scholarly journals On the evolution of noise-dependent vocal plasticity in birds

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 913-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Schuster ◽  
Sue Anne Zollinger ◽  
John A. Lesku ◽  
Henrik Brumm
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Vocal Plasticity ◽  
Lombard Effect ◽  
Signal Plasticity ◽  
Communication Signal ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bird Group

Signal plasticity is considered an important step in the evolution of animal communication. In acoustic communication, signal transmission is often constrained by background noise. One adaptation to evade acoustic signal masking is the Lombard effect, in which an animal increases its vocal amplitude in response to an increase in background noise. This form of signal plasticity has been found in mammals, including humans, and some birds, but not frogs. However, the evolution of the Lombard effect is still unclear. Here we demonstrate for the first time the Lombard effect in a phylogentically basal bird species, the tinamou Eudromia elegans . By doing so, we take a step towards reconstructing the evolutionary history of noise-dependent vocal plasticity in birds. Similar to humans, the tinamous also raised their vocal pitch in noise, irrespective of any release from signal masking. The occurrence of the Lombard effect in a basal bird group suggests that this form of vocal plasticity was present in the common ancestor of all living birds and thus evolved at least as early as 119 Ma.

scholarly journals Vocal plasticity in a reptile

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1855) ◽  
pp. 20170451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Brumm ◽  
Sue Anne Zollinger
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Vocal Plasticity ◽  
Lombard Effect ◽  
Gekko Gecko ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Signalling Systems

Sophisticated vocal communication systems of birds and mammals, including human speech, are characterized by a high degree of plasticity in which signals are individually adjusted in response to changes in the environment. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first evidence for vocal plasticity in a reptile. Like birds and mammals, tokay geckos ( Gekko gecko ) increased the duration of brief call notes in the presence of broadcast noise compared to quiet conditions, a behaviour that facilitates signal detection by receivers. By contrast, they did not adjust the amplitudes of their call syllables in noise (the Lombard effect), which is in line with the hypothesis that the Lombard effect has evolved independently in birds and mammals. However, the geckos used a different strategy to increase signal-to-noise ratios: instead of increasing the amplitude of a given call type when exposed to noise, the subjects produced more high-amplitude syllable types from their repertoire. Our findings demonstrate that reptile vocalizations are much more flexible than previously thought, including elaborate vocal plasticity that is also important for the complex signalling systems of birds and mammals. We suggest that signal detection constraints are one of the major forces driving the evolution of animal communication systems across different taxa.

Taxonomy, natural history, and conservation of the Great-billed Seed-Finch Sporophila maximiliani (Cabanis, 1851) (Thraupidae, Sporophilinae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4442 (4) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
FLÁVIO KULAIF UBAID ◽  
LUÍS FABIO SILVEIRA ◽  
CESAR A. B. MEDOLAGO ◽  
THIAGO V. V. COSTA ◽  
MERCIVAL ROBERTO FRANCISCO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
South America ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Morphometric Characters ◽  
History Of

Seed-finches are small-sized Neotropical granivorous birds characterized by extremely strong and thick beaks. Among these birds, the Great-billed Seed-Finch Sporophila maximiliani has been selectively and intensively trapped to the extent that has become one of the most endangered bird species in South America, yet its taxonomy remains complex and controversial. Two subspecies have been recognized: S. m. maximiliani (Cabanis, 1851), mainly from the Cerrado of central South America, and S. m. parkesi Olson (= Oryzoborus m. magnirostris), from northeastern South America. Originally, S. m. parkesi was diagnosed as being larger than the Large-billed Seed-Finch, S. c. crassirostris (Gmelin, 1789), but proper comparisons with S. m. maximiliani, which is larger than S. c. crassirostris, were never performed. Here we provide a review of the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of S. maximiliani, reevaluate the validity and taxonomic status of the subspecies based on morphological characters, and significantly revise its geographic distribution. Analyses based on plumage patterns and a Principal Component Analysis of morphometric characters indicated that S. m. parkesi is most appropriately treated as a synonym of the nominate taxon, which results in a monotypic S. maximiliani comprising two disjunct populations. Further, we conducted systematic searches for S. maximiliani in Brazil, in an attempt to obtain natural history information. After more than 6,000 hours of fieldwork in 45 areas of potential and historical occurrence, S. maximiliani was located only in two sites, in marshy environments called veredas, confirming the critical conservation status of this species, at least in Brazil. We discuss the conservation potential for, and the problems involved with, captive breeding of S. maximiliani for reintroduction into the wild. 

