munoz and Blumstein, 2012;Wilson et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like many other frog species, males possess a conspicuous vocal sac, which is inflated and deflated during the production of the call (Taylor et al, 2008;Taylor and Ryan, 2013). The frog's vocal sac has presumably evolved to aid the recycling of air, but has been co-opted into a multimodal display that is attended to by females (Taylor et al, 2008;Taylor and Ryan, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Risks of multimodal signaling: bat predators attend to dynamic motion in frog sexual displays

Halfwerk

Dixon

Ottens

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many sexual displays contain multiple components that are received through a variety of sensory modalities. Primary and secondary signal components can interact to induce novel receiver responses and become targets of sexual selection as complex signals. However, predators can also use these complex signals for prey assessment, which may limit the evolution of elaborate sexual signals. We tested whether a multimodal sexual display of the male túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) increases predation risk from the fringelipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus) when compared with a unimodal display. We gave bats a choice to attack one of two frog models: a model with a vocal sac moving in synchrony with a mating call (multisensory cue), or a control model with the call but no vocal sac movement (unimodal cue). Bats preferred to attack the model associated with the multimodal display. Furthermore, we determined that bats perceive the vocal sac using echolocation rather than visual cues. Our data illustrate the costs associated with multimodal signaling and that sexual and natural selection pressures on the same trait are not always mediated through the same sensory modalities. These data are important when considering the role of environmental fluctuations on signal evolution as different sensory modalities will be differentially affected.

show abstract

Section: Benefits From Perch Huntingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Playback Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Risks of multimodal signaling: bat predators attend to dynamic motion in frog sexual displays

Halfwerk

Dixon

Ottens

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Bats are better at locating the source of a complex caller and when given a choice prefer to attack speakers broadcasting complex calls to speakers broadcasting simple calls [31,32]. The male tú ngara frog also displays a large vocal sac that inflates with the call onset and deflates with call offset [33][34][35]. Bats have been shown to prefer a robotic frog model displaying a dynamically moving vocal sac coupled to sound playback over a control model [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal cues improve prey localization under complex environmental conditions

Rhebergen¹,

Taylor

Ryan

et al. 2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Predators often eavesdrop on sexual displays of their prey. These displays can provide multimodal cues that aid predators, but the benefits in attending to them should depend on the environmental sensory conditions under which they forage. We assessed whether bats hunting for frogs use multimodal cues to locate their prey and whether their use varies with ambient conditions. We used a robotic set-up mimicking the sexual display of a male tú ngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) to test prey assessment by fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus). These predatory bats primarily use sound of the frog's call to find their prey, but the bats also use echolocation cues returning from the frog's dynamically moving vocal sac. In the first experiment, we show that multimodal cues affect attack behaviour: bats made narrower flank attack angles on multimodal trials compared with unimodal trials during which they could only rely on the sound of the frog. In the second experiment, we explored the bat's use of prey cues in an acoustically more complex environment. Tú ngara frogs often form mixed-species choruses with other frogs, including the hourglass frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus). Using a multi-speaker set-up, we tested bat approaches and attacks on the robofrog under three different levels of acoustic complexity: no calling D. ebraccatus males, two calling D. ebraccatus males and five D. ebraccatus males. We found that bats are more directional in their approach to the robofrog when more D. ebraccatus males were calling. Thus, bats seemed to benefit more from multimodal cues when confronted with increased levels of acoustic complexity in their foraging environments. Our data have important consequences for our understanding of the evolution of multimodal sexual displays as they reveal how environmental conditions can alter the natural selection pressures acting on them.

show abstract

Using robots to understand animal cognition

Frohnwieser

Murray

Pike

et al. 2016

Jrnl Exper Analysis Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, robotic animals and humans have been used to answer a variety of questions related to behavior. In the case of animal behavior, these efforts have largely been in the field of behavioral ecology. They have proved to be a useful tool for this enterprise as they allow the presentation of naturalistic social stimuli whilst providing the experimenter with full control of the stimulus. In interactive experiments, the behavior of robots can be controlled in a manner that is impossible with real animals, making them ideal instruments for the study of social stimuli in animals. This paper provides an overview of the current state of the field and considers the impact that the use of robots could have on fundamental questions related to comparative psychology: namely, perception, spatial cognition, social cognition, and early cognitive development. We make the case that the use of robots to investigate these key areas could have an important impact on the field of animal cognition

show abstract

Faux frogs: multimodal signalling and the value of robotics in animal behaviour

Cited by 129 publications

References 70 publications

Risks of multimodal signaling: bat predators attend to dynamic motion in frog sexual displays

Risks of multimodal signaling: bat predators attend to dynamic motion in frog sexual displays

Multimodal cues improve prey localization under complex environmental conditions

Using robots to understand animal cognition

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About