STRUCTURE, GEOGRAPHY AND ORIGIN OF DIALECTS IN THE TRADITIVE SONG OF THE FOREST WEAVER PLOCEUS BICOLOR SCLATERI IN NATAL, S. AFRICA

Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
pp. 1237-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Wickler ◽  
Hans-Ulrich Kleindienst ◽  
Edith Sonnenschein ◽  
Uta Seibt
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Acoustic Window ◽  
Song Structure ◽  
Song Dialects ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Total Study Period

AbstractFrom a 21-year-long combined field and laboratory study we describe the general song structure and local song dialects of this species. These dialects differ in syntactic and phonological charateristics. Within its first 24 months the individual learns a song from its parents and keeps that song constant throughout life. In free-living populations dialects remained constant over the total study period. We could exclude that the dialects are an acoustic window phenomenon. We found individual song variations within dialects which suggest a derivation of local dialects from family-specific songs, enhanced by man-induced habitat fragmentation.

scholarly journals Personality and social foraging tactic use in free-living Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 894-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Fülöp ◽  
Zoltán Németh ◽  
Bianka Kocsis ◽  
Bettina Deák-Molnár ◽  
Tímea Bozsoky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Evolution ◽  
Social Foraging ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Living Tree ◽  
Passer Montanus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Time Of Feeding ◽  
Foraging Tactic

AbstractGroup-foraging individuals often use alternative behavioral tactics to acquire food: some individuals, the producers, actively search for food, whereas others, the scroungers, look for opportunities to exploit the finders’ discoveries. Although the use of social foraging tactics is partly flexible, yet some individuals tend to produce more, whereas others largely prefer to scrounge. This between-individual variation in tactic use closely resembles the phenomenon of animal personality; however, the connection between personality and social foraging tactic use has rarely been investigated in wild animals. Here, we studied this relationship in free-living Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) during 2 winters. We found that in females, but not in males, social foraging tactic use was predicted by personality: more exploratory (i.e., more active in a novel environment) females scrounged more. Regardless of sex, the probability of scrounging increased with the density of individuals foraging on feeders and the time of feeding within a foraging bout, that is, the later the individual foraged within a foraging bout the higher the probability of scrounging was. Our results demonstrate that consistent individual behavioral differences are linked, in a sex-dependent manner, to group-level processes in the context of social foraging in free-living tree sparrows, suggesting that individual behavioral traits have implications for social evolution.

Biological alarm clock arouses hibernating big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1668-1674 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Twente ◽  
Janet Twente
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Continuous Darkness ◽  
Exogenous Variables ◽  
Alarm Clock ◽  
Big Brown Bats ◽  
Free Running ◽  
The Times ◽  
The Individual

This laboratory study showed that the individual averages of the times of day of arousal from hibernation of 55 big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, maintained in darkness, ranged from 14:05 to 20:50 (2:05 p.m. to 8:50 p.m.). The data were interpreted as representing a persistent but inexact 24-h rhythm that functioned as a biological alarm clock. This rhythm was, according to the parameters measured, apparent only on the day of arousal. The rhythm was determined to be independent of the length of time the bat had hibernated; independent of temperature; persistent and did not drift and become free-running in continuous darkness; unapparent in daily cardiac patterns or themogenic activity; and independent of obvious exogenous variables.

Acoustic cues to individual identity in the rattle calls of common blackbirds: a potential for individual recognition through multi-syllabic vocalisations emitted in both territorial and alarm contexts

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charline Couchoux ◽  
Torben Dabelsteen
Keyword(s):  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Bird Calls ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Common Blackbird

Vocal signals convey many types of information, and individually recognizable cues can benefit signallers and receivers, as shown in birdsongs that are used in the contexts of mating and territoriality. Bird calls are typically less complex than songs and thus are likely to convey less information. However, the rattle calls of some species serve a dual function, being emitted as an anti-predator and deterrence signal, and thus may encode information on individual identity. We investigated these questions in the common blackbird (Turdus merula), which emits complex rattle calls in both territorial and alarm contexts. The vocalisations of free-living males were elicited and recorded by playing back songs of unknown males in birds’ territories (territorial context) and also while approaching individuals (predator context). These song-like highly-structured multi-syllabic calls typically had three types of elements. Acoustic and statistical analyses revealed, through elevated repeatability indexes, that most of the acoustic measurements used to describe the complexity of the calls (structural, temporal and frequency parameters) were highly variable, due to inter-individual differences. The size of the call and the characteristics of the starting element only were able to discriminate a high portion of the individual calls. Beyond the very well studied songs of oscines, calls therefore deserve more attention as they also carry a potential for conveying information on individual identity.

scholarly journals Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Pairing Success of Ovenbirds: Importance of Male Age and Floater Behavior

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M. Bayne ◽  
Keith A. Hobson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Seiurus Aurocapillus ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Removal Experiments ◽  
Boreal Mixedwood Forest ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The Individual

AbstractBetween 1996 and 1998, we compared pairing success of territorial male Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus) in forest fragments created by forestry (n = 3) and agriculture (n = 10) to contiguous forest plots (n = 3) in the southern boreal mixedwood forest of central Saskatchewan. The percentage of Ovenbird males paired per site was lower in fragments created by agriculture (86 ± 3%) and forestry (87 ± 3%) than in contiguous forest (97 ± 3%). At the individual level, second-year males (82%) were less likely to be paired than after-second-year males (94%), whereas males closer to edges were less likely to be paired than those in forest interiors. Although pairing success differed among landscapes, those differences were smaller than reported in studies conducted in eastern North America. The high density of birds in our study area may have resulted in intense intraspecific competition, which could have prevented unpaired individuals from maintaining territories. Removal experiments in 1997 and 1998 demonstrated floaters occurred in contiguous forest, but rarely occurred in fragments created by agriculture. The presence of floaters in contiguous forest suggests the ratio of breeding to nonbreeding males in forest fragments and contiguous forest may be similar, but that the strategy (i.e. floater vs. territorial) used by unpaired birds may differ among landscapes.