The emergence of tolerance of human disturbance in Neotropical birds

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Tryjanowski ◽  
Jakub Z. Kosicki ◽  
Martin Hromada ◽  
Peter Mikula
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Escape Response ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rapid Emergence

AbstractAnimals living close to human settlements more often experience disturbance, but also reduced predation risk. Because an escape response is costly, behavioural adjustments of animals in terms of increased tolerance of humans occurs and is often reported in the literature. However, most such studies have been conducted in and around long-existing cities in Europe and North America, on well-established animal populations. Here, we investigate the degree of tolerance of human disturbance across 132 bird species occurring in disturbed (small farms) and undisturbed (intact wetlands and grasslands) areas in Pantanal, Mato Grosso (Brazil), a region with only a very recent history of human-induced disturbance. We found a clear across-species trend toward higher tolerance of human disturbance in birds near farms when compared with birds in wild areas. Such a flexible and perhaps also rapid emergence of tolerance when facing small-scale and very recent human disturbance presumably involves learning and might be attributed to behavioural plasticity. The ability of birds to modify their degree of tolerance of human disturbance may play a key role in the facilitation of wildlife–human coexistence.

scholarly journals Defaunation precipitates the extinction of evolutionarily distinct interactions in the Anthropocene

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. eaav6699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine Emer ◽  
Mauro Galetti ◽  
Marco A. Pizo ◽  
Pedro Jordano ◽  
Miguel Verdú
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Rescue Effect ◽  
History Of ◽  
Local Extinctions ◽  
Functional Features ◽  
Avian Seed Dispersal

Species on Earth are interconnected with each other through ecological interactions. Defaunation can erode those connections, yet we lack evolutionary predictions about the consequences of losing interactions in human-modified ecosystems. We quantified the fate of the evolutionary history of avian–seed dispersal interactions across tropical forest fragments by combining the evolutionary distinctness of the pairwise-partner species, a proxy to their unique functional features. Both large-seeded plant and large-bodied bird species showed the highest evolutionary distinctness. We estimate a loss of 3.5 to 4.7 × 104 million years of cumulative evolutionary history of interactions due to defaunation. Bird-driven local extinctions mainly erode the most evolutionarily distinct interactions. However, the persistence of less evolutionarily distinct bird species in defaunated areas exerts a phylogenetic rescue effect through seed dispersal of evolutionarily distinct plant species.

scholarly journals Introducing the Bird Chromosome Database: An Overview of Cytogenetic Studies in Birds

2020 ◽  
Vol 160 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago M. Degrandi ◽  
Suziane A. Barcellos ◽  
Alice L. Costa ◽  
Analía D.V. Garnero ◽  
Iris Hass ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Numbers ◽  
Chromosome Painting ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Cytogenetic Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Intrachromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Painting Probes ◽  
Whole Chromosome Painting

