1
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Leavell BC, Pantoja-Sánchez H, Vélez V, Hemingway CT, Wilhite K, Halfwerk W, Bernal XE. Ripple effects in a communication network: anti-eavesdropper defence elicits elaborated sexual signals in rival males. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231910. [PMID: 38113943 PMCID: PMC10730286 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Emitting conspicuous signals into the environment to attract mates comes with the increased risk of interception by eavesdropping enemies. As a defence, a commonly described strategy is for signallers to group together in leks, diluting each individual's risk. Lekking systems are often highly social settings in which competing males dynamically alter their signalling behaviour to attract mates. Thus, signalling at the lek requires navigating fluctuations in risk, competition and reproductive opportunities. Here, we investigate how behavioural defence strategies directed at an eavesdropping enemy have cascading effects across the communication network. We investigated these behaviours in the túngara frog (Engystomops pustulosus), examining how a calling male's swatting defence directed at frog-biting midges indirectly affects the calling behaviour of his rival. We found that the rival responds to swat-induced water ripples by increasing his call rate and complexity. Then, performing phonotaxis experiments, we found that eavesdropping fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus) do not exhibit a preference for a swatting male compared to his rival, but females strongly prefer the rival male. Defences to minimize attacks from eavesdroppers thus shift the mate competition landscape in favour of rival males. By modulating the attractiveness of signalling prey to female receivers, we posit that eavesdropping micropredators likely have an unappreciated impact on the ecology and evolution of sexual communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C. Leavell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Hoover Pantoja-Sánchez
- Department of Electronic Engineering, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Viviana Vélez
- Program of Study and Control of Tropical Diseases, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Claire T. Hemingway
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Kyle Wilhite
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ximena E. Bernal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
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2
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Zhao L, Halfwerk W, Cui J. Response to comment on 'Parasite defensive limb movements enhance acoustic signal attraction in male little torrent frogs'. eLife 2023; 12:e90404. [PMID: 37812200 PMCID: PMC10561973 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently we showed that limb movements associated with anti-parasite defenses can enhance acoustic signal attraction in male little torrent frogs (Amolops torrentis), which suggests a potential pathway for physical movements to become co-opted into mating displays (Zhao et al., 2022). Anderson et al. argue for alternative explanations of our results and provide a reanalysis of part of our data (Anderson et al., 2023). We acknowledge some of the points raised and provide an additional analysis in support of our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhui Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
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3
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Mitoyen C, Quigley C, Canoine V, Colombo S, Wölfl S, Fusani L. Alteration of the temporal association between courtship audio and visual components affects female sexual response. Integr Zool 2023; 18:720-735. [PMID: 35848698 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Some multimodal signals-that is, occurring in more than one sensory modality-appear to carry additional information which is not present when component signals are presented separately. To understand the function of male ring dove's (Streptopelia risoria) multimodal courtship, we used audiovisual playback of male displays to investigate female response to stimuli differing in their audiovisual timing. From natural courtship recordings, we created a shifted stimulus where audio was shifted relative to video by a fixed value and a jittered stimulus, where each call was moved randomly along the visual channel. We presented 3 groups of females with the same stimulus type, that is, control, shifted, and jittered, for 7 days. We recorded their behavior and assessed pre- and post-test blood estradiol concentration. We found that playback exposure increased estradiol levels, confirming that this technique can be efficiently used to study doves' sexual communication. Additionally, chasing behavior (indicating sexual stimulation) increased over experimental days only in the control condition, suggesting a role of multimodal timing on female response. This stresses the importance of signal configuration in multimodal communication, as additional information is likely to be contained in the temporal association between modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Mitoyen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Cliodhna Quigley
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Virginie Canoine
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia Colombo
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Wölfl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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4
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Fuxjager MJ, Ryder TB, Moody NM, Alfonso C, Balakrishnan CN, Barske J, Bosholn M, Boyle WA, Braun EL, Chiver I, Dakin R, Day LB, Driver R, Fusani L, Horton BM, Kimball RT, Lipshutz S, Mello CV, Miller ET, Webster MS, Wirthlin M, Wollman R, Moore IT, Schlinger BA. Systems biology as a framework to understand the physiological and endocrine bases of behavior and its evolution-From concepts to a case study in birds. Horm Behav 2023; 151:105340. [PMID: 36933440 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Organismal behavior, with its tremendous complexity and diversity, is generated by numerous physiological systems acting in coordination. Understanding how these systems evolve to support differences in behavior within and among species is a longstanding goal in biology that has captured the imagination of researchers who work on a multitude of taxa, including humans. Of particular importance are the physiological determinants of behavioral evolution, which are sometimes overlooked because we lack a robust conceptual framework to study mechanisms underlying adaptation and diversification of behavior. Here, we discuss a framework for such an analysis that applies a "systems view" to our understanding of behavioral control. This approach involves linking separate models that consider behavior and physiology as their own networks into a singular vertically integrated behavioral control system. In doing so, hormones commonly stand out as the links, or edges, among nodes within this system. To ground our discussion, we focus on studies of manakins (Pipridae), a family of Neotropical birds. These species have numerous physiological and endocrine specializations that support their elaborate reproductive displays. As a result, manakins provide a useful example to help imagine and visualize the way systems concepts can inform our appreciation of behavioral evolution. In particular, manakins help clarify how connectedness among physiological systems-which is maintained through endocrine signaling-potentiate and/or constrain the evolution of complex behavior to yield behavioral differences across taxa. Ultimately, we hope this review will continue to stimulate thought, discussion, and the emergence of research focused on integrated phenotypes in behavioral ecology and endocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
| | - T Brandt Ryder
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Nicole M Moody
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
| | - Camilo Alfonso
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | | | - Julia Barske
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mariane Bosholn
- Animal Behavior Lab, Ecology Department, National Institute for Amazon Research, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - W Alice Boyle
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Edward L Braun
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Ioana Chiver
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liege, Belgium
| | - Roslyn Dakin
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Lainy B Day
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Robert Driver
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, and Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
| | - Brent M Horton
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
| | - Rebecca T Kimball
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Sara Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Claudio V Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | | | - Michael S Webster
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Morgan Wirthlin
- Computational Biology Department, Carnegie Melon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Roy Wollman
- Department of Physiology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ignacio T Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Barney A Schlinger
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Physiology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
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5
