Publication: Buzzes are used as signals of aggressive intent in Darwin's finches
Program
School / College / Institute
College of Social Sciences and Humanities
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KU Authors
Co-Authors
Colombelli-Negrel, Diane
Kleindorfer, Sonia
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Embargo Status
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Abstract
Signals of aggression may potentially reduce the fitness costs of conflict during agonistic interactions if they are honest. Here we examined whether the 'buzz' vocalization in two species of Darwin's finches, the small tree finch, Camarhynchus parvulus, and the critically endangered medium tree finch, C. pauper, found in Floreana Island, Galapagos Archipelago, is a signal of aggression. Specifically, we assessed three criteria for aggressive signalling (context, predictive, and response criteria) in an observational study and a playback experiment. In the observational study, buzzes by the resident male were more common when an intruder was present on the territory in medium tree finches but not small tree finches (context criterion). In the playback experiment, buzzes increased during and after a simulated intrusion for both species (context criterion). Buzzes before the playback period predicted aggressive responses by males (predictive criterion) but buzzes during playback did not. Finally, both species responded more strongly to playbacks of conspecific buzzes compared to conspecific songs and heterospecific buzzes (response criterion). Together the results support the aggressive signal hypothesis for buzz vocalizations, although future studies are needed to understand the evolution and development of this interesting signal.
Source
Publisher
Oxford Univ Press
Subject
Evolutionary biology
Citation
Has Part
Source
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Book Series Title
Edition
DOI
10.1093/biolinnean/blad152