Publication:
Exploration behavior differs between Darwin's finch species and predicts territory defense and hatching success

dc.contributor.coauthorKatsis, Andrew C.
dc.contributor.coauthorColombelli-Negrel, Diane
dc.contributor.coauthorCommon, Lauren K.
dc.contributor.coauthorGarcia-Loor, Jefferson
dc.contributor.coauthorKleindorfer, Sonia
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
dc.contributor.otherDepartment of Psychology
dc.contributor.schoolcollegeinstituteCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
dc.date.accessioned2024-12-29T09:36:29Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractDarwin's finch species in the Galapagos Islands are famously distinguished by their morphology but less attention has been given to behavioral differences between species. In this study, we compared behavior between four Darwin's finch species on Floreana Island: small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa), medium ground finch (G. fortis), small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus), and medium tree finch (C. pauper). After capturing birds using mist-nets, we measured three behavioral traits: (1) boldness during human handling, (2) exploration in a novel environment, and (3) aggressiveness towards their mirror image. First, we found that ground finches were bolder and more exploratory than tree finches, consistent with their distinct ecological niches on Floreana Island and with the theoretical prediction that diet generalists should be less wary of novelty. Second, we tested the ecological validity of these behavioral variables at the individual level by relating them to territory defense behavior and breeding success. We found that males that were more exploratory in the novel environment also reacted more aggressively to a simulated territory intruder and showed lower offspring hatching success during the breeding season. Hence, our findings support previous work showing behavioral differences between Darwin's finch species and also suggest pathways by which behavioral differences among individuals might influence fitness. Significance statement Closely-related species that overlap in their geographical range may differ in their morphology and/or behavior, allowing them to occupy different ecological niches. In this study, we explored behavioral differences between four Darwin's finch species on Floreana Island in the Galapagos Archipelago. We found clear interspecies differences in behavior, with the ground finches struggling more often during handling (boldness) and visiting more sectors in a novel environment (exploration) compared to the tree finches. After birds were released, we continued to observe a subset of male finches in the wild. An individual's exploration behavior significantly predicted both its aggressive response to a territory intruder (simulated using song playback) and offspring hatching success during the breeding season. This suggests that individual differences in exploration behavior can potentially be used as a proxy for territorial behavior in the wild and may also predict fitness outcomes.
dc.description.indexedbyWoS
dc.description.indexedbyScopus
dc.description.indexedbyPubMed
dc.description.issue2
dc.description.openaccesshybrid
dc.description.publisherscopeInternational
dc.description.sponsorsOpen Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. We received funding from the Australian Research Council (to SK and DC-N; DP190102894).
dc.description.volume78
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00265-024-03438-7
dc.identifier.eissn1432-0762
dc.identifier.issn0340-5443
dc.identifier.quartileQ1
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85185139502
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-024-03438-7
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/22082
dc.identifier.wos1160729800001
dc.keywordsBreeding success
dc.keywordsDarwin's finch
dc.keywordsExploration
dc.keywordsSympatry
dc.keywordsTerritory defense
dc.languageen
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.relation.grantnoCAUL
dc.relation.grantnoAustralian Research Council
dc.relation.grantno[DP190102894]
dc.sourceBehavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
dc.subjectBehavioral sciences
dc.subjectEcology
dc.subjectZoology
dc.titleExploration behavior differs between Darwin's finch species and predicts territory defense and hatching success
dc.typeJournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
local.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublicationd5fc0361-3a0a-4b96-bf2e-5cd6b2b0b08c
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryd5fc0361-3a0a-4b96-bf2e-5cd6b2b0b08c

Files