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He QL, Deng K, Wang XP, Chen QH, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Heterospecific eavesdropping on disturbance cues of a treefrog. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:515-522. [PMID: 36131103 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01690-w] [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: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Alarm signals and cues are crucial to animal survival and vary greatly across species. Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm signals and cues can provide eavesdroppers with information about potential threats. In addition to acoustic alarm signals, evidence has accumulated that chemical alarm cues and disturbance cues can also play a role in alerting conspecifics to potential danger in adult anurans (frogs and toads). However, there is very little known about whether disturbance cues are exploited by heterospecifics. In the present study, we conducted a binary choice experiment and a prey chemical discrimination experiment, respectively, to test the responses of a sympatric anuran species (red webbed treefrogs, Rhacophorus rhodopus) and a sympatric predator species (Chinese green tree vipers, Trimeresurus stejnegeri) to disturbance odors emitted by serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus). In the binary choice experiment, we found that the presence of disturbance odors did not significantly trigger the avoidance behavior of R. rhodopus. In the prey chemical discrimination experiment, compared with odors from undisturbed K. odontotarsus (control odors) and odorless control, T. stejnegeri showed a significantly higher tongue-flick rate in response to disturbance odors. This result implies that disturbance odor cues of K. odontotarsus can be exploited by eavesdropping predators to detect prey. Our study provides partial evidence for heterospecific eavesdropping on disturbance cues and has an important implication for understanding heterospecific eavesdropping on chemical cues of adult anurans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao-Ling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.9 Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, 610041, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.9 Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Xiao-Ping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.9 Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, 610041, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qing-Hua Chen
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.9 Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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6
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Zhu B, Zhang H, Chen Q, He Q, Zhao X, Sun X, Wang T, Wang J, Cui J. Noise affects mate choice based on visual information via cross-sensory interference. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 308:119680. [PMID: 35787421 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Animal communication is often hampered by noise interference. Noise masking has primarily been studied in terms of its unimodal effect on sound information provision and use, while little is known about its cross-modal effect and how animals weigh unimodal and multimodal courtship cues in noisy environments. Here, we examined the cross-modal effects of background noise on female visual perception of mate choice and female preference for multimodal displays (sound + vocal sac) in a species of treefrog. We tested female mate choices using audio/video playbacks in the presence and absence of noise (white noise band-filtered to match or mismatch female sensitive hearing range, heterospecific chorus). Surprisingly, multimodal displays do not improve receiver performance in noise. The heterospecific chorus and white noise band-filtered to match female sensitive hearing ranges, significantly reduced female responses to the attractive visual stimuli in addition to directly impairing auditory information use. Meanwhile, the cross-modal impacts of background noise are influenced to some extent by whether the noise band matches female sensitive hearing range and the difficulty of distinguishing tasks. Our results add to the evidence for cross-modal effects of noise and are the first to demonstrate that background noise can disrupt female responses to visual information related to mate choice, which may reduce the communication efficiency of audiovisual signals in noisy environments and impose fitness consequences. This study has key ecological and evolutionary implications because it illustrates how noise influences mate choice in wildlife via cross-sensory interference, which is crucial in revealing the function and evolution of multimodal signals in noisy environments as well as informing evidence-based conservation strategies for forecasting and mitigating the multimodal impacts of noise interference on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Haodi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qinghua Chen
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou, 510655, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiaoling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaomeng Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoqian Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, Hainan, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
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7
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Caldwell MS, Britt KA, Mischke LC, Collins HI. Beyond sound: Bimodal acoustic calls used in mate-choice and aggression by red-eyed treefrogs. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276426. [PMID: 35938394 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244460] [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: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Airborne sound signals function as key mediators of mate-choice, aggression, and other social interactions in a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Calling animals produce more than sound, however. When displaying on or near a solid substrate, such as vegetation or soil, they also unavoidably excite substrate vibrations due to the physics of sound production and of acoustic propagation, and these vibrations can propagate to receivers. Despite their near ubiquity, these vibrational signal components have received very little research attention, and in vertebrates it is completely unknown whether they are relevant to mate-choice, an important driver of evolutionary divergence. Here we show that female red-eyed treefrogs are more than twice as likely to choose a male mating call when airborne sound is paired with its corresponding substrate vibrations. Furthermore, males of the same species are more aggressive towards and display a greater range of aggressive behaviors in response to bimodal (sound and vibration) versus unimodal (sound or vibration alone) calls. In aggressive contexts, at least, air- and substrate-borne signal components function non-redundantly. These results are a clear demonstration that vibrations produced by a calling animal can function together with airborne sound to markedly enhance the function of a signal. If this phenomenon proves widespread, this finding has the potential to substantially influence our understanding of the function and evolution of acoustic signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Caldwell
- Gettysburg College, Department of Biology, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Panamá, República de Panamá, USA
| | - Kayla A Britt
- Gettysburg College, Department of Biology, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA
| | - Lilliana C Mischke
- Gettysburg College, Department of Biology, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA
| | - Hannah I Collins
- Gettysburg College, Department of Biology, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA.,University of Connecticut Avery Point, Department of Marine Sciences, 1080 Shennecossett Rd., Groton, CT 06340, USA
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8
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White TE, Latty T, Umbers KDL. The exploitation of sexual signals by predators: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220444. [PMID: 35642366 PMCID: PMC9156902 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual signals are often central to reproduction, and their expression is thought to strike a balance between advertising to mates and avoiding detection by predatory eavesdroppers. Tests of the predicted predation costs have produced mixed results, however. Here we synthesized 187 effects from 78 experimental studies in a meta-analytic test of two questions; namely, whether predators, parasites and parasitoids express preferences for the sexual signals of prey, and whether sexual signals increase realized predation risk in the wild. We found that predators and parasitoids express strong and consistent preferences for signals in forced-choice contexts. We found a similarly strong overall increase in predation on sexual signallers in the wild, though here it was modality specific. Olfactory and acoustic signals increased the incidence of eavesdropping relative to visual signals, which experienced no greater risk than controls on average. Variation in outcome measures was universally high, suggesting that contexts in which sexual signalling may incur no cost, or even reduce the incidence of predation, are common. Our results reveal unexpected complexity in a central viability cost to sexual signalling, while also speaking to applied problems in invasion biology and pest management where signal exploitation holds promise for bio-inspired solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2106, Australia
| | - Tanya Latty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2106, Australia