scholarly journals Song Learning by Chipping Sparrows: When, Where, and From Whom

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan-Chun Liu ◽  
Donald E. Kroodsma
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Breeding Territory ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Spizella Passerina

Abstract Given the difficulty of following free-living, dispersing juvenile songbirds, relatively little is known about when, where, how, and from whom these young birds learn their songs. To explore these issues, we studied the Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), males of which have a single, simple song, but populations of which may contain 20–30 different songs. In our western Massachusetts study sites, we color-banded 324 nestling and 32 fledgling sparrows. Twelve of these banded males returned to our study areas, dispersing a few hundred meters to 1.8 km away from their natal territories. The song of each yearling closely matched only one of his immediate neighbors on the breeding territory, revealing that a yearling sparrow precisely imitates one of his close neighbors after dispersal. Evidence from this field study and a previous laboratory study show that a young male is able to learn songs either during his hatching year or the following spring, perhaps depending on his chances of song exposure or social interaction with territorial neighbors.

Eutrophication, pollution and fragmentation: effects on parasite communities in roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) in four lakes in central Finland

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
E T Valtonen ◽  
J C Holmes ◽  
M Koskivaara
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Perca Fluviatilis ◽  
Rutilus Rutilus ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Eutrophic Lakes ◽  
Roach Rutilus Rutilus ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
The Individual

Parasite communities in four study lakes in 1986 reflected the influences of eutrophication, pollution, and habitat fragmentation. Discriminant analyses of communities at the individual host level revealed two major axes. One contrasted communities in a lake affected by chemical pollution from a pulp mill with those from two eutrophic, less polluted lakes. Changes in the density of intermediate hosts, direct effects on ectoparasites, and impaired immune systems were regarded as important mechanisms. The second contrasted communities in an oligotrophic, unpolluted lake with those from the two eutrophic lakes and was more complex, reflecting habitat fragmentation (the absence of glochidia and some digeneans) and pollution or eutrophication, probably mediated by the same mechanisms as above. Changes in some index parasites in Lake Vatia monitored in 1994, following 8 years of reduced pollutant loading, supported our conclusion that parasite faunas in Lake Vatia in 1986 involved the effects of pollution.

Cross-Validation of Two Accelerometers for Assessment of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Preschool Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofiya Alhassan ◽  
John R. Sirard ◽  
Laura B. F. Kurdziel ◽  
Samantha Merrigan ◽  
Cory Greever ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Criterion Measure ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Type Method ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Cut Point ◽  
Activity Intensity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to cross-validate previously developed Actiwatch (AW; Ekblom et al. 2012) and AcitGraph (AG; Sirard et al. 2005; AG-P, Pate et al. 2006) cut-point equations to categorize free-living physical activity (PA) of preschoolers using direct observation (DO) as the criterion measure. A secondary aim was to compare output from the AW and the AG from previously developed equations.Methods:Participants’ (n = 33; age = 4.4 ± 0.8 yrs; females, n=12) PA was directly observed for three 10-min periods during the preschool-day while wearing the AW (nondominant wrist) and AG (waist). Device specific cut-points were used to reduce the AW-E (Ekblom et al. 2012) and AG (AG-S, Sirard et al. 2005; AG-P, Pate et al. 2006) data into intensity categories. Spearman correlations (rsp) and agreement statistics were used to assess associations between the DO intensity categories and device data. Mixed model regression was used to identify differences in times spent in activity intensity categories.Results:There was a significant correlation between AW and AG output across all data (rsp = 0.41, p < .0001) and both were associated with the DO intensity categories (AW: rsp = 0.47, AG: rsp = 0.47; p < .001). At the individual level, all devices demonstrated relatively low sensitivity but higher specificity. At the group level, AW-E and AG-P provided similar estimates of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA, AW-E: 4.7 ± 4.1, AG-P: 4.4 ± 3.3), compared with DO (5.1 ± 3.5). Conclusion: The AW-E and AG-P estimated times spent in MVPA were similar to DO, but the weak agreement statistics indicate that neither device cut-point equations provided accurate estimates at the individual level.

scholarly journals A Reversed Pattern of Association Between Song Dialects and Habitat in the Rufous-Collared Sparrow

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 658-667
Author(s):  
Darío A. Lijtmaer ◽  
Pablo L. Tubaro
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Habitat Change ◽  
Song Structure ◽  
Open Habitat ◽  
Zonotrichia Capensis ◽  
Song Dialects ◽  
Habitat Conversion ◽  
Strong Winds

Abstract Abstract. We studied song dialects of the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) in espinal woodland and steppe surrounding Guatraché Lake in Argentina. We recorded 150 individuals and analyzed 14 quantitative song variables. There were significant differences between habitats in song temporal structure. In particular, the internote interval of trills was shorter in the closed compared to the open habitat. This pattern is the reverse of what is usually found in this species, although it has previously been detected in another area of the region in which this study was conducted. This region is characterized by strong winds, which could be related to the reversed pattern found. Song frequencies were lower in the closed woodland habitat than in the open steppe, which also contrasts with the pattern usually found in this species. We also recorded and analyzed the songs in a portion of the area in which the woodland was converted into grassland during the last century. The temporal structure of songs in the converted area was intermediate between song structures in the original habitats and frequencies were lower in the converted area than in both original habitats. Song structure appears to have changed after habitat conversion, but this cannot be confirmed with the data at hand because of the lack of recordings obtained before habitat change.

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