Birdsong: From behaviour to brain

Biologia ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Bosíková ◽  
Ľubor Košťál ◽  
Ľubica Kubíková
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Molecular Mapping ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Motor Pathway ◽  
Brain Circuits ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Anterior Forebrain

AbstractAlthough vocal communication is wide-spread in animal kingdom, the use of learned (in contrast to innate) vocalization is very rare. We can find it only in few animal taxa: human, bats, whales and dolphins, elephants, parrots, hummingbirds, and songbirds. There are several parallels between human and songbird perception and production of vocal signals. Hence, many studies take interest in songbird singing for investigating the neural bases of learning and memory. Brain circuits controlling song learning and maintenance consist of two pathways — a vocal motor pathway responsible for production of learned vocalizations and anterior forebrain pathway responsible for learning and modifying the vocalizations. This review provides an overview of the song organization, its behavioural traits, and neural regulations. The recently expanding area of molecular mapping of the behaviour-driven gene expression in brain represents one of the modern approaches to the study the function of vocal and auditory areas for song learning and maintenance in birds.

scholarly journals Are Honey Bees at Risk from Microplastics?

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Yahya Al Naggar ◽  
Markus Brinkmann ◽  
Christie M. Sayes ◽  
Saad N. AL-Kahtani ◽  
Showket A. Dar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Persistent Pollutants ◽  
Research Questions

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous and persistent pollutants, and have been detected in a wide variety of media, from soils to aquatic systems. MPs, consisting primarily of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyacrylamide polymers, have recently been found in 12% of samples of honey collected in Ecuador. Recently, MPs have also been identified in honey bees collected from apiaries in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as nearby semiurban and rural areas. Given these documented exposures, assessment of their effects is critical for understanding the risks of MP exposure to honey bees. Exposure to polystyrene (PS)-MPs decreased diversity of the honey bee gut microbiota, followed by changes in gene expression related to oxidative damage, detoxification, and immunity. As a result, the aim of this perspective was to investigate whether wide-spread prevalence of MPs might have unintended negative effects on health and fitness of honey bees, as well as to draw the scientific community’s attention to the possible risks of MPs to the fitness of honey bees. Several research questions must be answered before MPs can be considered a potential threat to bees.

scholarly journals Discrimination of natural acoustic variation in vocal signals

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Fishbein ◽  
Nora H. Prior ◽  
Jane A. Brown ◽  
Gregory F. Ball ◽  
Robert J. Dooling
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Acoustic Variation ◽  
Zebra Finch Song ◽  
Human Listener

AbstractStudies of acoustic communication often focus on the categories and units of vocalizations, but subtle variation also occurs in how these signals are uttered. In human speech, it is not only phonemes and words that carry information but also the timbre, intonation, and stress of how speech sounds are delivered (often referred to as “paralinguistic content”). In non-human animals, variation across utterances of vocal signals also carries behaviorally relevant information across taxa. However, the discriminability of these cues has been rarely tested in a psychophysical paradigm. Here, we focus on acoustic communication in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species in which the male produces a single stereotyped motif repeatedly in song bouts. These motif renditions, like the song repetitions of many birds, sound very similar to the casual human listener. In this study, we show that zebra finches can easily discriminate between the renditions, even at the level of single song syllables, much as humans can discriminate renditions of speech sounds. These results support the notion that sensitivity to fine acoustic details may be a primary channel of information in zebra finch song, as well as a shared, foundational property of vocal communication systems across species.

scholarly journals To hum or not to hum: Neural transcriptome signature of courtship vocalization in a teleost fish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel A. Tripp ◽  
Ni Y. Feng ◽  
Andrew H. Bass
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Motor Nucleus ◽  
Motor Behaviors ◽  
Behavioral States ◽  
Courtship Activity ◽  
Courtship Behaviors

AbstractFor many animal species, vocal communication is a critical social behavior, often a necessary component of reproductive success. In addition to the role of vocal behavior in social interactions, vocalizations are often demanding motor acts. Through understanding the genes involved in regulating and permitting vertebrate vocalization, we can better understand the mechanisms regulating vocal and, more broadly, motor behaviors. Here, we use RNA-sequencing to investigate neural gene expression underlying the performance of an extreme vocal behavior, the courtship hum of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus). Single hums can last up to two hours and may be repeated throughout an evening of courtship activity. We asked whether vocal behavioral states are associated with specific gene expression signatures in key brain regions that regulate vocalization by comparing transcript levels in humming versus non-humming males. We find that the circadian-related genes period3 and Clock are significantly upregulated in the vocal motor nucleus and preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus, respectively, in humming compared to non-humming males, indicating that internal circadian clocks may differ between these divergent behavioral states. In addition, we identify suites of differentially expressed genes related to synaptic transmission, ion channels and transport, hormone signaling, and metabolism and antioxidant activity that may permit or support humming behavior. These results underscore the importance of the known circadian control of midshipman humming and provide testable candidate genes for future studies of the neuroendocrine and motor control of energetically demanding courtship behaviors in midshipman fish and other vertebrate groups.

