Abstract
In birds, male song is mainly driven by sexual selection, whereby several song characteristics have been demonstrated to be important. In this context, the number of syllables produced per time unit (syllable rate), which thus reflects the “speed” of a song, has been suggested as a reliable indicator of male quality. It has been also shown that syllable rate reflects the aggressive state of an individual. We examined the importance of syllable rate for male–male interactions in unmated, territorial Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) males, for which song plays an important role in territory defense and mate choice, but there is a lack of information about which characteristics might be specifically important for territorial defense. We investigated the behavioral response of the receiver to varying syllable rates. Playback experiments were performed with two playback stimuli representing high and low syllable rates, which were presented simultaneously within the territory of an unmated male. The response of the territory owner was determined using several behavioral parameters and revealed to differ significantly between the two playback treatments with varying song speeds. More males approached first and came closer to the sound of the slow song as well as staying nearby longer. This reaction might indicate that the receiver is intimidated by the more aggressive nature of the fast song type.
Zusammenfassung
Bei Teichrohrsängermännchen (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) lösen Gesänge mit geringer Silbenrate eine stärkere territoriale Reaktion aus.
Sexuelle Selektion ist eine treibende Kraft der Evolution des Vogelgesanges und spielt vor allem bei Vogelmännchen eine wichtige Rolle. Evolutionäre Kräfte können sich auf bestimmte Gesangsmerkmale besonders auswirken. Z.B. die Gesangsgeschwindigkeit, die Anzahl der Silben die ein Vogelmännchen pro Zeiteinheit produziert (Silbenrate), kann dabei eine wichtige Rolle spielen und unter anderem die Qualität des Sängers oder auch die aggressive Motivation eines Individuums widerspiegeln. In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die Bedeutung der Gesangsgeschwindigkeit (Silbenrate) bei Interaktionen zwischen unverpaarten, territorialen Teichrohrsängermännchen (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). Bei dieser Art kommt dem Gesang eine wichtige Rolle sowohl bei der Revierverteidigung als auch der Partnerwahl zu. Es gibt aber kaum Informationen darüber, ob und welche Gesangsmerkmale für die territoriale Verteidigung verantwortlich sein könnten. Um die Rolle unterschiedlicher Silbenraten bei der Revierverteidigung von Teichrohrsängermännchen zu ermitteln, studierten wir ausgewählte Verhaltensparameter. Playback-Experimente wurden mit zwei Playback-Stimuli durchgeführt, die hohe und niedrige Silbenraten repräsentierten und die gleichzeitig innerhalb des Territoriums eines unverpaarten Männchens dargeboten wurden. Anhand der Verhaltensparameter konnten wir signifikante Unterschiede in der territorialen Reaktion, abhängig von der Gesangsgeschwindigkeit feststellen. Mehr Männchen näherten sich zuerst dem langsamen Gesang, kamen näher heran und blieben auch länger in der Umgebung. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Revierbesitzer durch den aggressiv motivierten schnellen Gesang, eingeschüchtert werden und daher auf diesen schwächer reagieren.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the VEGA Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences under Grant 02/0065/20 (AD and JK). We would like to thank Lucia Rubáčová for preparing the playback samples, Felix Knauer for statistical support and Grete Rubik for English revision.
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HH formulated the idea, AD and JK designed and conducted fieldwork and prepared data for analyses, HH analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript and all authors revised and finalised the manuscript.
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Hoi, H., Darolová, A. & Krištofík, J. Slow song syllable rates provoke stronger male territorial responses in Eurasian Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). J Ornithol 164, 193–202 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02021-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02021-z