| | - Kate D. L. Umbers
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales 2751, Australia,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
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9
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James LS, Baier AL, Page RA, Clements P, Hunter KL, Taylor RC, Ryan MJ. Cross-modal facilitation of auditory discrimination in a frog. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220098. [PMID: 35765810 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimulation in one sensory modality can affect perception in a separate modality, resulting in diverse effects including illusions in humans. This can also result in cross-modal facilitation, a process where sensory performance in one modality is improved by stimulation in another modality. For instance, a simple sound can improve performance in a visual task in both humans and cats. However, the range of contexts and underlying mechanisms that evoke such facilitation effects remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated cross-modal stimulation in wild-caught túngara frogs, a species with well-studied acoustic preferences in females. We first identified that a combined visual and seismic cue (vocal sac movement and water ripple) was behaviourally relevant for females choosing between two courtship calls in a phonotaxis assay. We then found that this combined cross-modal stimulus rescued a species-typical acoustic preference in the presence of background noise that otherwise abolished the preference. These results highlight how cross-modal stimulation can prime attention in receivers to improve performance during decision-making. With this, we provide the foundation for future work uncovering the processes and conditions that promote cross-modal facilitation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - A Leonie Baier
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Paul Clements
- Henson School of Technology, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Ave, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Kimberly L Hunter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Ave, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Ryan C Taylor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama.,Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Ave, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
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10
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Li H, Schrode KM, Bee MA. Vocal sacs do not function in multimodal mate attraction under nocturnal illumination in Cope's grey treefrog. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.003] [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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11
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Scherrer R, Donihue CM, Reynolds RG, Losos JB, Geneva AJ. Dewlap colour variation in Anolis sagrei is maintained among habitats within islands of the West Indies. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:680-692. [PMID: 35535762 PMCID: PMC9321103 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal signals evolve in an ecological context. Locally adapting animal sexual signals can be especially important for initiating or reinforcing reproductive isolation during the early stages of speciation. Previous studies have demonstrated that dewlap colour in Anolis lizards can be highly variable between populations in relation to both biotic and abiotic adaptive drivers at relatively large geographical scales. Here, we investigated differentiation of dewlap coloration among habitat types at a small spatial scale, within multiple islands of the West Indies, to test the hypothesis that similar local adaptive processes occur over smaller spatial scales. We explored variation in dewlap coloration in the most widespread species of anole, Anolis sagrei, across three characteristic habitats spanning the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, namely beach scrub, primary coppice forest and mangrove forest. Using reflectance spectrometry paired with supervised machine learning, we found significant differences in spectral properties of the dewlap between habitats within small islands, sometimes over very short distances. Passive divergence in dewlap phenotype associated with isolation-by-distance did not seem to explain our results. On the other hand, these habitat-specific dewlap differences varied in magnitude and direction across islands, and thus, our primary test for adaptation-parallel responses across islands-was not supported. We suggest that neutral processes or selection could be involved in several ways, including sexual selection. Our results shed new light on the scale at which signal colour polymorphism can be maintained in the presence of gene flow, and the relative role of local adaptation and other processes in driving these patterns of dewlap colour variation across islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Scherrer
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Colin M Donihue
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Graham Reynolds
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anthony J Geneva
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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12
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Larter LC, Bernal XE, Page RA, Ryan MJ. Local competitive environment and male condition influence within-bout calling patterns in túngara frogs. BIOACOUSTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2022.2070544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke C. Larter
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ximena E. Bernal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Rachel A. Page
- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Michael J. Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
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13
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Zhao L, Wang J, Zhang H, Wang T, Yang Y, Tang Y, Halfwerk W, Cui J. Parasite defensive limb movements enhance acoustic signal attraction in male little torrent frogs. eLife 2022; 11:e76083. [PMID: 35522043 PMCID: PMC9122496 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals rely on complex signals that target multiple senses to attract mates and repel rivals. These multimodal displays can however also attract unintended receivers, which can be an important driver of signal complexity. Despite being taxonomically widespread, we often lack insight into how multimodal signals evolve from unimodal signals and in particular what roles unintended eavesdroppers play. Here, we assess whether the physical movements of parasite defense behavior increase the complexity and attractiveness of an acoustic sexual signal in the little torrent frog (Amolops torrentis). Calling males of this species often display limb movements in order to defend against blood-sucking parasites such as frog-biting midges that eavesdrop on their acoustic signal. Through mate choice tests we show that some of these midge-evoked movements influence female preference for acoustic signals. Our data suggest that midge-induced movements may be incorporated into a sexual display, targeting both hearing and vision in the intended receiver. Females may play an important role in incorporating these multiple components because they prefer signals which combine multiple modalities. Our results thus help to understand the relationship between natural and sexual selection pressure operating on signalers and how in turn this may influence multimodal signal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhui Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Haodi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Yue Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Yezhong Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De BoelelaanAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
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14
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Palmer CM, Wershoven NL, Martinson SJ, ter Hofstede HM, Kress WJ, Symes LB. Patterns of Herbivory in Neotropical Forest Katydids as Revealed by DNA Barcoding of Digestive Tract Contents. DIVERSITY 2022; 14. [PMID: 35369669 PMCID: PMC8974511 DOI: 10.3390/d14020152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many well-studied animal species use conspicuous, repetitive signals that attract both mates and predators. Orthopterans (crickets, katydids, and grasshoppers) are renowned for their acoustic signals. In Neotropical forests, however, many katydid species produce extremely short signals, totaling only a few seconds of sound per night, likely in response to predation by acoustically orienting predators. The rare signals of these katydid species raises the question of how they find conspecific mates in a structurally complex rainforest. While acoustic mechanisms, such as duetting, likely facilitate mate finding, we test the hypothesis that mate finding is further facilitated by colocalization on particular host plant species. DNA barcoding allows us to identify recently consumed plants from katydid stomach contents. We use DNA barcoding to test the prediction that katydids of the same species will have closely related plant species in their stomach. We do not find evidence for dietary specialization. Instead, katydids consumed a wide mix of plants within and across the flowering plants (27 species in 22 genera, 16 families, and 12 orders) with particular representation in the orders Fabales and Laurales. Some evidence indicates that katydids may gather on plants during a narrow window of rapid leaf out, but additional investigations are required to determine whether katydid mate finding is facilitated by gathering at transient food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Palmer