Bird chromosomes, which have been investigated scientifically for more than a century, present a number of unique features. In general, bird karyotypes have a high diploid number (2n) of typically around 80 chromosomes that are divided into macro- and microchromosomes. In recent decades, FISH studies using whole chromosome painting probes have shown that the macrochromosomes evolved through both inter- and intrachromosomal rearrangements. However, chromosome painting data are available for only a few bird species, which hinders a more systematic approach to the understanding of the evolutionary history of the enigmatic bird karyotype. Thus, we decided to create an innovative database through compilation of the cytogenetic data available for birds, including chromosome numbers and the results of chromosome painting with chicken (Gallus gallus) probes. The data were obtained through an extensive literature review, which focused on cytogenetic studies published up to 2019. In the first version of the “Bird Chromosome Database (BCD)” (https://sites.unipampa.edu.br/birdchromosomedatabase) we have compiled data on the chromosome numbers of 1,067 bird species and chromosome painting data on 96 species. We found considerable variation in the diploid numbers, which ranged from 40 to 142, although most (around 50%) of the species studied up to now have between 78 and 82 chromosomes. Despite its importance for cytogenetic research, chromosome painting has been applied to less than 1% of all bird species. The BCD will enable researchers to identify the main knowledge gaps in bird cytogenetics, including the most under-sampled groups, and make inferences on chromosomal homologies in phylogenetic studies.

Convergence to the tiniest detail: vocal sac structure in torrent-dwelling frogs

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustín J Elias-Costa ◽  
Julián Faivovich
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Character State ◽  
Visual Displays ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Ancestral Character State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancestral Character State Reconstruction ◽  
Detection And Recognition

Abstract Cascades and fast-flowing streams impose severe restrictions on acoustic communication, with loud broadband background noise hampering signal detection and recognition. In this context, diverse behavioural features, such as ultrasound production and visual displays, have arisen in the evolutionary history of torrent-dwelling amphibians. The importance of the vocal sac in multimodal communication is being increasingly recognized, and recently a new vocal sac visual display has been discovered: unilateral inflation of paired vocal sacs. In the diurnal stream-breeding Hylodidae from the Atlantic forest, where it was first described, this behaviour is likely to be enabled by a unique anatomical configuration of the vocal sacs. To assess whether other taxa share this exceptional structure, we surveyed torrent-dwelling species with paired vocal sacs across the anuran tree of life and examined the vocal sac anatomy of exemplar species across 18 families. We found striking anatomical convergence among hylodids and species of the distantly related basal ranid genera Staurois, Huia, Meristogenys and Amolops. Ancestral character state reconstruction identified three new synapomorphies for Ranidae. Furthermore, we surveyed the vocal sac configuration of other anuran species that perform visual displays and report observations on what appears to be unilateral inflation of paired vocal sacs, in Staurois guttatus – an extremely rare behaviour in anurans.

What is the avifauna of Amazonian white-sand vegetation?

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
SÉRGIO HENRIQUE BORGES ◽  
CINTIA CORNELIUS ◽  
CAMILA RIBAS ◽  
RICARDO ALMEIDA ◽  
EDSON GUILHERME ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
White Sand ◽  
Flooded Forests ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Seasonally Flooded

SummaryWhite-sand vegetation (WSV) is a rare vegetation type in the Amazon basin that grows in nutrient impoverished sandy soils that occur as patches of variable size. Associated with this vegetation is bird assemblage that has not yet been fully characterized. Based on published species inventories and our own field data we compile a checklist of bird species recorded in WSV. In addition, we compared the avifauna of WSV with that found in savanna patches, another type of Amazonian open vegetation. WSV hosted a distinctive avifauna including endemic and threatened species. The number of bird species was lower in WSV compared to nearby terra firme forests, seasonally flooded forests and Amazonian savannas. Despite its low diversity, the avifauna of WSV has a distinctive species composition and makes a significant contribution to Amazonian beta diversity. At least 35 bird species can be considered as indicator species for this environment. Previously identified areas of endemism within the Amazon basin house at least one WSV indicator bird including cases of congeneric species with allopatric distributions. Seven of the WSV indicator species (20% of this avifauna) are in an IUCN threatened category, with one species Polioptila clementsi considered Critically Endangered. Their isolated distribution, small area occupied, and fragility to human-driven disturbances makes WSV one of the most threatened vegetation types in the Amazon basin. The study of WSV avifauna contributes to a better understanding of mechanisms that generate and maintain species diversity as well as of the environmental history of the most biologically diverse biome of the planet.

