scholarly journals Social context and noise affect within and between male song adjustments in a common passerine

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1150-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E Grabarczyk ◽  
Maarten J Vonhof ◽  
Sharon A Gill
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Noisy Environments ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Syllable Duration ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
Changing Noise ◽  
Male House

Abstract Across populations, animals that inhabit areas with high anthropogenic noise produce vocalizations that differ from those inhabiting less noisy environments. Such patterns may be due to individuals rapidly adjusting their songs in response to changing noise, but individual variation is seldom explored. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) immediately adjust their songs according to changing noise and that social context further modifies responses. We recorded songs, quantified noise, and defined social context within pairs as female fertile status and between males as number of conspecific neighbors. We used a reaction-norm approach to compare song trait intercepts (between-male effects) and slopes (within-male effects) as a function of noise. Individuals immediately adjusted song duration in response to changing noise. How they achieved adjustments varied: some sang shorter and others longer songs with greater noise, and individuals varied in the extent to which they adjusted song duration. Variation in song duration could be affected by competition as between-male noise levels interacted with number of neighbors to affect syllable duration. Neither within- nor between-male noise effects were detected for frequency traits. Rather, males with fertile mates sang lower-frequency songs and increased peak frequency with more neighbors. Among males, social context but not noise affected song frequency, whereas temporal structure varied between and within individuals depending on noise and social factors. Not all males adjusted signals the same way in response to noise, and selection could favor different levels of variation according to noise.

scholarly journals When to change your tune? Unpaired and paired male house wrens respond differently to anthropogenic noise

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Grabarczyk ◽  
Monique A. Pipkin ◽  
Maarten J. Vonhof ◽  
Sharon A. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Noise Masking ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Song Transmission ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
Male House

In response to anthropogenic noise, many bird species adjust their song frequency, presumably to optimize song transmission and overcome noise masking. But the costs of song adjustments may outweigh the benefits during different stages of breeding, depending on the locations of potential receivers. Selection might favor unpaired males to alter their songs because they sing to attract females that may be widely dispersed, whereas paired males might not if mates and neighbors are primary receivers of their song. We hypothesized male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) respond differently to noise depending on their pairing status. To test our hypothesis we synthesized pink noise, which mimics anthropogenic noise, and played it at three intensities in territories of paired and unpaired focal males. We recorded their songs and analyzed whether song structure varied with pairing status and noise treatment. To validate our study design, we tested whether noise playback affected measurement of spectral song traits and changed noise levels within territories of focal males. Consistent with our predictions, unpaired males sang differently than paired males, giving longer songs at higher rates. Contrary to predictions, paired males changed their songs by increasing peak frequency during high intensity noise playback, whereas unpaired males did not. If adjusting song frequency in noise is beneficial for long-distance communication we would have expected unpaired males to change their songs in response to noise. By adjusting song frequency, paired males reduce masking and produce a song that is easier to hear. However, if females prefer low frequency song, then unpaired males may be constrained by female preference. Alternatively, if noise adjustments are learned and vary with experience or quality, unpaired males in our study population may be younger, less experienced, or lower quality males.

Male House Wrens provide more parental provisioning to nests with a brighter artificial egg

2014 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Walters ◽  
Nathan Olszewski ◽  
Kevin Sobol
Keyword(s):  
House Wrens ◽  
Parental Provisioning ◽  
Male House

scholarly journals Environmental noise influences song frequency of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) in Grand Teton National Park

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Charles E. Taylor ◽  
Yi-Ju Wang ◽  
Martin L. Cody
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
National Park ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Minimum Frequency ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Song Frequency

