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Reichert MS, Luttbeg B, Hobson EA. Collective signalling is shaped by feedbacks between signaller variation, receiver perception and acoustic environment in a simulated communication network. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230186. [PMID: 38768210 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Communication takes place within a network of multiple signallers and receivers. Social network analysis provides tools to quantify how an individual's social positioning affects group dynamics and the subsequent biological consequences. However, network analysis is rarely applied to animal communication, likely due to the logistical difficulties of monitoring natural communication networks. We generated a simulated communication network to investigate how variation in individual communication behaviours generates network effects, and how this communication network's structure feeds back to affect future signalling interactions. We simulated competitive acoustic signalling interactions among chorusing individuals and varied several parameters related to communication and chorus size to examine their effects on calling output and social connections. Larger choruses had higher noise levels, and this reduced network density and altered the relationships between individual traits and communication network position. Hearing sensitivity interacted with chorus size to affect both individuals' positions in the network and the acoustic output of the chorus. Physical proximity to competitors influenced signalling, but a distinctive communication network structure emerged when signal active space was limited. Our model raises novel predictions about communication networks that could be tested experimentally and identifies aspects of information processing in complex environments that remain to be investigated. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Barney Luttbeg
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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Larter LC, Ryan MJ. Female Preferences for More Elaborate Signals Are an Emergent Outcome of Male Chorusing Interactions in Túngara Frogs. Am Nat 2024; 203:92-108. [PMID: 38207138 DOI: 10.1086/727469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractIn chorusing species, conspecific interference exerts strong selection on signal form and timing to maximize conspicuousness and attractiveness within the signaling milieu. We investigated how túngara frog calling strategies were influenced by varied social environments and male phenotypes and how calling interactions influenced female preferences. When chorusing, túngara frog calls consist of a whine typically followed by one to three chucks. In experimental choruses we saw that as chorus size increased, calls increasingly had their chucks overlapped by the high-amplitude beginning section of other callers' whines. Playback experiments revealed that such overlap reduced the attractiveness of calls to females but that appending additional chucks mitigated this effect. Thus, more elaborate calls were preferred when calls suffered overlap, although they were not preferred when overlap was absent. In response to increasing risk of overlap in larger choruses, males increased call elaboration. However, males overwhelmingly produced two-chuck calls in even the largest choruses, despite our results suggesting that additional chucks would more effectively safeguard calls. Furthermore, aspects of male phenotypes predicted to limit call elaboration had negligible or uncertain effects, suggesting that other constraints are operating. These results highlight how complex interrelations among signal form, signaling interactions, and the social environment shape the evolution of communication in social species.
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Logue DM, Bonnell TR. Skewed performance distributions as evidence of motor constraint in sports and animal displays. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230692. [PMID: 38026035 PMCID: PMC10645065 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Animal displays (i.e. movement-based signals) often involve extreme behaviours that seem to push signallers to the limits of their abilities. If motor constraints limit display performance, signal evolution will be constrained, and displays can function as honest signals of quality. Existing approaches for measuring constraint, however, require multiple kinds of behavioural data. A method that requires only one kind could open up new research directions. We propose a conceptual model of performance under constraint, which predicts that the distribution of constrained performance will skew away from the constraint. We tested this prediction with sports data, because we know a priori that athletic performance is constrained and that athletes attempt to maximize performance. Performance consistently skewed in the predicted direction in a variety of sports. We then used statistical models based on the skew normal distribution to estimate the constraints on athletes and displaying animals while controlling for potential confounds and clustered data. We concluded that motor constraints tend to generate skewed behaviour and that skew normal models are useful tools to estimate constraints from a single axis of behavioural data. This study expands the toolkit for identifying, characterizing, and comparing performance constraints for applications in animal behaviour, physiology and sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Logue
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
| | - Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Hutfluss A, Bermúdez-Cuamatzin E, Mouchet A, Briffa M, Slabbekoorn H, Dingemanse NJ. Male song stability shows cross-year repeatability but does not affect reproductive success in a wild passerine bird. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1507-1520. [PMID: 35509187 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Predictable behaviour (or "behavioural stability") might be favoured in certain ecological contexts, e.g. when representing a quality signal. Costs associated with producing stable phenotypes imply selection should favour plasticity in stability when beneficial. Repeatable among-individual differences in degree of stability are simultaneously expected if individuals differ in ability to pay these costs, or in how they resolve cost-benefit trade-offs. Bird song represents a prime example, where stability may be costly yet beneficial when stable singing is a quality signal favoured by sexual selection. Assuming energetic costs, ecological variation (e.g. in food availability) should result in both within- and among-individual variation in stability. If song stability represents a quality signal, we expect directional selection favouring stable singers. For a three-year period, we monitored 12 nest box plots of great tits Parus major during breeding. We recorded male songs during simulated territory intrusions, twice during their mate's laying stage, and twice during incubation. Each preceding winter, we manipulated food