scholarly journals SERIAL PERIPHERAL INTERFACE (SPI) COMMUNICATION APPLICATION AS OUTPUT PIN EXPANSION IN ARDUINO UNO

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Farid Baskoro ◽  
Miftahur Rohman ◽  
Aristyawan Putra Nurdiansyah
Keyword(s):  
Serial Communication ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Communication Line ◽  
Communication Signal ◽  
Serial Peripheral Interface ◽  
Arduino Uno ◽  
Research Show

Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a synchronous serial communication whose data or signal transmission involves Chip Select (CS) or Slave Select (SS) pins, Serial Clock (SCK), Master Out Slave In (MOSI), and Master In Slave Out (MISO). In the Arduino Uno, there are four pins that allow Arduino Uno to perform SPI communication. In this research, SPI communication is implemented to expand the output of the Arduino Uno by using the features of the MCP23S17 IC so that the Arduino Uno, which initially has 20 output pins, can expand to 36 output pins.The results of the research show that the Arduino Uno manages to control 36 output pins. 16 output pins from the MCP23S17, 16 output pins from the Arduino Uno, and 4 pins are used for the SPI communication line. The results of this study also show the form of the SPI communication signal from Arduino Uno in declaring 21 registers on MCP23S17, declaring the MCP23S17 pin register as output, and implementing the output using LEDs.

scholarly journals Animal Linguistics: A Primer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Berthet ◽  
Camille Coye ◽  
Guillaume Dezecache ◽  
Jeremy Kuhn
Keyword(s):  
Animal Communication ◽  
Past History ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Evolution Of Language ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Animal Data ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biological Methods ◽  
Nonhuman Species ◽  
Behaviour Data

The evolution of language is investigated by various research communities (including biologists and linguists) which engage in comparative works to highlight similar linguistic capacities across species. So far though, no consensus exists on linguistic capacities of nonhuman species. Rather, vivid debates have emerged, mostly fuelled by misuses of linguistic terminology, irrelevance of analysis methods and inappropriate behavioural data collection. The field of ‘animal linguistics’ has recently emerged to overcome these difficulties, notably by increasing exchanges and collaborations across disciplines, in an attempt to reach unique methods and terminology.This primer on ‘animal linguistics’ is a tutorial review on the study of animal communication using both linguistic and biological methods, aimed at both the linguistic and biology communities. Specifically, it aims at accompanying researchers from either of these fields to collect data, run analyses and draw conclusions step by step, and in a way that could satisfy the other research community. To this end, it first exposes the linguistic theoretical concepts of semantics, pragmatics and syntax, and proposes the minimal criteria that are to be fulfilled to claim that a given species displays one – or several – linguistic capacities. Second, it reviews relevant methods successfully applied to the study of animal data. Third, it proposes guidelines to detect and overcome major pitfalls commonly observed in the collection of animal behaviour data. As observed in the past history of science, research traditions can be fragile if not sustained by collaborative communities. We believe this article to represent a milestone towards mutual understanding and fruitful collaborations between linguists and biologists.

scholarly journals Moderate evidence for a Lombard effect in a phylogenetically basal primate

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schopf ◽  
Sabine Schmidt ◽  
Elke Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Lombard Effect ◽  
Voice Control ◽  
Mouse Lemurs ◽  
System Properties ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Grey Mouse Lemur

When exposed to enhanced background noise, humans avoid signal masking by increasing the amplitude of the voice, a phenomenon termed the Lombard effect. This auditory feedback-mediated voice control has also been found in monkeys, bats, cetaceans, fish and some frogs and birds. We studied the Lombard effect for the first time in a phylogenetically basal primate, the grey mouse lemur,Microcebus murinus. When background noise was increased, mouse lemurs were able to raise the amplitude of the voice, comparable to monkeys, but they did not show this effect consistently across context/individuals. The Lombard effect, even if representing a generic vocal communication system property of mammals, may thus be affected by more complex mechanisms. The present findings emphasize an effect of context, and individual, and the need for further standardized approaches to disentangle the multiple system properties of mammalian vocal communication, important for understanding the evolution of the unique human faculty of speech and language.

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