- Natural Sciences Department, Castleton University, 233 South Street, Castleton, VT 05735, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Nicole L. Wershoven
- Natural Sciences Department, Castleton University, 233 South Street, Castleton, VT 05735, USA
| | - Sharon J. Martinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Panama
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Hannah M. ter Hofstede
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Panama
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society, Dartmouth College, 64 College Street, Suite 102, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - W. John Kress
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Laurel B. Symes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Panama
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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15
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Pouw W, Proksch S, Drijvers L, Gamba M, Holler J, Kello C, Schaefer RS, Wiggins GA. Multilevel rhythms in multimodal communication. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200334. [PMID: 34420378 PMCID: PMC8380971 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now widely accepted that the brunt of animal communication is conducted via several modalities, e.g. acoustic and visual, either simultaneously or sequentially. This is a laudable multimodal turn relative to traditional accounts of temporal aspects of animal communication which have focused on a single modality at a time. However, the fields that are currently contributing to the study of multimodal communication are highly varied, and still largely disconnected given their sole focus on a particular level of description or their particular concern with human or non-human animals. Here, we provide an integrative overview of converging findings that show how multimodal processes occurring at neural, bodily, as well as social interactional levels each contribute uniquely to the complex rhythms that characterize communication in human and non-human animals. Though we address findings for each of these levels independently, we conclude that the most important challenge in this field is to identify how processes at these different levels connect. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim Pouw
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Shannon Proksch
- Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Linda Drijvers
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Judith Holler
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Christopher Kello
- Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca S. Schaefer
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology unit, Institute for Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Academy for Creative and Performing Arts, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Geraint A. Wiggins
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium and Queen Mary University of London, UK
- Queen Mary University, London, UK
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16
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Learning how to eavesdrop in multiple modalities: a test of associative learning using unimodal and multimodal playback. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gual‐Suárez
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria04510Mexico City Mexico
| | - Rodrigo A. Medellín
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria04510Mexico City Mexico
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18
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James LS, Halfwerk W, Hunter KL, Page RA, Taylor RC, Wilson PS, Ryan MJ. Covariation among multimodal components in the courtship display of the túngara frog. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269203. [PMID: 34142696 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.241661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Communication systems often include a variety of components, including those that span modalities, which may facilitate detection and decision-making. For example, female túngara frogs and fringe-lipped bats generally rely on acoustic mating signals to find male túngara frogs in a mating or foraging context, respectively. However, two additional cues (vocal sac inflation and water ripples) can enhance detection and choice behavior. To date, we do not know the natural variation and covariation of these three components. To address this, we made detailed recordings of calling males, including call amplitude, vocal sac volume and water ripple height, in 54 frogs (2430 calls). We found that all three measures correlated, with the strongest association between the vocal sac volume and call amplitude. We also found that multimodal models predicted the mass of calling males better than unimodal models. These results demonstrate how multimodal components of a communication system relate to each other and provide an important foundation for future studies on how receivers integrate and compare complex displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberly L Hunter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
| | - Ryan C Taylor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá.,Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
| | - Preston S Wilson
- Applied Research Laboratories and Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
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19
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Prakash H, Greif S, Yovel Y, Balakrishnan R. Acoustically eavesdropping bat predators take longer to capture katydid prey signalling in aggregation. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:268371. [PMID: 34047777 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.233262] [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: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Prey that are signalling in aggregation become more conspicuous with increasing numbers and tend to attract more predators. Such grouping may, however, benefit prey by lowering the risk of being captured because of the predator's difficulty in targeting individuals. Previous studies have investigated anti-predatory benefits of prey aggregation using visual predators, but it is unclear whether such benefits are gained in an auditory context. We investigated whether katydids of the genus Mecopoda gain protection from their acoustically eavesdropping bat predator Megaderma spasma when calling in aggregation. In a choice experiment, bats approached calls of prey aggregations more often than those of prey calling alone, indicating that prey calling in aggregation are at higher risk. In prey capture tasks, however, the average time taken and the number of flight passes made by bats before capturing a katydid were significantly higher for prey calling in aggregation than when calling alone, indicating that prey face lower predation risk when calling in aggregation. Another common anti-predatory strategy, calling from within vegetation, increased the time taken by bats to capture katydids calling alone but did not increase the time taken to capture prey calling from aggregations. The increased time taken to capture prey calling in aggregation compared with solitary calling prey offers an escape opportunity, thus providing prey that signal acoustically in aggregations with anti-predatory benefits. For bats, greater detectability of calling prey aggregations is offset by lower foraging efficiency, and this trade-off may shape predator foraging strategies in natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harish Prakash
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Stefan Greif
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Rohini Balakrishnan
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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20
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Zhu B, Zhou Y, Yang Y, Deng K, Wang T, Wang J, Tang Y, Ryan MJ, Cui J. Multisensory modalities increase working memory for mating signals in a treefrog. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1455-1465. [PMID: 33666233 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Animal choruses, such as those found in insects and frogs, are often intermittent. Thus, females sampling males in the chorus might have to remember the location of the potential mates' calls during periods of silence. Although a number of studies have shown that frogs use and prefer multimodal mating signals, usually acoustic plus visual, it is not clear why they do so. Here we tested the hypothesis that preference for multimodal signals over unimodal signals might be due to multimodal signals instantiating longer memories than unimodal signals, particularly during the inter-chorus intervals. We tested this hypothesis in serrate-legged small treefrogs Kurixalus odontotarsus whose males produce advertisement calls accompanied by conspicuous vocal sac inflation. Females were tested with acoustic and acoustic + visual (video of inflating-deflating vocal sac) mating calls. We found that females prefer multimodal calls over unimodal, audio-only calls. Furthermore, multimodal calls are still preferred after a silent period of up to 30 s, a time that spans the average silent period of the chorus. This was not true of unimodal calls. Our results demonstrate that a multimodal signal can engage longer working memory than a unimodal signal, and thus female memory might favour the evolution of multimodal signals in males through sexual selection. Selection might also favour female preference for multimodal signals if longer memory facilitates mate searching and assessment. Our study does not allow us to elucidate the sequence of evolution of this trait and preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bicheng Zhu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Yang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Ke Deng
