The Experts below are selected from a list of 55107 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Thierry Lengagne - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Great tits ( Parus major ) adequately respond to both allopatric combinatorial Mobbing calls and their isolated parts
Ethology, 2020Co-Authors: Ambre Salis, Jean‐paul Léna, Thierry LengagneAbstract:When Mobbing a predator, birds often produce specific Mobbing calls that are efficient in recruiting both conspecifics and heterospecifics. Recent studies on Parids have demonstrated that these Mobbing calls are in fact a combination of two distinct calls-first, introductory notes eliciting vigilance in the receiver, then broadband frequency notes (D notes) triggering approach. Debates on a parallel between human syntax and this form of combination have emerged. The degree to which this combinatoriality is perceived in heterospecific communication may shed light onto the relative complexity of such combinatoriality. In this study, our aim was to determine whether European great tits (Parus major) appropriately responded to Mobbing calls (and their isolated parts) of an allopatric species, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), a North-American species which produces similar combinatorial Mobbing calls. In addition, we tested whether the behavioural response to complete Mobbing sequences was different than the simple sum of its two constituents. As we hypothesized, great tits behaved differently when hearing the two isolated calls or the complete Mobbing sequence: they produced calls and displayed excitement signs only towards the complete Mobbing sequence. Moreover, great tits responded to the introductory and D notes by respectively scanning and approaching, and to the complete sequence by Mobbing. Our results altogether support the emerging hypothesis of semantic compositionality in Parids, although the present study does not definitively demonstrate the existence of this cognitive process in the great tit.
-
Seasonal variation in Mobbing behaviour of passerine birds
Wilson journal of ornithology, 2019Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Marion Cordonnier, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:When they detect a predator, many birds exhibit Mobbing behaviour and produce Mobbing calls that quickly draw other prey against the predator. This anti-predator strategy often involves several species and, therefore, implies heterospecific communication. As fledging and nestling stages could be particularly targeted by predators, a high Mobbing intensity is to be expected during the breeding season. While recognizing other species’ Mobbing calls is critical to setting up this behav- iour, to date, we have no information about the perception of these calls with regard to the season. Here, we used playbacks of Mobbing calls to study the variation in response of the Great Tit (Parus major) and the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) exposed to the Mobbing calls of two heterospecific species, the Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), and the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). To investigate Mobbing response seasonality, we conducted playback experiments during spring (breeding season) and autumn (non-breeding season). Contrary to most previous studies, we found that Mobbing intensity was greater in autumn than in spring. Additionally, although neither Nuthatch nor Wren is related to the Tit family, we found that both Tit species responded more to the former than the latter species. At the heterospecific communication level, this study demonstrates a previously unsuspected level of complexity in the use of Mobbing calls.
-
Mobbing calls: a signal transcending species boundaries
Animal Behaviour, 2017Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:When they detect a predator, some prey exhibit Mobbing behaviour and produce Mobbing calls that quickly draw a mixed conspecific and heterospecific group against the predator. While the efficiency of this strategy is often linked to interspecific communication, it raises the question of how animals recognize these signals as Mobbing calls. It is usually suggested that associative learning about a predator when heterospecific Mobbing calls are heard plays a crucial role in communication among species. Alternatively, phylogenetic conservation or evolutionary convergence could also explain this communication process. To determine whether prior experience is required to express a Mobbing response, we conducted playback experiments with four European passerine species: great tit, Parus major, blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, coal tit, Periparus ater, and common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs. The aim of the study was to examine whether they would respond to the Mobbing signals of several North American passerines. As expected, because natural selection might shape a strong response to conspecific Mobbing calls, our focal species reacted more strongly towards their own Mobbing calls than towards those of American species. Nevertheless, for the three European species of tit, prior experience of heterospecific Mobbing calls was not required to elicit a response. Additionally, for great tit and chaffinch, we found that acoustic similarity could explain behavioural responses to allopatric species. In contrast, such similarity was probably not the main mechanism underlying the response for the other two European species. Heterospecific response to Mobbing calls probably involved many different mechanisms. Further studies focusing on each of these should allow us to understand their relative contribution to heterospecific communication.