availability. Assuming that stability is costly, we expected food-supplemented males to sing more stable songs. We also expected males to sing more stable songs early in the breeding season (when paternity is not decided), and stable singers to have increased reproductive success. We found strong support for plasticity in stability for two key song characteristics: minimum frequency and phrase length. Males were plastic because they became more stable over the season, contrary to expectations. Food-supplementation did not affect body condition but increased stability in minimum frequency. This treatment effect occurred only in one year, implying that food supplementation affected stability only in interaction with (unknown) year-specific ecological factors. We found no support for directional, correlational, or fluctuating selection on the stability in minimum frequency (i.e., the song trait whose stability exhibited cross-year repeatability): stable singers did not have higher reproductive success. Our findings imply that stability in minimum frequency is not a fitness quality indicator unless males enjoy fitness benefits via pathways not studied here. Future studies should thus address the mechanisms shaping and maintaining individual repeatability of song stability in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Hutfluss
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Alexia Mouchet
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Martinsried, Germany.,Laboratoire Evolution Génomes Comportement et Ecologie (EGCE), UMR Université Paris-Saclay-CNRS-IRD, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mark Briffa
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Animal Behaviour Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, BE, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Martinsried, Germany
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Anderson NK, Gururaja KV, Mangiamele LA, Netoskie EC, Smith S, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D. Insight into the Evolution of Anuran Foot Flag Displays: A Comparative Study of Color and Kinematics. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K. Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - K. V. Gururaja
- Research and Development Center and Science Media Center, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Gubbi Labs, Bengaluru 560012, India;
| | - Lisa A. Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Erin C. Netoskie
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 16652;
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Matthew J. Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Vienna Zoo, 1130 Vienna, Austria; Department of Evolutionary Biology, University Vienna, Austria;
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Stratman KD, Oldehoeft EA, Höbel G. Woe is the loner: Female treefrogs prefer clusters of displaying males over single "hotshot" males. Evolution 2021; 75:3026-3036. [PMID: 34626427 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Communal displays such as leks and choruses are puzzling phenomena, as it is not obvious why signalers or choosers should aggregate. It has been hypothesized that signalers in leks enjoy higher per-capita reproductive success because choosers prefer to sample among dense configurations ("clusters") that are easier to compare. Although female preferences as well as the signal features of attractive males are well characterized in many chorusing species, we know little about how mate sampling is influenced by the spatial dynamics within communal displays. Here, we ask how female Eastern Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) respond to isolated and clustered call stimuli in a simple one versus three playback design. We explored (i) whether females exhibit a general preference for call clusters, (ii) whether spatial preference is robust to call-feature preference, and (iii) how this affects the relative success of attractive and unattractive males in different spatial combinations. We found generalized spatial discrimination against lone callers but did observe fine-scale assessment of call features within clusters. The prominence of the spatial preference impacts the attractiveness of males, conferring particular advantage to attractive callers within clusters, while reducing attractiveness of isolated males regardless of their acoustic features. Our findings indicate that female frogs navigate complex choruses by initially orientating toward clusters of calling males, and then assess call features within them. This study provides novel insight into the mate choice heuristics involved in animal choruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kane D Stratman
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201
| | - Emma A Oldehoeft
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201
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Clapp N, Reichert MS. Arginine vasotocin affects motivation to call, but not calling plasticity, in Cope's gray treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 192:115-125. [PMID: 34401940 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01399-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to respond to competition is critical for social behaviors involved in mating, territoriality and foraging. Physiological mechanisms of competitive social behaviors may determine not only baseline behavior, but possibly also the plasticity of the response to competition. We examined the effects of the neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT), which is implicated in social behavior in non-mammalian vertebrates, on both spontaneous acoustic advertisement calling behavior and the plastic response to a simulated competitive challenge in Cope's gray treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis. We injected males either with AVT or a saline control and then analyzed recordings of spontaneous calling prior to playback, playback of average advertisement calls, playback of highly competitive advertisement calls, and spontaneous calling after playback. We found a tendency for AVT-treated males to be more likely to resume calling, and AVT males had higher call rates than control males, although they did not differ in pulse number or call effort. There were no differences between the AVT and control treatments in the plasticity of calling behavior in response to simulated competitors. Our results generally align with other studies on how AVT affects anuran vocalizations, and suggest that its primary effect is on motivation to call, with less of an effect on plasticity in response to competition. Nevertheless, these effects on call motivation are significant, because mating success is often determined more by participation in the chorus than by the values of specific call characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Clapp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 501 Life Sciences West, Stillwater, 74078, USA.,Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, USA
| | - Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 501 Life Sciences West, Stillwater, 74078, USA.