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Plant and Animal Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Tropical Plant and Animal Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
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21
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Social Structure. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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22
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Deng K, He QL, Zhou Y, Zhu BC, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Male serrate-legged treefrogs adjust competition strategies according to visual or chemical cues from females. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb229245. [PMID: 32994202 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.229245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that many anurans use multimodal cues to detect, discriminate and/or locate conspecifics and thus modify their behaviors. To date, however, most studies have focused on the roles of multimodal cues in female choice or male-male interactions. In the present study, we conducted an experiment to investigate whether male serrate-legged small treefrogs (Kurixalus odontotarsus) used visual or chemical cues to detect females and thus altered their competition strategies in different calling contexts. Three acoustic stimuli (advertisement calls, aggressive calls and compound calls) were broadcast in a randomized order after a spontaneous period to focal males in one of four treatment groups: combined visual and chemical cues of a female, only chemical cues, only visual cues and a control (with no females). We recorded the vocal responses of the focal males during each 3 min period. Our results demonstrate that males reduce the total number of calls in response to the presence of females, regardless of how they perceived the females. In response to advertisement calls and compound calls, males that perceived females through chemical cues produced relatively fewer advertisement calls but more aggressive calls. In addition, they produced relatively more aggressive calls during the playback of aggressive calls. Taken together, our study suggests that male Kodontotarsus adjust their competition strategies according to the visual or chemical cues of potential mates and highlights the important role of multisensory cues in male frogs' perception of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiao-Ling He
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637000, China
| | - Ya Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bi-Cheng Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 570000, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
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23
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Jones PL, Divoll TJ, Dixon MM, Aparicio D, Cohen G, Mueller UG, Ryan MJ, Page RA. Sensory ecology of the frog-eating bat, Trachops cirrhosus, from DNA metabarcoding and behavior. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Metabarcoding of prey DNA from fecal samples can be used to design behavioral experiments to study the foraging behavior and sensory ecology of predators. The frog-eating bat, Trachops cirrhosus, eavesdrops on the mating calls of its anuran prey. We captured wild T. cirrhosus and identified prey remains in the bats’ fecal samples using DNA metabarcoding of two gene regions (CO1 and 16S). Bats were preying on frogs previously unknown in their diet, such as species in the genus Pristimantis, which occurred in 29% of T. cirrhosus samples. Twenty-three percent of samples also contained DNA of Anolis lizards. We additionally report apparently rare predation events on hummingbirds and heterospecific bats. We used results from metabarcoding to design acoustic and 3D model stimuli to present to bats in behavioral experiments. We show predatory responses by T. cirrhosus to the calls of the frog Pristimantis taeniatus and to the rustling sounds of anoles moving through leaf-litter, as well as attacks on a stuffed hummingbird and a plastic anole model. The combination of species-specific dietary information from metabarcoding analyses with behavioral responses to prey cues provides a unique window into the foraging ecology of predators that are difficult to observe in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy J Divoll
- Technology Solutions, SWCA Environmental Consultants, 15 Research Dr, Amherst, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
| | - M May Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Dineilys Aparicio
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal, Panamá
| | - Gregg Cohen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal, Panamá
| | - Ulrich G Mueller
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal, Panamá
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal, Panamá
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24
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Hui J, Sharma S, Rajani S, Singh A. The Specific Molecular Composition and Structural Arrangement of Eleutherodactylus Coqui Gular Skin Tissue Provide Its High Mechanical Compliance. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E5593. [PMID: 32764252 PMCID: PMC7460573 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A male Eleutherodactylus Coqui (EC, a frog) expands and contracts its gular skin to a great extent during mating calls, displaying its extraordinarily compliant organ. There are striking similarities between frog gular skin and the human bladder as both organs expand and contract significantly. While the high extensibility of the urinary bladder is attributed to the unique helical ultrastructure of collagen type III, the mechanism behind the gular skin of EC is unknown. We therefore aim to understand the structure-property relationship of gular skin tissues of EC. Our findings demonstrate that the male EC gular tissue can elongate up to 400%, with an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1.7 MPa. Species without vocal sacs, Xenopus Laevis (XL) and Xenopus Muelleri (XM), elongate only up to 80% and 350% with UTS~6.3 MPa and ~4.5 MPa, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and histological staining further show that EC tissues' collagen fibers exhibit a layer-by-layer arrangement with an uninterrupted, knot-free, and continuous structure. The collagen bundles alternate between a circular and longitudinal shape, suggesting an out-of-plane zig-zag structure, which likely provides the tissue with greater extensibility. In contrast, control species contain a nearly linear collagen structure interrupted by thicker muscle bundles and mucous glands. Meanwhile, in the rat bladder, the collagen is arranged in a helical structure. The bladder-like high extensibility of EC gular skin tissue arises despite it having eight-fold lesser elastin and five times more collagen than the rat bladder. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the structural and molecular mechanisms behind the high compliance of EC gular skin. We believe that these findings can lead us to develop more compliant biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Hui
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
| | - Shivang Sharma
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA;
| | - Sarah Rajani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
| | - Anirudha Singh
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA;
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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25
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Szczygieł HA, Page RA. When the hunter becomes the hunted: foraging bat attacked by pit viper at frog chorus. Ecology 2020; 101:e03111. [PMID: 32500627 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hubert A Szczygieł
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
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Echolocation of Central Amazonian ‘whispering’ phyllostomid bats: call design and interspecific variation. MAMMAL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-020-00503-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPhyllostomids (New World leaf-nosed bats) are the ecologically most diverse bat family and have undergone the most extensive adaptive radiation of any mammalian family. However comprehensive, multi-species studies regarding phyllostomid echolocation are scarce in the literature despite abundant ecological research. In this study, we describe the call structure and interspecific variation in call design of 40 sympatric phyllostomid species from the Central Brazilian Amazon, focussing on general patterns within genera, subfamilies and between feeding guilds. All but one species utilized short, broadband FM calls consisting of multiple harmonics. As reported for other bat families, peak frequency was negatively correlated with body mass and forearm length. Twenty-five species alternated the harmonic of maximum energy, principally between the second and third harmonic. Based on PCA, we were unable to detect any significant differences in echolocation call parameters between genera, subfamilies or different feeding guilds, confirming that acoustic surveys cannot be used to reliably monitor these species. We present Ametrida centurio as an exception to this generalized phyllostomid structure, as it is unique in producing a mono-harmonic call. Finally, we discuss several hypotheses regarding the evolutionary pressures influencing phyllostomid call structure.