-
Mobbing behaviour varies according to predator dangerousness and occurrence
Animal Behaviour, 2016Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:Animals possess various antipredator behaviours to reduce their risk of predation. Whereas most prey make considerable effort to avoid their predators, sometimes individuals approach and mob predators as a group. Among the types of predators that elicit Mobbing, raptors such as hawks and owls are one of the more consistent targets. We conducted playback experiments to investigate the strength of Mobbing behaviour according to the perceived risk associated with either predator dangerousness or local pre- dation pressure. We ␣rst determined whether Mobbing is speci␣c to dangerous predators or more broadly directed at predatory species. We experimentally investigated whether prey can discriminate the level of dangerousness of two owl species. Our results indicate that prey adjusted the strength of their Mobbing behaviour according to the perceived risk: passerine birds mobbed the Eurasian pygmy owl, Glaucidium passerinum (i.e. a dangerous predator) but not the boreal owl, Aegolius funereus (i.e. a far less dangerous species). Second, we compared Mobbing behaviour in similar habitats differing in predation pressure (with or without pygmy owls). Working on identical bird communities, we revealed that Mobbing varied in relation to the local presence of the predator. Where the pygmy owl was absent, calls of this dangerous predator failed to elicit Mobbing among passerine birds although they responded strongly to a playback of a Mobbing chorus. This study provides experimental evidence that intense predation increases the expression of cooperative Mobbing in passerine birds.
Luciano Nicolas Naka - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
ecological and phylogenetic predictors of Mobbing behavior in a tropical dry forest
Ecology and Evolution, 2018Co-Authors: Hevana Santana De Lima, Flor Maria Guedes Lascasas, Jonathan R Ribeiro, Thiago Goncalvessouza, Luciano Nicolas NakaAbstract:Mobbing represents a well-known anti-predatory behavior, where potential prey display aggressively against a predator. Despite considerable experimental and descriptive work, no models predict species participation in Mobbing assemblages. Here, we aimed to understand why some bird species engage in this behavior, while others do not, and what factors can be used to predict Mobbing engagement within an avian community. We investigated whether certain functional traits, such as body size, foraging guild, foraging mode, and strata, as well species abundance and evolutionary relatedness, are important Mobbing predictors. To address these goals, we simulated the presence of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) by broadcasting its voice in 230 experiments conducted in 115 points, systematically distributed in a dry forest of northeastern Brazil. We compared these results to 162 avian surveys (point counts) conducted in the same area. Our avian surveys detected 108 bird species (local avian community), whereas our playback experiments attracted 72 species (Mobbing assemblage). In general, small, canopy insectivorous or frugivorous birds dominated the mobs. The best Mobbing predictors were body mass and guild, whereas species abundance, foraging mode, and strata were not retained in the best models. We found a strong phylogenetic component in body mass and Mobbing propensity (almost 90% of the species and individuals participating in the mobs were passerines). At the community level, we found significant differences in the functional and phylogenetic structure of the Mobbing assemblage in relation to the avian community. Our results suggest that Mobbing behavior is tightly associated with predation risk and the capacity of individual species to find and detect predators, and that functional and phylogenetic features can predict species participation in this complex animal behavior.
Christopher N. Templeton - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Wild fledgling tits do not mob in response to conspecific or heterospecific Mobbing calls
Ibis, 2019Co-Authors: Nora V. Carlson, Susan D. Healy, Christopher N. TempletonAbstract:Mobbing, where birds harass a predator through a combination of vocalizations and stereotyped behaviours, is an effective anti‐predator behaviour for many species. Mobbing may be particularly important for juveniles, as these individuals are often more vulnerable than adults. Although the component behaviours of Mobbing are often considered to be un‐learned, there are few confirmatory data, and the developmental trajectory of Mobbing is unknown. In this study, we tested whether conspecific or heterospecific Mobbing calls initiated Mobbing behaviour in juvenile Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus. We located wild adult and recently fledged juvenile Blue Tits and presented them with playback recordings of adult conspecific (Blue Tit) and heterospecific (Great Tit Parus major) Mobbing alarm calls. Although adult birds readily mob in response to these types of playbacks, juveniles did not exhibit characteristic Mobbing behaviour. Some juveniles did, however, exhibit individual components of Mobbing behaviour found in Mobbing, despite not producing adult‐like Mobbing behaviour in response to either conspecific or heterospecific playback. These results suggest that, although birds might be capable of Mobbing as juveniles, the associations between the non‐vocal stereotyped Mobbing behaviours and Mobbing calls may be learned.
Christoph Randler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
behavioral responses to conspecific Mobbing calls are predator specific in great tits parus major
Ecology and Evolution, 2019Co-Authors: Nadine Kalb, Christoph RandlerAbstract:When facing a predator, animals need to perform an appropriate antipredator behavior such as escaping or Mobbing to prevent predation. Many bird species exhibit distinct Mobbing behaviors and vocalizations once a predator has been detected. In some species, Mobbing calls transmit information about predator type, size, and threat, which can be assessed by conspecifics. We recently found that great tits (Parus major) produce longer D calls with more elements and longer intervals between elements when confronted with a sparrowhawk, a high-threat predator, in comparison to calls produced in front of a less-threatening tawny owl. In the present study, we conducted a playback experiment to investigate if these differences in Mobbing calls elicit different behavioral responses in adult great tits. We found tits to have a longer latency time and to keep a greater distance to the speaker when sparrowhawk Mobbing calls were broadcast. This suggests that tits are capable of decoding information about predator threat in conspecific Mobbing calls. We further found a tendency for males to approach faster and closer than females, which indicates that males are willing to take higher risks in a Mobbing context than females.
