No male identity information loss during call propagation through dense vegetation: The case of the corncrake

Ręk, Paweł; Osiejuk, Tomasz S.

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2011.01.011

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This call characteristic is individually specific, does not vary during the life of the bird and is potentially very useful for individual discrimination (Peake et al 1998). Moreover, information contained in PPD is not lost during transmission in the natural habitat (Ręk and Osiejuk 2011a). However, no direct proof exists that Corncrakes actually use PPD for individual discrimination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, several researchers have suggested the potential occurrence of NSD based on individually specific call characteristics in non-learners (e.g. Peake et al 1998;Rebbeck et al 2001;Ręk and Osiejuk 2011a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to the songs of many songbirds, this Corncrake call is seemingly very simple in structure. However, there is a higher degree of variation among individuals than within individuals in the temporal and frequency properties of calls (Peake et al 1998;Ręk and Osiejuk 2011a). Therefore, NSD is possible in the Corncrake, at least in theory.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Budka

Osiejuk

2013

J Ornithol

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The acoustic signals of birds are commonly used for individual recognition. Calls or songs allow discrimination between parent and offspring, between mates and between territorial neighbours and strangers. In this study, we investigated vocal neighbour-stranger discrimination in a nocturnally calling rail species, the Corncrake, Crex crex. We conducted interactive playback experiments with 43 males. All males were tested twice on the same night, and their responses to the calls of a familiar neighbour and the calls of an unfamiliar stranger were measured. The Corncrake males responded more aggressively to the playback of a stranger's calls. They approached the speaker more rapidly, spent more time close to the speaker and physically attacked the speaker more frequently. We found no significant differences between the vocal responses to the playback of neighbours' and strangers' calls. Thus, although calling plays an important role in Corncrake territorial interactions, it is only a first line of defence in which males signal aggression towards intruders by calling, similar to singing in passerines. The lack of differences in vocal responses and the presence of clear differences in other behavioural responses demonstrate that the absence of a differential vocal response does not imply the absence of discrimination. Although the individual nature of the Corncrake call has been mentioned in a few previous studies, this study provides the first experimental evidence that Corncrake males indeed use calls for neighbour-stranger discrimination.Notably, because of the Corncrake's dense wet meadow habitat and its tendency to signal at night, it is probable that acoustic individual discrimination in the Corncrake is crucial for making correct decisions during aggressive encounters with rivals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Budka

Osiejuk

2013

J Ornithol

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“…All three species have repertoires of several call types, some of which are very quiet and produced mostly during aggressive interactions (Cramp & Simmons , Ręk & Osiejuk , Ręk ). Others are very loud and function as territorial signals and individual fingerprints (Ręk & Osiejuk , Budka & Osiejuk , Ręk ). Such loud calls are common among rails, but differ markedly even among closely related taxa (Taylor ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat complexity and the structure of vocalizations: a test of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in three rail species (Rallidae)

Ręk

Kwiatkowska

2016

Ibis

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The acoustic adaptation hypothesis is based on the assumption that senders are directionally selected to maximize transmission and minimize degradation; however, the two aims are not necessarily convergent. In complex habitats, where more effects that might potentially cause attenuation and degradation co‐occur and longer transmission must incur a higher cost, signals should attenuate faster and have shorter transmission ranges. At the same time, such signals should be more resistant to degradation in order to preserve their communicatory function. Based on a sound transmission experiment, we tested the evidence for these predictions using territorial calls of three sympatric species of rails, inhabiting habitats with increasing complexity: Corncrake Crex crex, Spotted Crake Porzana porzana and Water Rail Rallus aquaticus. In the experiment, the calls were broadcasted with similar amplitudes through a heterogeneous habitat inhabited by all three species and rerecorded at different distances up to 320 m. Despite standardized amplitudes and habitats, calls of the species living in simpler habitats had longer transmission ranges but were more susceptible to degradation than calls of the species living in more complex habitats. Our results suggest that narrow frequency bandwidth is an adaptation of species inhabiting complex habitats that helps their calls to degrade less at the cost of stronger attenuation and shorter transmission range. By contrast, wide frequency bandwidth extends the range but increases degradation and thus it is used only by species inhabiting structurally simpler habitats. This study shows that, in more complex habitats, the clarity of the message is preserved at the cost of range.

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“…The time from the start of one pulse to the start of the next pulse (the pulse-to-pulse duration; PPD hereafter) varies less within than between individuals and does not change over the course of a given bird's life (Peake et al 1998). Moreover, PPD-encoded information is not lost as a call is propagated through the Corncrake's natural habitat, which means that individuals can be correctly identified even from long distances (Ręk and Osiejuk 2011a). Therefore, in the past, PPD has been used to discriminate between and identify male Corncrakes (Peake and McGregor 2001;Terry and McGregor 2002;Mikkelsen et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it possible to acoustically identify individuals within a population?

2014

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Acoustically identifying individuals may be a helpful technique when it is necessary to monitor animal populations over space and time. Previous studies have largely focused on the theoretical exploitation of vocal individuality or have looked at a small number of individuals. Here, we examined whether vocal individuality can be used to track the movement of individuals within a population (in this case when the number of individuals is greater than 100) and unknown beforehand. As a model species, we used the Corncrake (Crex crex)-a highly secretive bird whose calls are characterized by an individual-specific feature: pulse-to-pulse duration (PPD). When we performed classical discriminant function analyses on PPD, we correctly identified a high percentage of individuals ([98 %), even when sample size was larger than 100. However, a comparison of PPD similarity within and between individuals showed that, while birds can be correctly discriminated, unambiguous identification is impossible when the number of individuals is unknown beforehand. Therefore, we were only able to assess the probability that two calls belonged to the same individual. The results of this study show that acoustic identification in the Corncrake, and probably in other animal species, is mainly useful in detecting general behavioral patterns within populations. For instance, we discovered that more than 50 % of males change territories during the breeding season, probably to find females. Physical marking methods seem to be more reliable to tracking specific individuals. However, those methods usually consider limited numbers of individuals. Therefore, generalizing results to the population scale can also be misleading.

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No male identity information loss during call propagation through dense vegetation: The case of the corncrake

Cited by 23 publications

References 30 publications

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Neighbour–stranger call discrimination in a nocturnal rail species, the Corncrake Crex crex

Habitat complexity and the structure of vocalizations: a test of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in three rail species (Rallidae)

Is it possible to acoustically identify individuals within a population?

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