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10
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Auditory and distance cues interact to modulate female gray treefrog preferences for male advertisement calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03037-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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11
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Leary CJ, Crocker-Buta S, Holloway A, Kennedy JGC. Glucocorticoid-Mediated Changes in Male Green Treefrog Vocalizations Alter Attractiveness to Females. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:283-291. [PMID: 33940612 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenal glucocorticoids (GCs) are increasingly recognized as important modulators of male courtship signals, suggesting that circulating levels of these steroids can play a central role in sexual selection. However, few studies have examined whether GC-mediated effects on male sexual signals actually impact mate choice by females. Here, we examine how corticosterone (CORT)-mediated changes in the vocalizations of male green treefrogs, Dryophytes cinereus, influence attractiveness to females. In this species, agonistic acoustic signaling between rival males competing for mates increases circulating CORT levels in contest losers. Acute elevations in CORT, in turn, decrease the duration of male advertisement calls and increase the latency between successive calls, resulting in a net reduction in vocal effort (the amount of signaling per unit time) that occurs independently of changes in circulating androgens. Based on known preferences for acoustic features in D. cinereus, and other anuran species, the direction of CORT-mediated effects on temporal call characteristics is expected to compromise attractiveness to females, but whether they are of sufficient magnitude to impact female mate choice decisions is unclear. To examine whether CORT-mediated effects on male advertisement calls reduce attractiveness to females, we broadcast vocalizations in dual speaker playback experiments approximating the mean and 1 SD above and below the mean call duration and vocal effort values (the two primary vocal features impacted by elevated CORT) of males with low and high CORT levels. Results revealed strong preferences by females for the calls characteristic of males with low CORT in tests using the approximate mean and 1 SD above the mean call duration and vocal effort values, but females did not show a preference for calls of males with low CORT in trials using call values approximating 1 SD below the mean. Overall, females preferred males with signal traits predictive of low CORT, however this effect was nonlinear with attenuated preferences when signal alternatives differed only marginally indicating a possible thresholding effect. Specifically, females appeared to discriminate between males with low versus high CORT based primarily on differences in call rates associated with CORT-mediated changes in call duration and vocal effort. Our results highlight that changes in circulating CORT during male-male vocal interactions can decrease attractiveness to females, suggesting that circulating levels of CORT can play a critical role in both intra- and intersexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ashli Holloway
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS 39096, USA
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Schwartz JJ, Mazie AAB. Taxis bold as love: the influence of aggressive calls on acoustic attraction of female gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02836-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Anichini M, Rebrina F, Reinhold K, Lehmann GU. Adaptive plasticity of bushcricket acoustic signalling in socially heterogeneous choruses. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Cicchino AS, Cairns NA, Bulté G, Lougheed SC. High and dry: Trade-off in arboreal calling in a treefrog mediated by local environment. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Trade-offs shaping behavioral variation are often influenced by the environment. We investigated the role that the environment plays in mediating trade-offs using a widespread frog with a conspicuous mating display, Pseudacris crucifer. We first demonstrated, using playback and desiccation experiments, that calling site selection involves a trade-off between sound transmission and desiccation. We then determined the influence of local environmental conditions on the intensity of the trade-off by examining range-wide behavioral and environmental data. We showed that the benefit of improved call transmission is positively influenced by vegetation density and ground cover. Behavioral data are consistent with this relationship: sites with a greater transmission benefit have increased prevalence of arboreally calling males. We also found that the prevalence of arboreal calling behavior increases with relative humidity and air temperature, suggesting an influence of these environmental variables on the desiccation cost of arboreal calling. This study provides a clear example of the role of the environment in mediating trade-off intensities and shaping critical behavioral traits.
