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Divergence of vocal culture among isolated alpine habitats is inconsistent among three Oscine species

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Abstract

Divergence in song culture has been well documented among isolated bird populations. Montane populations separated by unsuitable lower-elevation habitats thus appear to be excellent candidates for cultural divergence, and existing data support this conjecture. To explore the generality of this phenomenon, we investigated song sharing patterns in songbird species breeding in isolated alpine life zones in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We recorded songs of American Pipits (Anthus rubescens alticola), Wilson’s Warblers (Cardellina pusilla pileolata), and White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys) across 19 sites among 6 mountain ranges. We used spectrographic cross-correlation to calculate song similarity coefficients between individuals within and among populations. White-crowned Sparrows exhibited significantly elevated song sharing within isolated mountain ranges, but Wilson’s Warbler and the American Pipit did not. Cluster analyses showed that White-crowned Sparrow songs diverged among alpine fragments but were generally similar among sites within contiguous alpine habitat within mountain ranges. There was no such clustering within American Pipit or Wilson’s Warbler populations. Song similarity declined with distance between sites within contiguous alpine habitat in White-crowned Sparrows but not in American Pipits or Wilson’s Warblers. Our results provide convincing evidence for the existence of geographically structured vocal culture in White-crowned Sparrow populations in Colorado, and this geographic pattern may be explained by clinal variation rather than by a mosaic pattern of divergence among isolated alpine fragments.

Zusammenfassung

Kulturelle Unterschiede in den Lautäußerungen dreier Singvogelarten in isolierten alpinen Habitaten sind nicht einheitlich

Es gibt viele Belege für Unterschiede in der Gesangskultur bei isolierten Vogelpopulationen. Durch ungeeignete Tieflandhabitate voneinander getrennte Gebirgspopulationen scheinen daher hervorragende Kandidaten für kulturell bedingte Verhaltensunterschiede zu sein, und die verfügbaren Daten bestätigen diese Annahme. Um die Allgemeingültigkeit dieses Phänomens zu überprüfen, untersuchten wir die Verteilungsmuster der Strophentypen bei Singvogelarten, welche in isolierten alpinen Lebensräumen der Rocky Mountains in Colorado (USA) brüteten. An 19 Orten innerhalb von sechs Gebirgszügen nahmen wir die Gesänge von Pazifikpieper (Anthus rubescens alticola), Mönchswaldsänger (Cardellina pusilla pileolata) und Dachsammer (Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys) auf. Mittels spektrografischer Kreuzkorrelation berechneten wir Koeffizienten für die Gesangsähnlichkeit zwischen Individuen sowohl derselben als auch aus verschiedenen Populationen. Dachsammern zeigten innerhalb isolierter Gebirgszüge einen erheblich höheren Anteil gemeinsam genutzter Strophentypen, Mönchswaldsänger und Pazifikpieper dagegen nicht. Clusteranalysen zeigten, dass die Gesänge der Dachsammern in den alpinen Habitatfragmenten voneinander verschieden waren, sich aber gemeinhin an Orten innerhalb zusammenhängender alpiner Lebensräume ähnelten. Bei Pazifikpieper- und Mönchswaldsänger-Populationen traten solche Cluster hingegen nicht auf. Die Gesangsähnlichkeit ging bei den Dachsammern mit wachsendem Ortsabstand innerhalb zusammenhängender alpiner Lebensräume zurück, nicht aber bei Pazifikpiepern oder Mönchswaldsängern. Unsere Ergebnisse liefern überzeugende Hinweise auf die Existenz einer geografisch strukturierten Gesangskultur bei Dachsammerpopulationen in Colorado; dieses geografische Muster lässt sich eher durch klinale Variation als durch eine mosaikartige Verteilung von Unterschieden zwischen isolierten alpinen Habitatfragmenten erklären.

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Acknowledgments

Emporia State University and the Kansas Ornithological Society funded this project. Rocky Mountain National Park provided a research permit and camping space during data collection. All activities involved in this study complied with the regulations of performing such research in the United States of America.

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  1. Anthony C. Dalisio

    Present address: Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, 66801, USA

    Anthony C. Dalisio & William E. Jensen

  2. Department of Biology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, 99362, USA

    Timothy H. Parker

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  1. Anthony C. Dalisio
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Correspondence to Anthony C. Dalisio.

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Communicated by C. G. Guglielmo.

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Dalisio, A.C., Jensen, W.E. & Parker, T.H. Divergence of vocal culture among isolated alpine habitats is inconsistent among three Oscine species. J Ornithol 156, 165–178 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1099-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-014-1099-8

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