Adiposity signals predict vocal effort in Alston's singing mice.

ABSTRACT: Advertisement displays often seem extravagant and expensive, and are thought to depend on the body condition of a signaller. Nevertheless, we know little about how signallers adjust effort based on condition, and few studies find a strong relationship between natural variation in condition and display. To examine the relationship between body condition and signal elaboration more fully, we characterized physiological condition and acoustic displays in a wild rodent with elaborate vocalizations, Alston's singing mouse, Scotinomys teguina We found two major axes of variation in condition-one defined by short-term fluctuations in caloric nutrients, and a second by longer-term variation in adiposity. Among acoustic parameters, song effort was characterized by high rates of display and longer s

SUBMITTER: Burkhard TT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5936728 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature