Dataset Information

Breeding season length predicts duet coordination and consistency in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae).

ABSTRACT: Many animals produce coordinated signals, but few are more striking than the elaborate male-female vocal duets produced by some tropical songbirds. Yet, little is known about the factors driving the extreme levels of vocal coordination between mated pairs in these taxa. We examined evolutionary patterns of duet coordination and their potential evolutionary drivers in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae), a songbird family well known for highly coordinated duets. Across 23 wren species, we show that the degree of coordination and precision with which pairs combine their songs into duets varies by species. This includes some species that alternate their song phrases with exceptional coordination to produce rapidly alternating duets that are highly consistent across renditions. These highly coordinated, consistent duets evolved independently in multiple wren species. Duet coordination and consistency are greatest in species with especially long breeding seasons, but neither duet coordination nor consistency are correlated with clutch size, conspecific abundance or vegetation density. These results suggest that tightly coordinated duets play an important role in mediating breeding behaviour, possibly by signalling commitment or coalition of the pair to mates and other conspecifics.

SUBMITTER: Keenan EL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7779517 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Breeding season length predicts duet coordination and consistency in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae).

Keenan Emily L EL Odom Karan J KJ Araya-Salas Marcelo M Horton Kyle G KG Strimas-Mackey Matthew M Meatte Megan A MA Mann Nigel I NI Slater Peter J B PJB Price J Jordan JJ Templeton Christopher N CN

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20201216 1941

Many animals produce coordinated signals, but few are more striking than the elaborate male-female vocal duets produced by some tropical songbirds. Yet, little is known about the factors driving the extreme levels of vocal coordination between mated pairs in these taxa. We examined evolutionary patterns of duet coordination and their potential evolutionary drivers in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae), a songbird family well known for highly coordinated duets. Across 23 wren species, we show that ...[more]

PMID: 33323080

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Dataset Information

Breeding season length predicts duet coordination and consistency in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae).

Publications

Breeding season length predicts duet coordination and consistency in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae).

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