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Leiser‐Miller LB, Santana SE. Morphological diversity in the sensory system of phyllostomid bats: Implications for acoustic and dietary ecology. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Leith B. Leiser‐Miller
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Sharlene E. Santana
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture University of Washington Seattle WA USA
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Flores V, Carter GG, Halczok TK, Kerth G, Page RA. Social structure and relatedness in the fringe-lipped bat ( Trachops cirrhosus). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192256. [PMID: 32431896 PMCID: PMC7211832 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
General insights into the causes and effects of social structure can be gained from comparative analyses across socially and ecologically diverse taxa, such as bats, but long-term data are lacking for most species. In the neotropical fringe-lipped bat, Trachops cirrhosus, social transmission of foraging behaviour is clearly demonstrated in captivity, yet its social structure in the wild remains unclear. Here, we used microsatellite-based estimates of relatedness and records of 157 individually marked adults from 106 roost captures over 6 years, to infer whether male and female T. cirrhosus have preferred co-roosting associations and whether such associations were influenced by relatedness. Using a null model that controlled for year and roosting location, we found that both male and female T. cirrhosus have preferred roosting partners, but that only females demonstrate kin-biased association. Most roosting groups (67%) contained multiple females with one or two reproductive males. Relatedness patterns and recapture records corroborate genetic evidence for female philopatry and male dispersal. Our study adds to growing evidence that many bats demonstrate preferred roosting associations, which has the potential to influence social information transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Flores
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panamá
| | - Gerald G. Carter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panamá
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 318 W. 12th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Tanja K. Halczok
- Greifswald University, Zoological Institute and Museum, Soldmannstr. 14, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Gerald Kerth
- Greifswald University, Zoological Institute and Museum, Soldmannstr. 14, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panamá
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Miles MC, Schuppe ER, Fuxjager MJ. Selection for Rhythm as a Trigger for Recursive Evolution in the Elaborate Display System of Woodpeckers. Am Nat 2020; 195:772-787. [PMID: 32364790 DOI: 10.1086/707748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Evolution is never truly predictable, in part because the process of selection is recursive: it operates on its own output to generate historical contingencies, so emergent traits can reshape how others evolve in the future. Studies rarely attempt to directly trace how recursion underlies present-day phenotypic pattern on a macroevolutionary basis. To address this gap, we examined how different selection regimes-each operating on a different timescale-guide the evolution of the woodpecker drum display. Approximately 200 species drum with distinctive speed and length, which are important for territorial competition. We discovered remarkable variation in drum rhythm, with some species drumming at constant rates and others changing speed along a range of mathematical functions. Rhythm undergoes divergent character displacement among sympatric sister species, a process that wanes as other reproductive boundaries emerge over time. Tracing the recursive effects of this process, we found that modifying rhythm may then potentiate or constrain speed/length elaboration. Additionally, increased sexual size dimorphism predicts the emergence of rhythms associated with constrained evolutionary rates of speed/length, implying that selection can also constrain itself. Altogether, our findings illustrate how recursion introduces contingencies that allow diverse phenotypes to arise from similar selection regimes.
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Clark CJ, LePiane K, Liu L. Evolution and Ecology of Silent Flight in Owls and Other Flying Vertebrates. Integr Org Biol 2020; 2:obaa001. [PMID: 33791545 PMCID: PMC7671161 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We raise and explore possible answers to three questions about the evolution and ecology of silent flight of owls: (1) do owls fly silently for stealth, or is it to reduce self-masking? Current evidence slightly favors the self-masking hypothesis, but this question remains unsettled. (2) Two of the derived wing features that apparently evolved to suppress flight sound are the vane fringes and dorsal velvet of owl wing feathers. Do these two features suppress aerodynamic noise (sounds generated by airflow), or do they instead reduce structural noise, such as frictional sounds of feathers rubbing during flight? The aerodynamic noise hypothesis lacks empirical support. Several lines of evidence instead support the hypothesis that the velvet and fringe reduce frictional sound, including: the anatomical location of the fringe and velvet, which is best developed in wing and tail regions prone to rubbing, rather than in areas exposed to airflow; the acoustic signature of rubbing, which is broadband and includes ultrasound, is present in the flight of other birds but not owls; and the apparent relationship between the velvet and friction barbules found on the remiges of other birds. (3) Have other animals also evolved silent flight? Wing features in nightbirds (nocturnal members of Caprimulgiformes) suggest that they may have independently evolved to fly in relative silence, as have more than one diurnal hawk (Accipitriformes). We hypothesize that bird flight is noisy because wing feathers are intrinsically predisposed to rub and make frictional noise. This hypothesis suggests a new perspective: rather than regarding owls as silent, perhaps it is bird flight that is loud. This implies that bats may be an overlooked model for silent flight. Owl flight may not be the best (and certainly, not the only) model for "bio-inspiration" of silent flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Clark
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California—Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Krista LePiane
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California—Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Lori Liu
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California—Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Abstract
Abstract
Animals are often confronted with potentially informative stimuli from a variety of sensory modalities. Although there is a large proximate literature demonstrating multisensory integration, no general framework explains why animals integrate. We developed and tested a quantitative model that explains why multisensory integration is not always adaptive and explains why unimodal decision-making might be favored over multisensory integration. We present our model in terms of a prey that must determine the presence or absence of a predator. A greater chance of encountering a predator, a greater benefit of correctly responding to a predator, a lower benefit of correctly foraging, or a greater uncertainty of the second stimulus favors integration. Uncertainty of the first stimulus may either increase or decrease the favorability of integration. In three field studies, we demonstrate how our model can be empirically tested. We evaluated the model with field studies of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) by presenting marmots with an olfactory-acoustic predator stimulus at a feed station. We found some support for the model's prediction that integration is favored when the second stimulus is less noisy. We hope additional predictions of the model will guide future empirical work that seeks to understand the extent to which multimodal integration might be situation dependent. We suggest that the model is generalizable beyond antipredator contexts and can be applied within or between individuals, populations, or species.
