Female song and vocal interactions with males in a neotropical wren

Hall, Michelle L.; Rittenbach, Maria R. D.; Vehrencamp, Sandra L.

doi:10.3389/fevo.2015.00012

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(95 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although song‐type matching is well known in males, there are fewer examples of it in females (see Marshall‐Ball, Mann, & Slater, ; Marshall‐Ball & Slater, ). Similar to male song, female song is a multifunctional signal, and even though some female birds use their songs to defend territories and mates (Cain & Langmore, ; Illes, ; Levin, ; Logue, ; Templeton, Rivera‐Cáceres, Mann, & Slater, ; Tobias & Seddon, ), others use their songs primarily for communicating with their breeding partners (i.e., locating them in densely vegetated habitats) or coordinating breeding activities (i.e., nest building; Hall et al., ; Mays et al., ; Mennill & Vehrencamp, ; Templeton, Ríos‐chelén, Quirós‐guerrero, Mann, & Slater, ). In duetting species, repertoires may serve additional functions, including territory defense or mate guarding (Hall, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal influences genetic and acoustic spatial structure for both males and females in a tropical songbird

Graham

Heath

Mennill

2017

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animals exhibit diverse dispersal strategies, including sex‐biased dispersal, a phenomenon common in vertebrates. Dispersal influences the genetic structure of populations as well as geographic variation in phenotypic traits. Patterns of spatial genetic structure and geographic variation may vary between the sexes whenever males and females exhibit different dispersal behaviors. Here, we examine dispersal, spatial genetic structure, and spatial acoustic structure in Rufous‐and‐white Wrens, a year‐round resident tropical bird. Both sexes sing in this species, allowing us to compare acoustic variation between males and females and examine the relationship between dispersal and song sharing for both sexes. Using a long‐term dataset collected over an 11‐year period, we used banding data and molecular genetic analyses to quantify natal and breeding dispersal distance in Rufous‐and‐white Wrens. We quantified song sharing and examined whether sharing varied with dispersal distance, for both males and females. Observational data and molecular genetic analyses indicate that dispersal is female‐biased. Females dispersed farther from natal territories than males, and more often between breeding territories than males. Furthermore, females showed no significant spatial genetic structure, consistent with expectations, whereas males showed significant spatial genetic structure. Overall, natal dispersal appears to have more influence than breeding dispersal on spatial genetic structure and spatial acoustic structure, given that the majority of breeding dispersal events resulted in individuals moving only short distances. Song sharing between pairs of same‐sex animals decreases with the distance between their territories for both males and females, although males exhibited significantly greater song sharing than females. Lastly, we measured the relationship between natal dispersal distance and song sharing. We found that sons shared fewer songs with their fathers the farther they dispersed from their natal territories, but that song sharing between daughters and mothers was not significantly correlated with natal dispersal distance. Our results reveal cultural differences between the sexes, suggesting a relationship between culture and sex‐biased dispersal.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal influences genetic and acoustic spatial structure for both males and females in a tropical songbird

Graham

Heath

Mennill

2017

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), female song, similar to male song, has been shown to function in response to the threat of same-sex conspecific intruders in the territory (Kleindorfer et al, 2013;. In banded wrens (Thryophilus pleurostictus), there is support for the function of female song for communicating with their breeding partner (Hall et al, 2015), whereas the main functions of male song are mate attraction and stimulation, and territorial advertisement and defense (Kroodsma, 1976;Catchpole and Slater, 2008). Therefore, the evolution of male and female song could be under the same or different selection pressures depending on the specific context (Price, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) Sons and Daughters Acquire Song Elements of Mothers and Social Fathers

Evans

Kleindorfer

2016

Front. Ecol. Evol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Birdsong is regarded as a classic example of a sexually-selected trait and has been primarily studied in systems with male song. Complex solo female song is emerging from the shadows of overlooked phenomena. In males, rearing conditions affect male song complexity, and males with complex songs are often more successful at mate attraction and territorial defense. Little is known about the ontogeny or function of complex female song. Here we examine song elements in fledgling superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) in relation to the song elements of adult tutors. Male and female superb fairy-wrens produce solo song year-round to defend a territory. We ask if sons and daughters acquire song elements from sex-specific vocal tutors. We found that sons and daughters produced the song elements of their mothers and social fathers, and that sons and daughters had comparable song element repertoires at age 7-10 weeks. We conclude that sons and daughters increase their song element repertoire when vocally imitating elements from several vocal tutors, and that both sexes acquire elements from male and female vocal tutors in this system.

show abstract

“…We determined a significantly higher territorial response of female White‐bellied Wrens to conspecifics during the pre‐breeding season, which could be influenced by the aggressive behaviour of their male partner at this stage of the breeding cycle. Such associations have been documented in Buff‐breasted Wrens, Rufous‐and‐white Wrens and Banded Wrens, indicating an association between female and male responses, and not necessarily a link between female responses and the stimulus (Gill et al., ; Hall, Rittenbach, & Vehrencamp, ; Mennill & Vehrencamp, ). However, if that were the case we would expect females also to demonstrate high responsiveness to heterospecific songs, mirroring male responses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Sexual differentiation and seasonal variation in response to conspecific and heterospecific acoustic signals

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interspecific territoriality is frequently reported between closely related species; however, few studies have demonstrated interspecific territoriality between distantly related species living in sympatry. We conducted playback experiments to investigate territorial behaviour in male and female White‐bellied Wrens (Uropsila leucogastra) in response to simulated conspecific and heterospecific intruders during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons. We explored whether heterospecific songs of the Happy Wren (Pheugopedius felix), a distantly related species and ecological competitor, elicited antagonistic responses from focal White‐bellied Wrens, and whether such responses differed between the sexes. We also examined whether male and female responses to conspecific and heterospecific rivals varied with season. We found that male White‐bellied Wrens always responded to conspecific song, and responded significantly more to heterospecific song compared to a control stimulus (Tropical Parula, Setophaga pitiayumi). In contrast, although female White‐bellied Wrens responded strongly to conspecific song, their response to heterospecific song did not differ significantly from the control stimulus. The proportion of males that responded to heterospecific songs and the proportion of females that responded to conspecific songs varied seasonally, showing significantly lower responses during the breeding season. The intense responses of male White‐bellied Wrens to playback of heterospecific songs suggest that they recognise ecological competitors based on their vocal signals. Furthermore, the decrease in agonistic interactions during the breeding season is in line with the hypothesis that aggressive behaviour may be detrimental to reproductive and parental activity, and the hypothesis that heterospecific animals pose less of a threat during the breeding season.

show abstract

Female song and vocal interactions with males in a neotropical wren

Cited by 37 publications

References 72 publications

Dispersal influences genetic and acoustic spatial structure for both males and females in a tropical songbird

Dispersal influences genetic and acoustic spatial structure for both males and females in a tropical songbird

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) Sons and Daughters Acquire Song Elements of Mothers and Social Fathers

Sexual differentiation and seasonal variation in response to conspecific and heterospecific acoustic signals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About