Local environment mediates the intensity of a trade-off associated with arboreal calling behavior in a treefrog. Combining observational and experimental approaches, we show that arboreal calling behavior increases the transmission of a mating call while potentially subjecting individuals to a rate of desiccation six times greater than terrestrial calling. Local environmental conditions influence both the benefit and the cost of this trade-off, subjecting different populations to varying trade-off intensities and shaping arboreal calling behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda S Cicchino
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicholas A Cairns
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grégory Bulté
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Ducouret P, Romano A, Dreiss AN, Marmaroli P, Falourd X, Roulin A. The Art of Diplomacy in Vocally Negotiating Barn Owl Siblings. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Cardoso GC. Double quantile regression accurately assesses distance to boundary trade‐offs. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo C. Cardoso
- CIBIO/InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Universidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- Behavioural Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Ø Denmark
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Opportunity for female choice in the wild is frequently curtailed by low male trait variation in Hyla versicolor. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2666-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Anichini M, Frommolt KH, Lehmann GU. To compete or not to compete: bushcricket song plasticity reveals male body condition and rival distance. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Wilkins MR, Scordato ESC, Semenov GA, Karaardiç H, Shizuka D, Rubtsov A, Pap PL, Shen SF, Safran RJ. Global song divergence in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica): exploring the roles of genetic, geographical and climatic distance in sympatry and allopatry. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Wilkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Center for Science Outreach, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elizabeth S C Scordato
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Georgy A Semenov
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hakan Karaardiç
- Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Education Faculty, Math and Science, Alanya, Turkey
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Peter L Pap
- Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Sheng-Feng Shen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Rebecca J Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
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Reichert MS, Höbel G. Phenotypic integration and the evolution of signal repertoires: A case study of treefrog acoustic communication. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3410-3429. [PMID: 29607035 PMCID: PMC5869261 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals are inherently complex phenotypes with many interacting parts combining to elicit responses from receivers. The pattern of interrelationships between signal components reflects the extent to which each component is expressed, and responds to selection, either in concert with or independently of others. Furthermore, many species have complex repertoires consisting of multiple signal types used in different contexts, and common morphological and physiological constraints may result in interrelationships extending across the multiple signals in species' repertoires. The evolutionary significance of interrelationships between signal traits can be explored within the framework of phenotypic integration, which offers a suite of quantitative techniques to characterize complex phenotypes. In particular, these techniques allow for the assessment of modularity and integration, which describe, respectively, the extent to which sets of traits covary either independently or jointly. Although signal and repertoire complexity are thought to be major drivers of diversification and social evolution, few studies have explicitly measured the phenotypic integration of signals to investigate the evolution of diverse communication systems. We applied methods from phenotypic integration studies to quantify integration in the two primary vocalization types (advertisement and aggressive calls) in the treefrogs Hyla versicolor, Hyla cinerea, and Dendropsophus ebraccatus. We recorded male calls and calculated standardized phenotypic variance-covariance (P) matrices for characteristics within and across call types. We found significant integration across call types, but the strength of integration varied by species and corresponded with the acoustic similarity of the call types within each species. H. versicolor had the most modular advertisement and aggressive calls and the least acoustically similar call types. Additionally, P was robust to changing social competition levels in H. versicolor. Our findings suggest new directions in animal communication research in which the complex relationships among the traits of multiple signals are a key consideration for understanding signal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
| | - Gerlinde Höbel
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MilwaukeeMilwaukeeWIUSA
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Schuppe ER, Fuxjager MJ. High‐speed displays encoding motor skill trigger elevated territorial aggression in downy woodpeckers. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric R. Schuppe
- Department of Biology Wake Forest University Winston‐Salem NC USA
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Vehrencamp S, de Kort S, Illes A. Response to Kroodsma's critique of banded wren song performance research. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Manica LT, Macedo RH, Graves JA, Podos J. Vigor and skill in the acrobatic mating displays of a Neotropical songbird. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Hebets EA, Barron AB, Balakrishnan CN, Hauber ME, Mason PH, Hoke KL. A systems approach to animal communication. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152889. [PMID: 26936240 PMCID: PMC4810859 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication--an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul H Mason