Multisensory integration is often studied from a very proximate view that simply describes the process of integration. We developed a model, the first of its kind, to investigate the situations under which multisensory integration is adaptive. We empirically evaluated the model by investigating the conditions under which yellow-bellied marmots integrated predatory scents and sounds. We found that integration can depend on an animal's situation at a given point in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Munoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Still MB, Lea AM, Hofmann HA, Ryan MJ. Multimodal stimuli regulate reproductive behavior and physiology in male túngara frogs. Horm Behav 2019; 115:104546. [PMID: 31233717 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Unlike in terrestrial animals, the boundary between internal (e.g., hormones) and external (e.g., social) stimulation can be blurred for aquatic and amphibious species. When chemicals such as hormones and glandular secretions leach into the water, they can further interact with other signaling systems, creating multimodal stimuli. It is unclear, however, whether water-borne chemical secretions from courting male frogs affect the physiology and behavior of their rivals. In order to address this question we first established non-invasive, continuous sampling methods for simultaneously measuring both hormones and behavior in amphibious species. Then, we examined whether interactions between water-borne chemical secretions and conspecific calls affect reproductive behavior and physiology (testosterone and corticosterone) of courting male túngara frogs. Our results demonstrate that conspecific acoustic stimulation alone increases locomotor activity, decreases latency to call, and increases calling behavior but does not alter the amount of hormones excreted. In response to water containing chemical secretions from rivals, but in the absence of calls from other males, males excrete more testosterone. Interestingly, the combined acoustic and chemical stimulus causes a multiplicative increase in both calling behavior and hormonal excretion. Taken together, our results suggest that a multimodal chemical-acoustic stimulus physiologically primes males for aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan B Still
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Amanda M Lea
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancon, Panama
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33
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Simmons AM. Tadpole bioacoustics: Sound processing across metamorphosis. Behav Neurosci 2019; 133:586-601. [PMID: 31448929 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Many species of anuran amphibians (frogs and toads) undergo metamorphosis, a developmental process during which external and internal body morphologies transform dramatically as the animal transitions to a new ecosystem (from aquatic to terrestrial) and develops new behavior patterns (from filter-feeding to active pursuit of moving prey; from mostly mute to highly vocal). All sensory systems transform to some extent during metamorphosis, even in those "primitive" anuran species that remain fully aquatic in adult life. In this article, I review what is known about the development of the auditory system in anuran tadpoles. I identify crucial developmental windows for major maturational events in the ear and brainstem that showcase the structural and physiological reorganization of the substrates for hearing airborne sounds as the animal navigates the metamorphic transition. I argue that auditory development is dynamic and nonlinear, and I point out areas for future investigation. Understanding metamorphosis can shed light on how organisms adapt to major environmental challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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34
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Garcia MJ, Rodríguez-Brenes S, Kobisk A, Adler L, Ryan MJ, Taylor RC, Hunter KL. Epigenomic changes in the túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus): possible effects of introduced fungal pathogen and urbanization. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-10001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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35
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Tanner JC, Swanger E, Zuk M. Sexual signal loss in field crickets maintained despite strong sexual selection favoring singing males. Evolution 2019; 73:1482-1489. [PMID: 31243769 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists commonly seek explanations for how selection drives the emergence of novel traits. Although trait loss is also predicted to occur frequently, few contemporary examples exist. In Hawaii, the Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus) is undergoing adaptive sexual signal loss due to natural selection imposed by eavesdropping parasitoids. Mutant male crickets ("flatwings") cannot sing. We measured the intensity of sexual selection on wing phenotype in a wild population. First, we surveyed the relative abundance of flatwings and "normal-wings" (nonmutants) on Oahu. Then, we bred wild-mated females' offspring to determine both female genotype with respect to the flatwing mutation and the proportion of flatwing males that sired their offspring. We found evidence of strong sexual selection favoring the production of song: females were predominantly homozygous normal-wing, their offspring were sired disproportionately by singing males, and at the population level, flatwing males became less common following a single sexual selection event. We report a selection coefficient describing the total (pre- and postcopulatory) sexual selection favoring normal-wing males in nature. Given the maintenance of the flatwing phenotype in Hawaii in recent years, this substantial sexual selection additionally suggests an approximate strength of opposing natural selection that favors silent males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie C Tanner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108.,Current Address: Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia, 6009
| | - Elizabeth Swanger
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108
| | - Marlene Zuk
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108
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36
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Miles MC, Fuxjager MJ. Phenotypic Diversity Arises from Secondary Signal Loss in the Elaborate Visual Displays of Toucans and Barbets. Am Nat 2019; 194:152-167. [PMID: 31318292 DOI: 10.1086/704088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Complexity and diversity are fundamental characteristics of life, but the relationship between the two remains murky. For example, both gaining and losing complexity can support diversity-so how exactly does complexity influence the emergence of unique phenotypes? Here we address this question by examining how complexity underlies the diversity of elaborate visual displays in the avian clade Ramphastides (toucans and barbets). These species communicate in part by using body movement and colorful ornaments on the tail. We find that sexual size dimorphism predicts the evolution of one specific signal, the tail-cock gesture, implying that tail cocking is more likely to evolve under stronger sexual selection. We also discover process-level constraints on the evolution of complexity: signals are gained along a strict order of operations, where the tail-cock gesture arises before other colors and gestures. Yet virtually any signal can be lost at any time. As a result, many extant phenotypes were more likely to arise through loss of complexity, highlighting the importance of secondary signal loss to phenotypic diversity. Collectively, our results demonstrate how sexual selection catalyzes the evolution of complex phenotypes, which indirectly support diversity by allowing different traits to be modified or lost in the future.
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37
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Halfwerk W, Varkevisser J, Simon R, Mendoza E, Scharff C, Riebel K. Toward Testing for Multimodal Perception of Mating Signals. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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39
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Ge J, Wei J, Tao Y, Kang L. Sexual cooperation relies on food controlled by females in agromyzid flies. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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40
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Baker CA, Clemens J, Murthy M. Acoustic Pattern Recognition and Courtship Songs: Insights from Insects. Annu Rev Neurosci 2019; 42:129-147. [PMID: 30786225 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-080317-061839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, social interactions rely on sound production and perception. From simple cricket chirps to more elaborate bird songs, animals go to great lengths to communicate information critical for reproduction and survival via acoustic signals. Insects produce a wide array of songs to attract a mate, and the intended receivers must differentiate these calls from competing sounds, analyze the quality of the sender from spectrotemporal signal properties, and then determine how to react. Insects use numerically simple nervous systems to analyze and respond to courtship songs, making them ideal model systems for uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying acoustic pattern recognition. We highlight here how the combination of behavioral studies and neural recordings in three groups of insects-crickets, grasshoppers, and fruit flies-reveals common strategies for extracting ethologically relevant information from acoustic patterns and how these findings might translate to other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa A Baker
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
| | - Jan Clemens
- University Medical Center Goettingen, Max-Planck-Society, European Neuroscience Institute, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany;
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
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41
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Wu X, Pang Y, Luo B, Wang M, Feng J. Function of Distress Calls in Least Horseshoe Bats: A Field Study Using Playback Experiments. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.2.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Wu
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Yulan Pang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Bo Luo
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Man Wang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 255 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
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42
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Dueling frogs: do male green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) eavesdrop on and assess nearby calling competitors? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2632-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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43
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Ryan MJ, Page RA, Hunter KL, Taylor RC. ‘Crazy love’: nonlinearity and irrationality in mate choice. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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44
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Adaptive changes in sexual signalling in response to urbanization. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 3:374-380. [PMID: 30532046 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0751-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization can cause species to adjust their sexual displays, because the effectiveness of mating signals is influenced by environmental conditions. Despite many examples that show that mating signals in urban conditions differ from those in rural conditions, we do not know whether these differences provide a combined reproductive and survival benefit to the urban phenotype. Here we show that male túngara frogs have increased the conspicuousness of their calls, which is under strong sexual and natural selection by signal receivers, as an adaptive response to city life. The urban phenotype consequently attracts more females than the forest phenotype, while avoiding the costs that are imposed by eavesdropping bats and midges, which we show are rare in urban areas. Finally, we show in a translocation experiment that urban frogs can reduce risk of predation and parasitism when moved to the forest, but that forest frogs do not increase their sexual attractiveness when moved to the city. Our findings thus reveal that urbanization can rapidly drive adaptive signal change via changes in both natural and sexual selection pressures.