scholarly journals Convergent evolution of venom gland transcriptomes across Metazoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Zancolli ◽  
Maarten Reijnders ◽  
Robert Waterhouse ◽  
Marc Robinson-Rechavi
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Gene Expression Profiles ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Venom Glands

Animals have repeatedly evolved specialized organs and anatomical structures to produce and deliver a cocktail of potent bioactive molecules to subdue prey or predators: venom. This makes it one of the most widespread convergent functions in the animal kingdom. Whether animals have adopted the same genetic toolkit to evolved venom systems is a fascinating question that still eludes us. Here, we performed the first comparative analysis of venom gland transcriptomes from 20 venomous species spanning the main Metazoan lineages, to test whether different animals have independently adopted similar molecular mechanisms to perform the same function. We found a strong convergence in gene expression profiles, with venom glands being more similar to each other than to any other tissue from the same species, and their differences closely mirroring the species phylogeny. Although venom glands secrete some of the fastest evolving molecules (toxins), their gene expression does not evolve faster than evolutionarily older tissues. We found 15 venom gland specific gene modules enriched in endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response pathways, indicating that animals have independently adopted stress response mechanisms to cope with mass production of toxins. This, in turns, activates regulatory networks for epithelial development, cell turnover and maintenance which seem composed of both convergent and lineage-specific factors, possibly reflecting the different developmental origins of venom glands. This study represents the first step towards an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the repeated evolution of one of the most successful adaptive traits in the animal kingdom.

The Biology of Experience

2019 ◽  
pp. 72-97
Author(s):  
Riane Eisler
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Stress Hormone ◽  
Negative Behaviors ◽  
Brain Circuits ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fight Or Flight

Biology and experience are not generally seen as connected, yet experience is integral to gene expression, both individually and collectively. Dramatically illustrating how experience can influence whether genetic capacities are expressed or inhibited in humans and other species, this chapter looks at studies showing that our brain circuits, and therefore our abilities and behavior, are strongly shaped by the environment, which for humans is primarily our surrounding culture as mediated by families, education, religion, politics, and economics. Our large-brained species is flexible: we are equipped for destructiveness and creativity, rote conformity and independence, and cruelty and caring. There are many examples of how cultural environments affect the expression of genetic potentials, including fascinating findings from the emerging field of epigenetics showing that these effects can be transmitted from generation to generation; research showing that the brains of people with a background of abuse and violence tend to have lower levels of serotonin, a calming neurotransmitter, and higher levels of cortisol, the major stress hormone; and studies on how chronic or intense stress brings into play hormones such as cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine associated with fight-or-flight responses, including aggressive and other negative behaviors. While highly stressful traditions of domination and violence are still deeply entrenched in many cultures worldwide, there are interventions that can help us build a more secure, just, sustainable, and peaceful world for individuals, families, and communities.

scholarly journals The Adjustment of Anterior Forebrain Pathway (AFP) to Birdsong Is Phased during Song Learning and Maintenance

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Jie Zang ◽  
Shenquan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Exact Role ◽  
Anterior Forebrain Pathway ◽  
Anterior Forebrain ◽  
Song Production ◽  
Two Phases

Anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), a basal ganglia-dorsal forebrain circuit, significantly impacts birdsong, specifically in juvenile or deaf birds. Despite many physiological experiments supporting AFP’s role in song production, the mechanism underlying it remains poorly understood. Using a computational model of the anterior forebrain pathway and song premotor pathway, we examined the dynamic process and exact role of AFP during song learning and distorted auditory feedback (DAF). Our simulation suggests that AFP can adjust the premotor pathway structure and syllables based on its delayed input to the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA). It is also indicated that the adjustment to the synaptic conductance in the song premotor pathway has two phases: normal phases where the adjustment decreases with an increasing number of trials and abnormal phases where the adjustment remains stable or even increases. These two phases alternate and impel a specific effect on birdsong based on AFP’s specific structures, which may be associated with auditory feedback. Furthermore, our model captured some characteristics shown in birdsong experiments, such as similarities in pitch, intensity, and duration to real birds and the highly abnormal features of syllables during DAF.

Projection neurons within a vocal motor pathway are born during song learning in zebra finches

Nature ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 334 (6178) ◽  
pp. 149-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy W. Nordeen ◽  
Ernest J. Nordeen
Keyword(s):  
Song Learning ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Motor Pathway

Localized immediate early gene expression related to the strength of song learning in socially reared zebra finches

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2165-2170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan J. Bolhuis ◽  
Elske Hetebrij ◽  
Ardie M. Den Boer-Visser ◽  
Jurriaan H. De Groot ◽  
Guus G. O. Zijlstra
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Immediate Early Gene ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Immediate Early ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Early Gene Expression

scholarly journals Identification and analysis of vocal communication pathways in birds through inducible gene expression

2004 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio V. Mello
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Control Brain ◽  
Activity Dependent ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Inducible Gene

The immediate-early gene zenk is an activity-dependent gene highly induced in auditory processing or vocal motor control brain areas when birds engage in hearing or producing song, respectively. Studies of the expression of zenk in songbirds and other avian groups will be reviewed here briefly, with a focus on how this analysis has generated new insights on the brain pathways and mechanisms involved in perceptual and motor aspects of vocal communication and vocal learning.

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