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Kuczynski MC, Gering E, Getty T. Context and condition dependent plasticity in sexual signaling in gray treefrogs. Behav Processes 2016; 124:74-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Akre KL, Johnsen S. Communication Through a Window of Error: Proportional Processing and Signal Categorization. PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN ANIMAL COMMUNICATION 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-48690-1_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Bee M, Reichert M, Tumulty J. Assessment and Recognition of Rivals in Anuran Contests. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Schwartz JJ, Hunce R, Lentine B, Powers K. Calling site choice and its impact on call degradation and call attractiveness in the gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-2016-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Kuczynski MC, Bello-DeOcampo D, Getty T. No Evidence of Terminal Investment in the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor): Older Males Do Not Signal at Greater Effort. COPEIA 2015. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-14-156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Blankers T, Lübke AK, Hennig RM. Phenotypic variation and covariation indicate high evolvability of acoustic communication in crickets. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1656-69. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Blankers
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science; Berlin Germany
| | - A. K. Lübke
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
| | - R. M. Hennig
- Behavioural Physiology; Department of Biology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
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Symes LB, Ayres MP, Cowdery CP, Costello RA. Signal diversification inOecanthustree crickets is shaped by energetic, morphometric, and acoustic trade-offs. Evolution 2015; 69:1518-1527. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L. B. Symes
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire 03755
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Wisconsin; Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201
| | - M. P. Ayres
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire 03755
| | - C. P. Cowdery
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire 03755
| | - R. A. Costello
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire 03755
- Department of Biology; University of Virginia; Charlottesville Virginia 22904
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Welch AM, Smith MJ, Gerhardt HC. A multivariate analysis of genetic variation in the advertisement call of the gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor. Evolution 2014; 68:1629-39. [PMID: 24621402 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Genetic variation in sexual displays is crucial for an evolutionary response to sexual selection, but can be eroded by strong selection. Identifying the magnitude and sources of additive genetic variance underlying sexually selected traits is thus an important issue in evolutionary biology. We conducted a quantitative genetics experiment with gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) to investigate genetic variances and covariances among features of the male advertisement call. Two energetically expensive traits showed significant genetic variation: call duration, expressed as number of pulses per call, and call rate, represented by its inverse, call period. These two properties also showed significant genetic covariance, consistent with an energetic constraint to call production. Combining the genetic variance-covariance matrix with previous estimates of directional sexual selection imposed by female preferences predicts a limited increase in call duration but no change in call rate despite significant selection on both traits. In addition to constraints imposed by the genetic covariance structure, an evolutionary response to sexual selection may also be limited by high energetic costs of long-duration calls and by preferences that act most strongly against very short-duration calls. Meanwhile, the persistence of these preferences could be explained by costs of mating with males with especially unattractive calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Welch
- Department of Biology, College of Charleston, South Carolina, 29424.
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Reichert MS. Playback tests and studies of animal contest dynamics: concepts and an example in the gray tree frog. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Reichert MS, Gerhardt HC. Behavioral strategies and signaling in interspecific aggressive interactions in gray tree frogs. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Wilson DR, Bitton PP, Podos J, Mennill DJ. Uneven Sampling and the Analysis of Vocal Performance Constraints. Am Nat 2014; 183:214-28. [DOI: 10.1086/674379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Reichert MS. Sources of variability in advertisement and aggressive calling in competitive interactions in the grey treefrog,Hyla versicolor. BIOACOUSTICS 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2013.777942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Multitasking males and multiplicative females: dynamic signalling and receiver preferences in Cope's grey treefrog. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Gray tree frogs, Hyla versicolor, give lower-frequency aggressive calls in more escalated contests. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1503-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Reichert MS, Gerhardt HC. Socially mediated plasticity in call timing in the gray tree frog, Hyla versicolor. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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