We explored how Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) alter their songs when encountering noise in Grand Teton National Park. Different strategies for avoiding signal masking are used by other species of birds, yet there is a lack of information of birds’ responses to higher noise levels–above 65 dB; such levels are often found in National Parks that have many visitors. In this study, we investigated singing behavior of Yellow Warblers when facing noise that ranged from 30 dB to 80 dB. In these preliminary results, we found that some features of Yellow Warblers did not appear to change with background noise level, including mean minimum frequency, bandwidth and song length. Other song features we studied did show small but statistically significant changes with higher background noise, including the peak frequency and the mean minimum frequency, both of which were significantly negatively correlated with the level of background noise. This result is different from the positive correlations that are typically observed. We speculate that this difference is due to the very high dB levels of background noise that we observed.   Featured photo bywagon16 on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/G2W6Bk

Female Attraction To Male Song in House Wrens (Troglodytes Aedon)

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Searcy ◽  
L. Scott Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Empty Nest ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Male Song ◽  
Visit Rate ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Female Attraction ◽  
Male House

AbstractThis study tested the hypothesis that the song of male birds can function to attract mates. At 11 different locations on our Wyoming study area, we broadcast the song of male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) from a loudspeaker mounted next to an empty nest box in an unoccupied wren territory. The number of female wrens attracted to the 'speaker box' was compared to the number visiting a silent, control box on another, unoccupied territory nearby. Females visited speaker boxes at a significantly higher rate than they visited control boxes. Ten females visited speaker boxes in six different trials during periods when no male was associated with either the speaker or control box (total time = 45.5 h; visit rate = 0.22/h). In contrast, only one female visited a control box during these same periods (= 0.02 visits/h), and she did so after first visiting the speaker box. Two females visited the speaker box simultaneously in some trials and chasing or fighting always ensued. Many females showed signs of settling permanently at speaker boxes, remaining at speaker boxes from their arrival to the end of the trial (> 5 h in two cases), and most began constructing nests in boxes, despite the absence of a male. In summary, this study provides strong experimental evidence that the song of male house wrens can function to attract mates for breeding.

scholarly journals Environmental noise influences song frequency of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) in Grand Teton National Park

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 118-129
Author(s):  
Yi-Ju Wang ◽  
Charles E. Taylor ◽  
Martin L. Cody
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
National Park ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Dendroica Petechia ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Minimum Frequency ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Song Frequency

We explored how Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) alter their songs when encountering noise in Grand Teton National Park. Different strategies for avoiding signal masking are used by other species of birds, yet there is a lack of information of birds’ responses to higher noise levels -- above 65 dB; such levels are often found in National Parks that have many visitors. In this study, we investigated singing behavior of Yellow Warblers when facing noise that ranged from 30 dB to 80 dB. In these preliminary results, we found that some features of Yellow Warblers did not appear to change with background noise level, including mean minimum frequency, bandwidth and song length. Other song features we studied did show small but statistically significant changes with higher background noise, including the peak frequency and the mean minimum frequency, both of which were significantly negatively correlated with the level of background noise. This result is different from the positive correlations that are typically observed.  We speculate that this difference is due to the very high dB levels of background noise that we observed.   Featured photo by wagon16 on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/G2W6Bk

Why Do Male House Wrens Feed Their Incubating Mates so Rarely?

1992 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Scott Johnson ◽  
L. Henry Kermott
Keyword(s):  
House Wrens ◽  
Male House

scholarly journals Perceived threat to paternity reduces likelihood of paternal provisioning in house wrens

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1336-1343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael A DiSciullo ◽  
Charles F Thompson ◽  
Scott K Sakaluk
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Paternal Care ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Young Males ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Feeding Effort ◽  
Male House

Abstract Biparental care is a critical and, occasionally, unequally shared obligation that ensures that young survive to maturity. Such care may be complicated in systems in which one parent, typically the male, is unsure of his genetic relatedness to the young. Males may reduce paternal provisioning when full paternity is not assured, as occurs in mating systems in which females engage in extrapair copulations. Moreover, other factors independent of extrapair matings, such as male personality traits, likely also affect the level of paternal care. In this study, we determined the effect of a paternity threat event (i.e., a conspecific or a heterospecific territory intrusion) and male personality (i.e., the level of aggressiveness) on provisioning effort by male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Males were more likely to attack a conspecific intruder than a heterospecific intruder. Males that were exposed to a conspecific intruder were less likely to provision young at all. Of those males that did feed the young in their nest, male aggressiveness did not relate to feeding effort. These findings suggest that the likelihood of paternal care is reduced by perceived threats to paternity but that the costs of not feeding potentially multisired young are high and feeding efforts are unrelated to male personality.