Mylène Dutour - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Seasonal variation in Mobbing behaviour of passerine birds
Wilson journal of ornithology, 2019Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Marion Cordonnier, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:When they detect a predator, many birds exhibit Mobbing behaviour and produce Mobbing calls that quickly draw other prey against the predator. This anti-predator strategy often involves several species and, therefore, implies heterospecific communication. As fledging and nestling stages could be particularly targeted by predators, a high Mobbing intensity is to be expected during the breeding season. While recognizing other species’ Mobbing calls is critical to setting up this behav- iour, to date, we have no information about the perception of these calls with regard to the season. Here, we used playbacks of Mobbing calls to study the variation in response of the Great Tit (Parus major) and the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) exposed to the Mobbing calls of two heterospecific species, the Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), and the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). To investigate Mobbing response seasonality, we conducted playback experiments during spring (breeding season) and autumn (non-breeding season). Contrary to most previous studies, we found that Mobbing intensity was greater in autumn than in spring. Additionally, although neither Nuthatch nor Wren is related to the Tit family, we found that both Tit species responded more to the former than the latter species. At the heterospecific communication level, this study demonstrates a previously unsuspected level of complexity in the use of Mobbing calls.
-
Mobbing calls: a signal transcending species boundaries
Animal Behaviour, 2017Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:When they detect a predator, some prey exhibit Mobbing behaviour and produce Mobbing calls that quickly draw a mixed conspecific and heterospecific group against the predator. While the efficiency of this strategy is often linked to interspecific communication, it raises the question of how animals recognize these signals as Mobbing calls. It is usually suggested that associative learning about a predator when heterospecific Mobbing calls are heard plays a crucial role in communication among species. Alternatively, phylogenetic conservation or evolutionary convergence could also explain this communication process. To determine whether prior experience is required to express a Mobbing response, we conducted playback experiments with four European passerine species: great tit, Parus major, blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, coal tit, Periparus ater, and common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs. The aim of the study was to examine whether they would respond to the Mobbing signals of several North American passerines. As expected, because natural selection might shape a strong response to conspecific Mobbing calls, our focal species reacted more strongly towards their own Mobbing calls than towards those of American species. Nevertheless, for the three European species of tit, prior experience of heterospecific Mobbing calls was not required to elicit a response. Additionally, for great tit and chaffinch, we found that acoustic similarity could explain behavioural responses to allopatric species. In contrast, such similarity was probably not the main mechanism underlying the response for the other two European species. Heterospecific response to Mobbing calls probably involved many different mechanisms. Further studies focusing on each of these should allow us to understand their relative contribution to heterospecific communication.
-
Mobbing behaviour varies according to predator dangerousness and occurrence
Animal Behaviour, 2016Co-Authors: Mylène Dutour, Jean-paul Lena, Thierry LengagneAbstract:Animals possess various antipredator behaviours to reduce their risk of predation. Whereas most prey make considerable effort to avoid their predators, sometimes individuals approach and mob predators as a group. Among the types of predators that elicit Mobbing, raptors such as hawks and owls are one of the more consistent targets. We conducted playback experiments to investigate the strength of Mobbing behaviour according to the perceived risk associated with either predator dangerousness or local pre- dation pressure. We ␣rst determined whether Mobbing is speci␣c to dangerous predators or more broadly directed at predatory species. We experimentally investigated whether prey can discriminate the level of dangerousness of two owl species. Our results indicate that prey adjusted the strength of their Mobbing behaviour according to the perceived risk: passerine birds mobbed the Eurasian pygmy owl, Glaucidium passerinum (i.e. a dangerous predator) but not the boreal owl, Aegolius funereus (i.e. a far less dangerous species). Second, we compared Mobbing behaviour in similar habitats differing in predation pressure (with or without pygmy owls). Working on identical bird communities, we revealed that Mobbing varied in relation to the local presence of the predator. Where the pygmy owl was absent, calls of this dangerous predator failed to elicit Mobbing among passerine birds although they responded strongly to a playback of a Mobbing chorus. This study provides experimental evidence that intense predation increases the expression of cooperative Mobbing in passerine birds.
