Vocal fighting and flirting: the functions of birdsong

Collins, Sarah A.

doi:10.1016/b978-012473070-0/50005-0

Cited by 209 publications

(231 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

222

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Males sing up to 12 song variants characterized by complex patterns of frequency and amplitude modulation (Lowther and Cink, 2006). The biological significance of variation in song has not been studied in house sparrows but the acoustic structure of song may encode information important to both sexes such as individual identity, dominance status, parasite load, fighting and parenting abilities and genetic quality, as in other songbirds (Collins, 2004). Females may use this information to choose social mates or partners for extra-pair copulations, as shown in blackcapped chickadees [Poecile atricapillus (Mennill et al, 2002)].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Henry

Lucas

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYSongbirds exhibit seasonal plasticity in a broad variety of behavioral and morphological traits associated with reproduction. Changes in song production are well described while changes in song reception are not. In the present study, we test for seasonal variation in auditory processing of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus L.) using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to tone bursts. We measured amplitude and latency of the first ABR peak in spring, summer and autumn at stimulus frequencies from 0.8 to 6.4kHz and intensity levels from 24 to 80dB SPL. ABR thresholds were determined at each frequency using cross-correlation. Amplitude was greater in spring than in autumn at frequencies from 3.2 to 6.4kHz whereas latency and thresholds exhibited no seasonal variation. The results indicate an increase in the number or temporal synchrony of responses from peripheral auditory neurons during the early breeding season. Changes in peripheral auditory processing may enhance temporal coding of the fine structure and envelope of song; thereby, improving assessment of encoded information in both sexes (e.g. individual identity and dominance status) and auditory feedback during song production in males. Peripheral auditory changes may be mediated by reproductive hormones, and could involve changes in hair cell density on the basilar papilla. Our results suggest that peripheral auditory processing of songbirds changes seasonally in parallel with other behavioral and morphological traits, such as song production.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Henry

Lucas

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, these taxa are not sister species, and therefore the overlap in signal design and perception appears to represent a clear case of convergent character displacement (Tobias & Seddon 2009a). This pattern of variation is intriguing because male song in most passerine birds, including Hypocnemis antbirds, functions not only in interspecific male-male competition, but in mate attraction (Collins 2004;J. A. Tobias & N. Seddon 2010, unpublished data).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Character displacement from the receiver's perspective: species and mate recognition despite convergent signals in suboscine birds

Seddon

Tobias

2010

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many social animals use long-distance signals to attract mates and defend territories. They face the twin challenges of discriminating between species to identify conspecific mates, and between individuals to recognize collaborators and competitors. It is therefore often assumed that long-distance signals are under strong selection for species-specificity and individual distinctiveness, and that this will drive character displacement when closely related species meet, particularly in noisy environments. However, the occurrence of signal stereotypy and convergence in rainforest species seems to contradict these ideas, and raises the question of whether receivers in these systems can recognize species or individuals by long-distance signals alone. Here, we test for acoustically mediated recognition in two sympatric antbird species that are known to have convergent songs. We show that male songs are stereotyped yet individually distinctive, and we use playback experiments to demonstrate that females can discriminate not only between conspecific and heterospecific males, but between mates and strangers. These findings provide clear evidence that stereotypy and convergence in male signals can be accommodated by fine tuning of perceptual abilities in female receivers, suggesting that the evolutionary forces driving divergent character displacement in animal signals are weaker than is typically assumed.

show abstract

“…Multicomponent signals may also be beneficial when there are multiple audiences [8]. Because many signals, including birdsong, have dual functions in competition and mating [9], determining which signal components mediate intra-versus intersexual communication is key for understanding the evolutionary processes shaping complex signals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal signalling in the North American barn swallow: a phenotype network approach

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Complex signals, involving multiple components within and across modalities, are common in animal communication. However, decomposing complex signals into traits and their interactions remains a fundamental challenge for studies of phenotype evolution. We apply a novel phenotype network approach for studying complex signal evolution in the North American barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster). We integrate model testing with correlation-based phenotype networks to infer the contributions of female mate choice and male-male competition to the evolution of barn swallow communication. Overall, the best predictors of mate choice were distinct from those for competition, while moderate functional overlap suggests males and females use some of the same traits to assess potential mates and rivals. We interpret model results in the context of a network of traits, and suggest this approach allows researchers a more nuanced view of trait clustering patterns that informs new hypotheses about the evolution of communication systems.

show abstract

Vocal fighting and flirting: the functions of birdsong

Cited by 209 publications

References 0 publications

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Character displacement from the receiver's perspective: species and mate recognition despite convergent signals in suboscine birds

Multimodal signalling in the North American barn swallow: a phenotype network approach

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About