Communication by changing signals: call switching in red-winged blackbirds

Beletsky, Les D.; Higgins, B.J.; Orians, Gordon H.

doi:10.1007/bf00290826

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…11). Greater reproductive success of males with long-term neighbors may also provide a basis for the evolution of redwing cooperative behavior, such as predator mobbing and group alert calling (17). The improved success of males with familiar neighbors suggests that genes for cooperative behaviors with neighbors may be favored by natural selection.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Familiar neighbors enhance breeding success in birds.

Beletsky

Orians

1989

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

143

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We tested the hypothesis that long-term familiarity with neighbors is advantageous by determining whether male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) breeding adjacent to familiar neighbors have better reproductive success than other males. Using data gathered during a 10-yr study of breeding success, we found that males with familiar neighbors fledged, on average, significantly more offspring annually than males without familiar neighbors. We also found that the same males, breeding in different years on the same territories, had significantly larger harems in the years they had familiar neighbors. Improved reproductive success was due to the males' abilities to attract more females to nest in their territories. Alternative hypotheses to explain the positive relationship between familiar neighbors and breeding success were not supported by our data. Relatively high reproductive success for breeders with long-term neighbors may provide a basis for the evolution of cooperative behavior in this and other species.Individuals of many species are known or presumed to benefit from familiarity with their physical and social environments (1-4). Experience in a habitat should increase the store of information available to individuals concerning the location and quality of foraging and breeding sites and the habits of local predators. Individuals familiar with their neighbors or with other members of their social groups could potentially benefit by having prior information about, for example, dominance statuses and fighting abilities of competitors, probabilities for reciprocal actions during cooperative behaviors, and the relative quality of potential mates. These benefits would be expressed as improved survival and reproductive success, but direct evidence in natural populations of benefits from familiarity is scarce. Here we test the hypothesis that social familiarity is advantageous by evaluating the prediction that male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) with familiar neighbors produce more offspring, on average, than males lacking familiar neighbors. Social relations between adjacent neighbors are probably the most common type of interaction among territorial males of many species ofbirds. Neighbors are potential competitors for food and mates, but they are also potential deliverers of cooperative assistance. For this reason, zoologists characterize neighbor interactions as "dear enemy" relationships (5-7). Familiarity with territorial neighbors could be beneficial to males in several ways. For example, in migratory species, familiarity with previous neighbors may facilitate year-to-year territory reestablishment (8-10) by reducing time and energy allocated to disputes over boundaries. Also, for species with small contiguous territories, such as the redwing, long association among males could increase cooperation in alarm systems or in nest defense.Male redwings are sometimes aggressive toward neighbors but, as in other territorial songbirds, they also recognize them as individuals (10, 11) and...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Familiar neighbors enhance breeding success in birds.

Beletsky

Orians

1989

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

143

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“…A fish thus alerted, could unwittingly alert neighbors within range to detect its EOD. A similar social network is used by breeding assemblages of redwinged blackbirds in which males change their ongoing train of calls when they sense a disturbance, thereby alerting their mates and neighboring males, who pass on the message in a wave of changes across the marsh (Beletsky et al 1986). To enjoy the benefits of an alerting network, electric fish would need optimal spacing.…”

Section: Discrimination Between Possible Breeding Systemsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Use of space as an indicator of social behavior and breeding systems in the gymnotiform electric fish Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus

2008

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Extreme sexual dimorphism suggests that the South American electric fish, Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus Hopkins (Copeia 1991(Copeia :151-161, 1991 is polygynous. No field studies have been conducted on the social behavior of this common gymnotiform species, in part because their nocturnal habits and densely vegetated habitat precludes direct observation in the field. We conducted mark-recapture studies on B. pinnicaudatus in Uruguay to gather indirect evidence of their breeding system. Sex ratios of adults were highly skewed toward females 2-3 weeks into the breeding season. Females moved twice as far as males on average (p= 0.016) and movement tracks of individual females overlapped one another but those of males did not. These data support the hypothesis that B. pinnicaudatus is polygynous or polygynandrous, and suggest that they use space in a manner consistent with exploded lek polygyny or iteroparous nest site polygynandry models. Fish detected within 2 m of each other were more aggregated than chance, both day and night, suggesting they maintain social groupings or alerting networks.

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“…Males have 15-20 different call types (Orians and Christman 1968;Simmers 1975;Orians 1985), many of which serve as elements of the alert system. In contrast to other vocal alert systems that have been described in which individuals call only after predators are detected, Red-winged Blackbird males call continually and transmit alerting information when they switch call types (Beletsky et al 1986). Individual males give one call type repetitively as a "background" signal and change types when they detect predators or other relevant environmentaldisturbances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Breeding male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) use a vocal alert system to warn about predators that incorporates several unusual features (Beletsky et al 1986). Males have 15-20 different call types (Orians and Christman 1968;Simmers 1975;Orians 1985), many of which serve as elements of the alert system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alert calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds: call rate and function

Beletsky¹

1991

Can. J. Zool.

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BELETSKY, L. D. 1991. Alert calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds: call rate and function. Can. J. Zool. 69: 21 16-2120.Male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) give alert calls continuously while on their breeding territories. To investigate the possibility that their rate of calling encodes information about distance to predators or degree of danger associated with different predators, I conducted experiments in which males were presented with stuffed "predators" and human "predators," reflecting varying degrees of danger to the caller, at various distances from their territories. Males called at higher rates when stuffed predators were closer to their territories and increased their rates progressively when a person approached, which supports the hypothesis that information about distance to potential predators is contained in the call rate.BELETSKY, L. D. 1991. Alert calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds: call rate and function. Can. J. Zool. 69 : 21 16-2120.Les Carouges a kpaulettes miles (Agelaius phoeniceus) kmettent continuellement des cris d'alarme lorsqu'ils sont dans leur territoire de reproduction. J'ai mis au point des expkriences destinkes a kprouver l'hypothkse selon laquelle la frkquence des cris transmet de l'information relative a la distance des prkdateurs ou a l'importance du danger associk diffkrents prkdateurs : des miles ont kt6 mis en prksence de prkdateurs empaillks et de e prkdateurs >> humains reprksentant des dangers plus ou moins grands, a diverses distances de leur territoire. Les males poussaient des cris plus frkquents lorsque les prkdateurs empaillks ktaient plus prks de leur territoire et augmentaient la frkquence de leurs cris progressivement a l'approche d'une personne, ce qui confirme que la frkquence des cris transmet de l'information sur la distance de prkdateurs potentiels.[Traduit par la rkdaction]

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Communication by changing signals: call switching in red-winged blackbirds

Cited by 34 publications

References 12 publications

Familiar neighbors enhance breeding success in birds.

Familiar neighbors enhance breeding success in birds.

Use of space as an indicator of social behavior and breeding systems in the gymnotiform electric fish Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus

Alert calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds: call rate and function

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