Nightingales respond more strongly to vocal leaders of simulated dyadic interactions

156

Animal communication generally occurs in the environment of a network of several potential signallers and receivers. Within a network environment, it is possible to gain relative information about conspeci¢cs by eavesdropping on signalling interactions. We presented male great tits with the opportunity to gain such information by simulating singing interactions using two loudspeakers. Interactions were presented so that relevant information was not available in the absolute singing behaviour of either individual, only in the relative timing of their songs in the interaction as a whole. We then assayed the information extracted by focal males by subsequently introducing one of the`interactants' (i.e. loudspeakers) into the territory of the focal male. Focal males responded with a reduced song output to males that had just`lost' an interaction. Focal males did not respond signi¢cantly di¡erently to`winners' as compared with intruders recently involved in an interaction that contained no consistent information. Focal males also responded by switching song types more often when encountering males that had recently been involved in a low-intensity interaction. These results provide the clearest evidence yet that male songbirds extract information from signal interactions between conspeci¢cs in the ¢eld.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Male great tits eavesdrop on simulated male–to–male vocal interactions

Peake

Terry

McGregor

et al. 2001

156

“…In fact, recent work on ® ghting ® sh and territorial songbirds suggests that the agonistic behaviour of a bystander is in¯uenced by watching ® ghts and is largely dictated by the identity of its subsequent opponent, i.e. perceived winner or perceived loser (McGregor et al 1997Naguib & Todt 1997;Oliveira et al 1998;Naguib et al 1999;Peake et al 2001). Eavesdropping may provide useful information on the ® ghting ability of potential competitors without the observer itself having to expend energy or risk the costs of ® ghting (e.g.…”

Section: Procmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eavesdropping on visual cues in green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) fights: a case for networking

Earley

Dugatkin

2002

153

106

Aggressive contests probably occur in networking environments where information about ® ghting ability is conveyed both to an opponent and to individuals peripheral to the ® ght itself, the bystanders. Our primary aim was to investigate the relative in¯uences of eavesdropping and prior social experience on the dynamics of aggressive contests in Xiphophorus helleri. A bystander' s ability to witness an encounter was manipulated using clear, one-way mirror, and opaque partitions. After watching (or not watching) the initial contest, the bystander encountered either the winner or loser of the bout. Treatment comparisons of bystander± winner or bystander± loser contest dynamics indicated the presence or absence of winner, loser, or eavesdropping effects. Winner and loser effects had negligible in¯uences on bystander contest dynamics. Eavesdropping signi® cantly reduced the bystander's propensity to initiate aggression, escalate, and win against seen winners regardless of whether the watched bout had escalated or not. Though eavesdropping had relatively little effect on bystander± loser contest dynamics, bystanders were less prone to initiate aggression and win against losers that had escalated in the witnessed bout. Thus, bystanders appear to preferentially retain and utilize information gained about potentially dangerous opponents (winners or persistent losers). Our data lend clear support for the importance of eavesdropping in visually based aggressive signalling systems.

“…eavesdrop; e.g. Naguib & Todt 1997;Naguib et al 1999). This information may be used in future aggressive encounters (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do great tits assess rivals by combining direct experience with information gathered by eavesdropping?

Peake¹,

Terry²,

McGregor³

et al. 2002

145

Animals frequently use signals that travel further than the spacing between individuals. For every intended recipient of a given signal there are likely to be many other individuals that receive information. Eavesdropping on signalling interactions between other individuals provides a relatively cost-free method of assessing future opponents or mates. Male great tits (Parus major) extract relative information from such interactions between individuals unknown to them. Here, we show that male great tits can take information gathering a stage further and obtain more information about a previously unencountered intruder, by the hitherto unknown capability of combining information gathered by eavesdropping with that derived from their own direct interaction with an individual. Prior experience with an intruder (A) was achieved by subjecting a focal male to different levels of intrusion simulated using interactive playback. This intruder (A) then took part in a simulated interaction with an unknown male (B) outside the territorial boundary of the focal males. In response to subsequent intrusion by the second male (B), focal males showed low song output in response to males that had lost to a male that the subject was able to beat. Males of known high quality, or those about which information was ambiguous, elicited a high level of song output by focal males. We discuss the implications of this finding for the evolution of communication and social behaviour.