Sex differences in the development and expression of a preference for familiar vocal signals in songbirds
| Autor: | Maki Ikebuchi, Tomoko G. Fujii, Kazuo Okanoya |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Social Sciences Developmental psychology Courtship Families Fathers Learning and Memory Ornithology Psychology media_common Sex Characteristics Multidisciplinary Animal Behavior Eukaryota Animal Models Preference Experimental Organism Systems Vertebrates behavior and behavior mechanisms Trait Medicine Female Bird Song Singing psychological phenomena and processes Research Article animal structures Science media_common.quotation_subject Animal Sexual Behavior Research and Analysis Methods Affect (psychology) Birds Memory Perception Animals Learning Zebra finch Zebra Finch Behavior Organisms Cognitive Psychology Biology and Life Sciences Mating Preference Animal Animal Communication Sexual dimorphism nervous system Amniotes People and Places Animal Studies Cognitive Science Population Groupings Finches Vocalization Animal Zoology Neuroscience |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 1, p e0243811 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | Production and perception of birdsong critically depends on early developmental experience. In species where singing is a sexually dimorphic trait, early life song experience may affect later behavior differently between sexes. It is known that both male and female songbirds acquire a life-long memory of early song experience, though its function remains unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that male and female birds express a preference for their fathers’ song, but do so differently depending on the developmental stage. We measured preference for their father’s song over an unfamiliar one in both male and female Bengalese finches at multiple time points across ontogeny, using phonotaxis and vocal response as indices of preference. We found that in males, selective approach to their father’s song decreased as they developed while in females, it remained stable regardless of age. This may correspond to a higher sensitivity to tutor song in young males while they are learning and a retained sensitivity in females because song is a courtship signal that is used throughout life. In addition, throughout development, males vocalized less frequently during presentation of their father’s song compared to unfamiliar song, whereas females emitted more calls to their father’s song. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of why songbirds acquire and maintain such a robust song memory. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|