Abstract
Playback experiments have been a useful tool for studying the function of sounds and the relevance of different sound characteristics in signal recognition in many different species of vertebrates. However, successful playback experiments in sound-producing fish remain rare, and few studies have investigated the role of particular sound features in the encoding of information. In this study, we set-up an apparatus in order to test the relevance of acoustic signals in males of the cichlid Metriaclima zebra. We found that territorial males responded more to playbacks by increasing their territorial activity and approaching the loudspeaker during and after playbacks. If sounds are used to indicate the presence of a competitor, we modified two sound characteristics, that is, the pulse period and the number of pulses, in order to investigate whether the observed behavioural response was modulated by the temporal structure of sounds recorded during aggressive interactions. Modified sounds yielded little or no effect on the behavioural response they elicited in territorial males, suggesting a high tolerance for variations in pulse period and number of pulses. The biological function of sounds in M. zebra and the lack of responsiveness to our temporal modifications are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Nicolas Boyer and Colette Bouchut for their technical support. We are grateful to Christina Meier, Friedrich Ladich and an anonymous referee for their comments on previous versions of the manuscript. F. B. was supported by a Ph.D. fellowship from the French Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche. This study was funded by the Institut Universitaire de France (N. M.), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the University of Saint-Etienne.
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10071_2012_549_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Supplementary material 1 (PDF 73 kb): Oscillograms of a sound produced by a male M. zebra during an agonistic interaction (a) before playing it back, and (b) once played back through our broadcasting apparatus (recorded at 15 cm from the loudspeaker, within the aquarium filled with water). For each oscillogram, the detail of a pulse is shown. Two variables (mean frequency and pulse period) of 10 randomly selected sounds were compared before and after playback. A paired t test revealed no significant differences in the mean frequency (n = 10, t = 1.91, p = 0.09) nor in the pulse period (n = 10, t = 1.25, p = 0.24)
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Bertucci, F., Attia, J., Beauchaud, M. et al. The relevance of temporal cues in a fish sound: a first experimental investigation using modified signals in cichlids. Anim Cogn 16, 45–54 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-012-0549-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-012-0549-z