Song type matching is an honest early threat signal in a hierarchical animal communication system

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Volumn 280, Issue 1756, 2013, Pages

  Akçay, Çaǧlar ^a,b   Tom, Mari E ^b   Campbell, S Elizabeth ^b   Beecher, Michael D ^b  

^a Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON   (United States)

Author keywords

Aggression; Animal communication; Bird song; Honest signals; Song sparrow

Indexed keywords

AGGRESSION; COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR; HIERARCHICAL SYSTEM; HONEST SIGNALING; SONG; SONGBIRD;

EID: 84873477274     PISSN: 09628452     EISSN: 14712954     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2517     Document Type: Article

References (41)

1. Clutton-Brock TH, Albon SD, Gibson RM, Guinness FE. 1979 The logical stag: adaptive aspects of fighting in red deer (Cervus elaphus l.). Anim. Behav. 27, 211-225 (doi:10.1016/0003-3472(79)90141-6)
2. Dawkins R, Krebs JR. 1978 Animal signals: information or manipulation? In Behavioral ecology (eds JR Krebs, NB Davies), pp. 282-309. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
3. Guilford T, Dawkins MS. 1995 What are conventional signals? Anim. Behav. 49, 1689-1695 (doi:10. 1016/0003-3472(95)90090-X)
4. Zahavi A. 1975 Mate selection: a selection for handicap. J. Theoret. Biol. 53, 205-214 (doi:10. 1016/0022-5193(75)90111-3)
5. Zahavi A. 1977 The cost of honesty (further remarks on the handicap principle). J. Theoret. Biol. 67, 603-605 (doi:10.1016/0022-5193(77)90061-3)
6. Grafen A. 1990 Biological signals as handicaps. J. Theoret. Biol. 144, 517-546 (doi:10.1016/S0022-5193(05)80088-8)
7. Maynard Smith J, Harper D. 2003 Animal signals. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
8. Searcy WA, Nowicki S. 2005 The evolution of animal communication. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
9. Caryl PG. 1979 Communication by agonistic displays: what can game theory contribute to ethology? Behavior 68, 136-169 (doi:10.1163/156853979X00287)
10. Waas JR. 1991 Do little blue penguins signal their intentions during aggressive interactions with strangers. Anim. Behav. 41, 375-382 (doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80838-3)
11. Searcy WA, Anderson RC, Nowicki S. 2006 Bird song as a signal of aggressive intent. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 60, 234-241 (doi:10.1007/s00265-006-0161-9)
12. Ballentine B, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. 2008 Reliable aggressive signalling in swamp sparrows. Anim. Behav. 75, 693-703 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.025)
13. Laidre ME. 2009 How often do animals lie about their intentions? An experimental test. Am. Nat. 173, 337-346 (doi:10.1086/596530)
14. Hof D, Hazlett N. 2010 Low amplitude song predicts attack in a North American wood warbler. Anim. Behav. 80, 821-828 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.07.017)
15. Searcy WA, Beecher MD. 2009 Song as an aggressive signal in songbirds. Anim. Behav. 78, 1281-1292 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.08.011)
16. Krebs JR, Ashcroft R, van Orsdol K. 1981 Song matching in the great tit Parus major l. Anim. Behav. 29, 918-923 (doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(81)80029-2)
17. Bradbury JW, Vehrencamp SL. 2011 Principles of animal communication. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer.
18. Burt JM, Campbell SE, Beecher MD. 2001 Song type matching as threat: a test using interactive playback. Anim. Behav. 62, 1163-1170 (doi:10.1006/anbe. 2001.1847)
19. Beecher MD, Campbell SE, Burt JM, Hill CE, Nordby JC. 2000 Song type matching between neighboring song sparrows. Anim. Behav. 59, 21-27 (doi:10. 1006/anbe.1999.1276)
20. Stoddard PK, Beecher MD, Horning CH, Campbell SE. 1992 Song type matching in the song sparrow. Canad. J. Zool. 70, 1440-1444 (doi:10.1139/z92-200)