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45
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Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ. Prey stimuli trigger trophic interception across ecosystems. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo B. Breviglieri
- Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); Campinas São Paulo 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); Campinas São Paulo 13083-970 Brazil
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46
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Baier AL, Wiegrebe L. Flutter sensitivity in FM bats. Part I: delay modulation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 204:929-939. [PMID: 30244365 PMCID: PMC6208693 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1291-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Echolocating bats measure target distance by the time delay between call and echo. Target movement such as the flutter of insect wings induces delay modulations. Perception of delay modulations has been studied extensively in bats, but only concerning how well bats discriminate flutter frequencies, never with regard to flutter magnitude. We used an auditory virtual reality approach to generate changes in echo delay that were independent of call repetition rate, mimicking fluttering insect wings. We show that in the frequency-modulating (FM) bat Phyllostomus discolor, the sensitivity for modulations in echo delay depends on the rate of the modulation, with bats being most sensitive at modulation rates below 20 Hz and above 50 Hz. The very short duration of their calls compels FM bats to evaluate slow modulations (< about 100 Hz) across entire echo sequences. This makes them susceptible to interference between their own call repetition rate and the modulation rate. We propose that this phenomenon constitutes an echo-acoustic wagon-wheel effect. We further demonstrate how at high modulation rates, flutter sensitivity could be rescued by using spectral and temporal cues introduced by Doppler distortions. Thus, Doppler distortions may play a crucial role in flutter sensitivity in the hundreds of FM species worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Leonie Baier
- Department Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Martinsried, Germany. .,Acoustic and Functional Ecology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 11, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Lutz Wiegrebe
- Department Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
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47
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Affiliation(s)
- Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; 1350 Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Antton Alberdi
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; 1350 Copenhagen Denmark
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48
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Womack MC, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Coloma LA, Chaparro JC, Hoke KL. Earless toads sense low frequencies but miss the high notes. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1670. [PMID: 28978737 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory losses or reductions are frequently attributed to relaxed selection. However, anuran species have lost tympanic middle ears many times, despite anurans' use of acoustic communication and the benefit of middle ears for hearing airborne sound. Here we determine whether pre-existing alternative sensory pathways enable anurans lacking tympanic middle ears (termed earless anurans) to hear airborne sound as well as eared species or to better sense vibrations in the environment. We used auditory brainstem recordings to compare hearing and vibrational sensitivity among 10 species (six eared, four earless) within the Neotropical true toad family (Bufonidae). We found that species lacking middle ears are less sensitive to high-frequency sounds, however, low-frequency hearing and vibrational sensitivity are equivalent between eared and earless species. Furthermore, extratympanic hearing sensitivity varies among earless species, highlighting potential species differences in extratympanic hearing mechanisms. We argue that ancestral bufonids may have sufficient extratympanic hearing and vibrational sensitivity such that earless lineages tolerated the loss of high frequency hearing sensitivity by adopting species-specific behavioural strategies to detect conspecifics, predators and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly C Womack
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Luis A Coloma
- Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación Otonga, Giovanni Farina 566 y Baltra, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador.,Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Muyuna, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Juan C Chaparro
- Museo de Biodiversidad del Peru, Cusco, Peru.,Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Murray A, Dunlop RA, Noad MJ, Goldizen AW. Stereotypic and complex phrase types provide structural evidence for a multi-message display in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 143:980. [PMID: 29495685 DOI: 10.1121/1.5023680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Male humpback whales produce a mating display called "song." Behavioral studies indicate song has inter- and/or intra-sexual functionality, suggesting song may be a multi-message display. Multi-message displays often include stereotypic components that convey group membership for mate attraction and/or male-male interactions, and complex components that convey individual quality for courtship. Humpback whale song contains sounds ("units") arranged into sequences ("phrases"). Repetitions of a specific phrase create a "theme." Within a theme, imperfect phrase repetitions ("phrase variants") create variability among phrases of the same type ("phrase type"). The hypothesis that song contains stereotypic and complex phrase types, structural characteristics consistent with a multi-message display, is investigated using recordings of 17 east Australian males (8:2004, 9:2011). Phrase types are categorized as stereotypic or complex using number of unit types, number of phrase variants, and the proportion of phrases that is unique to an individual versus shared amongst males. Unit types are determined using self-organizing maps. Phrase variants are determined by Levenshtein distances between phrases. Stereotypic phrase types have smaller numbers of unit types and shared phrase variants. Complex phrase types have larger numbers of unit types and unique phrase variants. This study supports the hypothesis that song could be a multi-message display.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Murray
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - Rebecca A Dunlop
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - Michael J Noad
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - Anne W Goldizen
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Jamie GA. Signals, cues and the nature of mimicry. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2080. [PMID: 28202806 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
'Mimicry' is used in the evolutionary and ecological literature to describe diverse phenomena. Many are textbook examples of natural selection's power to produce stunning adaptations. However, there remains a lack of clarity over how mimetic resemblances are conceptually related to each other. The result is that categories denoting the traditional subdivisions of mimicry are applied inconsistently across studies, hindering attempts at conceptual unification. This review critically examines the logic by which mimicry can be conceptually organized and analysed. It highlights the following three evolutionarily relevant distinctions. (i) Are the model's traits being mimicked signals or cues? (ii) Does the mimic signal a fitness benefit or fitness cost in order to manipulate the receiver's behaviour? (iii) Is the mimic's signal deceptive? The first distinction divides mimicry into two broad categories: 'signal mimicry' and 'cue mimicry'. 'Signal mimicry' occurs when mimic and model share the same receiver, and 'cue mimicry' when mimic and model have different receivers or when there is no receiver for the model's trait. 'Masquerade' fits conceptually within cue mimicry. The second and third distinctions divide both signal and cue mimicry into four types each. These are the three traditional mimicry categories (aggressive, Batesian and Müllerian) and a fourth, often overlooked category for which the term 'rewarding mimicry' is suggested. Rewarding mimicry occurs when the mimic's signal is non-deceptive (as in Müllerian mimicry) but where the mimic signals a fitness benefit to the receiver (as in aggressive mimicry). The existence of rewarding mimicry is a logical extension of the criteria used to differentiate the three well-recognized forms of mimicry. These four forms of mimicry are not discrete, immutable types, but rather help to define important axes along which mimicry can vary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel A Jamie
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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