scholarly journals Empty Nests do not Affect Female Mate Choice or Maternal Investment in House Wrens

The Condor ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie S. Dubois ◽  
Thomas Getty
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Egg Removal ◽  
Male House ◽  
Cavity Nests

Abstract House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) remove eggs from the nests of other birds, including conspecifics and heterospecifics and both cup and cavity nests. Egg removal by males before females arrive increases the number of empty nests in and around a male House Wren's territory, and females might use this trait in mate choice. We manipulated the presence of empty nests in House Wren territories prior to female settlement by adding artificial nests with or without plastic eggs. We used the timing of female settlement as an index of mate preference. Our manipulation had no effect on the timing of female settlement or on variables related to maternal investment such as clutch size, egg volume, or provisioning effort. Differential investment in offspring was based on the timing of a reproductive attempt, which was unrelated to the experimental manipulation. La Elección de Pareja por las Hembras o la Inversión Maternal no Son Afectadas por Nidos Vacíos en Troglodytes aedon Resumen. Troglodytes aedon remueve los huevos de nidos de otras aves, incluyendo nidos coespecíficos y heteroespecíficos, y nidos de copa y en cavidades. La remoción de los huevos por el macho antes de la llegada de la hembra aumenta el número de nidos vacíos dentro y alrededor del territorio del macho, y es posible que las hembras utilicen este caracter en la elección de pareja. Manipulamos la presencia de nidos vacíos en territorios de T. aedon adicionando nidos artificiales con y sin huevos de plástico antes del asentamiento de las hembras. Utilizamos el momento de asentamiento de la hembra como un índice de preferencia de pareja. Nuestra manipulación no tuvo un efecto sobre el momento de asentamiento de la hembra o sobre variables relacionadas con la inversión materna como tamaño de la nidada, volumen del huevo o esfuerzo de aprovisionamiento. Las diferencias en la inversión en la progenie se relacionaron con el momento en que ocurre un intento reproductivo el cual no se relacionó con la manipulación experimental.

Female house wrens value the nest cavity more than exclusive access to males during conflicts with female intruders

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 151-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara A. Krieg ◽  
Thomas Getty
Keyword(s):  
Female Aggression ◽  
Troglodytes Aedon ◽  
High Quality ◽  
House Wren ◽  
Nest Cavity ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Male Care ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Male House

Abstract Individuals should fight hardest when they stand to lose the most. Whereas males frequently compete for fertile females, females more often compete for high quality males, male care, or resources required to breed. We asked whether established, territorial female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) challenged by simulated female intruders fight as if they place more value on retaining (1) their nesting cavity or (2) exclusive access to other benefits offered by males. We randomly assigned house wren pairs to receive one or three nest boxes and then assayed female aggression. The relative costs to losing differed between box treatments. For one-box females, the risk of losing the cavity and territory was higher. For three-box females, the risk of losing the cavity may be lower because intruders may be able to settle as secondary females in the supplemental boxes. In this situation, females would lose exclusive access to males and their territories but would still retain the male’s assistance rearing offspring since male house wrens favour their oldest brood. We found that one-box females were significantly more aggressive. This response may be adaptive, as females that switched territories between broods were significantly more likely to lose their entire nest prior to hatching than females that retained the same territory. We interpret our results to mean that female house wrens value the nest cavity more than other benefits from exclusive access to males and their territories. This work contributes to a body of evidence that females often compete for resources required to breed.

Aggressive displays by male House Wrens are composed of multiple components that predict attack

2014 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A. Barnett ◽  
Scott K. Sakaluk ◽  
Charles F. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
House Wrens ◽  
Multiple Components ◽  
Male House
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