21. Falls JB, Krebs JR, McGregor P. 1982 Song matching in the great tit (Parus major): the effect of similarity and familiarity. Anim. Behav. 30, 997-1009 (doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(82)80188-7)
22. Akçay Ç, Tom ME, Holmes D, Campbell SE, Beecher MD. 2011 Sing softly and carry a big stick: signals of aggressive intent in song sparrows. Anim. Behav. 82, 377-382 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav. 2011.05.016)
23. Beecher MD, Campbell SE. 2005 The role of unshared songs in singing interactions between neighbouring song sparrows. Anim. Behav. 70, 1297-1304 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.03.008)
24. Hyman J, Hughes M, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. 2004 Individual variation in the strength of territory defense in male song sparrows: correlates of age, territory tenure and neighbor aggresiveness. Behavior 141, 15-27 (doi:10.1163/ 156853904772746574)
25. Akcay Ç, Campbell SE, Beecher MD. In preparation. Aggressive signaling strategies in song sparrows
26. Nordby JC, Campbell SE, Beecher MD. 1999 Ecological correlates of song learning in song sparrows. Behav. Ecol. 10, 287-297 (doi:10.1093/ beheco/10.3.287)
27. Beecher MD, Campbell SE, Burt JM. 1994 Song perception in the song sparrow: birds classify by song type but not by singer. Anim. Behav. 47, 1343-1351 (doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1182)
28. Anderson RC, Searcy WA, Peters S, Nowicki S. 2008 Soft song in song sparrows: acoustic structure and implications for signal function. Ethology 114, 662-676 (doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01518.x)
29. Searcy WA, Nowicki S, Hogan C. 2000 Song type variants and aggressive context. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 48, 358-363 (doi:10.1007/ s002650000254)
30. Anderson RC, Searcy WA, Nowicki S. 2005 Partial matching in an eastern population of song sparrows, Melospiza melodia. Anim. Behav. 69, 189-196 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.02.019)
31. Podos J, Peters S, Rudnicky T, Marler P, Nowicki S. 1992 The organization of song repertoires in song sparrows: themes and variations. Ethology 90, 89-106 (doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00824.x)
32. Peake TM, Matessi G, McGregor PK, Dabelsteen T. 2005 Song type matching, song type switching and eavesdropping in male great tits. Anim. Behav. 69, 1063-1068 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.08.009)
33. Peake TM, Terry AM, McGregor PK, Dabelsteen T. 2001 Male great tits eavesdrop on simulated male-to-male vocal interactions. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 268, 1183-1187 (doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1648)
34. Akçay Ç, Reed VA, Campbell SE, Templeton CN, Beecher MD. 2010 Indirect reciprocity: song sparrows distrust aggressive neighbors based on eavesdropping. Anim. Behav. 80, 1041-1047 (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.09.009)
35. Hyman J, Hughes M. 2006 Territory owners discriminate between aggressive and non-aggressive neighbors. Anim. Behav. 72, 209-215 (doi:10. 1016/j.anbehav.2006.01.007)
36. Beecher MD, Stoddard PK, Campbell SE, Horning CL. 1996 Repertoire matching between neighbouring song sparrows. Anim. Behav. 51, 917-923 (doi:10. 1006/anbe.1996.0095)
37. Nice MM. 1943 Studies in the life history of the song sparrow II. The behavior of the song sparrow and other passerines. Trans. Linn. Soc. NY 6, 1-328.
38. Maynard Smith J. 1974 The theory of games and the evolution of animal conflicts. J. Theoret. Biol. 47, 209-221 (doi:10.1016/0022-5193(74)90110-6)
39. Maynard Smith J. 1979 Game theory and the evolution of behaviour. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 205, 475-488 (doi:10.1098/rspb.1979.0080)
40. Johnstone RF, Grafen A. 1993 Dishonesty and the handicap principle. Anim. Behav. 46, 759-764 (doi:10.1006/anbe.1993.1253)
41. Rowell Jonathan T, Ellner Stephen P, Reeve HK. 2006 Why animals lie: how dishonesty and belief can coexist in a signaling system. Am. Nat. 168, E180-E204 (doi:10.1086/508809)