Publication:
Experimental manipulation of chest spotting alters territorial aggression in urban and rural song sparrows

dc.contributor.coauthorBeck, Michelle L.
dc.contributor.coauthorSewall, Kendra B.
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
dc.contributor.schoolcollegeinstituteCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-19T10:27:55Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractAbstract: In many taxa, melanin-based coloration is a signal of dominance or fighting ability and is associated with concentrations of hormones that may mediate aggressive behavior. Previous studies found that experimental manipulation of melanin-based signals can result in manipulated individuals receiving more social challenges in some but not all species. These differences could arise from mismatches between the signal, behavior, and hormone concentrations. In the present study, we experimentally manipulated the chest spotting of urban and rural male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) following an assessment of their territorial aggression and initial concentrations of corticosterone and testosterone and then assessed their behavior and hormone concentrations 2 weeks later. We found that males generally displayed less territorial aggression in the second trial, consistent with our previous findings. Males in the enlarged treatment decreased aggression to a greater degree than those in the reduced treatment. The effect of the plumage manipulation was similar across the rural and urban habitats. Despite the changes in behavior we detected, we found no effects of the manipulation on concentrations of testosterone or corticosterone. Our results show that melanin-based spotting in male song sparrows is a signal of territorial aggression but the physiological mechanisms that mediate the relationships between chest spotting and behavior remain to be identified. Significance statement: Many bird species use their plumage to signal their dominance status, fighting ability, or motivation during interactions with other individuals to resolve conflicts without a fight. Here, we asked whether chest spotting is a signal in territorial interactions among male song sparrows. We experimentally increased or reduced the extent of spotting in males and measured the change in their aggression. We found that reduced-spotting males showed a more moderate seasonal decrease of aggression compared to males with enlarged spotting reduced aggression, possibly because the former experienced more intrusions later on in the breeding season while the latter experienced fewer intrusions. These results are consistent with chest spotting size in song sparrows functioning as a signal of territory holding potential of the bearer.
dc.description.indexedbyWOS
dc.description.indexedbyScopus
dc.description.issue12
dc.description.openaccessAll Open Access; Hybrid Gold Open Access
dc.description.publisherscopeInternational
dc.description.sponsoredbyTubitakEuN/A
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by funding from Virginia Tech Global Change Center and Fralin Life Sciences Institute as well as funding from National Science Foundation grant IOS 2114288 to KBS.
dc.description.volume77
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00265-023-03396-6
dc.identifier.issn0340-5443
dc.identifier.quartileQ1
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85179366153
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-023-03396-6
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/25638
dc.identifier.wos1123274300002
dc.keywordsAggression
dc.keywordsCorticosterone
dc.keywordsPlumage signals
dc.keywordsTerritoriality
dc.keywordsTestosterone
dc.keywordsUrbanization
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland Gmbh
dc.relation.grantnoFralin Life Sciences Institute; Virginia Tech Global Change Center; National Science Foundation, NSF, (IOS 2114288)
dc.relation.ispartofBehavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
dc.subjectBehavioral sciences
dc.subjectEcology
dc.subjectZoology
dc.titleExperimental manipulation of chest spotting alters territorial aggression in urban and rural song sparrows
dc.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
local.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
local.publication.orgunit1College of Social Sciences and Humanities
local.publication.orgunit2Department of Psychology
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublicationd5fc0361-3a0a-4b96-bf2e-5cd6b2b0b08c
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryd5fc0361-3a0a-4b96-bf2e-5cd6b2b0b08c
relation.isParentOrgUnitOfPublication3f7621e3-0d26-42c2-af64-58a329522794
relation.isParentOrgUnitOfPublication.latestForDiscovery3f7621e3-0d26-42c2-af64-58a329522794

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
IR05250.pdf
Size:
1.03 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format