Anthropogenic noise affects female, not male house wren response to change in signaling network

Erin E. Grabarczyk; Marcelo Araya‐Salas; Maarten J. Vonhof; Sharon A. Gill

doi:10.1111/eth.13085

Anthropogenic noise affects male house wren response to but not detection of territorial intruders

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0220576 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. e0220576 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Erin E. Grabarczyk ◽

Sharon A. Gill

Keyword(s):

Anthropogenic Noise ◽

House Wren ◽

Male House

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Female house wrens value the nest cavity more than exclusive access to males during conflicts with female intruders

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/1568539x-00003481 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 155 (2-3) ◽

pp. 151-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cara A. Krieg ◽

Thomas Getty

Keyword(s):

Female Aggression ◽

Troglodytes Aedon ◽

High Quality ◽

House Wren ◽

Nest Cavity ◽

House Wrens ◽

Nest Boxes ◽

Male Care ◽

To Receive ◽

Male House

Abstract Individuals should fight hardest when they stand to lose the most. Whereas males frequently compete for fertile females, females more often compete for high quality males, male care, or resources required to breed. We asked whether established, territorial female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) challenged by simulated female intruders fight as if they place more value on retaining (1) their nesting cavity or (2) exclusive access to other benefits offered by males. We randomly assigned house wren pairs to receive one or three nest boxes and then assayed female aggression. The relative costs to losing differed between box treatments. For one-box females, the risk of losing the cavity and territory was higher. For three-box females, the risk of losing the cavity may be lower because intruders may be able to settle as secondary females in the supplemental boxes. In this situation, females would lose exclusive access to males and their territories but would still retain the male’s assistance rearing offspring since male house wrens favour their oldest brood. We found that one-box females were significantly more aggressive. This response may be adaptive, as females that switched territories between broods were significantly more likely to lose their entire nest prior to hatching than females that retained the same territory. We interpret our results to mean that female house wrens value the nest cavity more than other benefits from exclusive access to males and their territories. This work contributes to a body of evidence that females often compete for resources required to breed.

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Social factors, not anthropogenic noise or artificial light, influence onset of dawn singing in a common songbird

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/ukz045 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 136 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Carley J Stuart ◽

Erin E Grabarczyk ◽

Maarten J Vonhof ◽

Sharon A Gill

Keyword(s):

Social Factors ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Noise Pollution ◽

Anthropogenic Noise ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Negative Effects ◽

House Wrens ◽

Daily Behavior ◽

Dawn Song ◽

Male House

Abstract With worldwide increases in artificial light and anthropogenic noise, understanding how these pollutants influence animals allows us to better mitigate potential negative effects. Both light and noise affect the timing of daily activities, including the onset of dawn song in birds, yet the influence of these pollutants compared with social factors that also influence song onset remains unknown. We investigated the onset of dawn song, testing hypotheses aimed at understanding the influences of light and noise pollution as well as male competition, pairing status, and breeding stage on timing of dawn singing by male House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Overall, models with social factors fit song onset data better than models with abiotic factors of noise and sky glow, and the highest ranking model included nesting stage, number of male neighbors, and temperature. Males began singing earlier when they were building nests and when mates were fertile than during later nesting stages. Males also sang earlier as the number of male neighbors increased. The timing of dawn song by male House Wrens appeared unaffected by day-to-day variation in light and noise pollution, with social factors having larger effects on the onset of daily behavior in this species.

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Anthropogenic noise masking diminishes house wren (Troglodytes aedon) song transmission in urban natural areas

Bioacoustics ◽

10.1080/09524622.2019.1621209 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 518-532 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Erin E. Grabarczyk ◽

Sharon A. Gill

Keyword(s):

Anthropogenic Noise ◽

Troglodytes Aedon ◽

Natural Areas ◽

House Wren ◽

Noise Masking ◽

Song Transmission

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When to change your tune? Unpaired and paired male house wrens respond differently to anthropogenic noise

Journal of Ecoacoustics ◽

10.22261/jea.lhgrvc ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 1-1 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Erin E. Grabarczyk ◽

Monique A. Pipkin ◽

Maarten J. Vonhof ◽

Sharon A. Gill

Keyword(s):

Bird Species ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Peak Frequency ◽

Anthropogenic Noise ◽

Long Distance ◽

Noise Masking ◽

House Wrens ◽

Song Transmission ◽

Song Frequency ◽

Male House

In response to anthropogenic noise, many bird species adjust their song frequency, presumably to optimize song transmission and overcome noise masking. But the costs of song adjustments may outweigh the benefits during different stages of breeding, depending on the locations of potential receivers. Selection might favor unpaired males to alter their songs because they sing to attract females that may be widely dispersed, whereas paired males might not if mates and neighbors are primary receivers of their song. We hypothesized male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) respond differently to noise depending on their pairing status. To test our hypothesis we synthesized pink noise, which mimics anthropogenic noise, and played it at three intensities in territories of paired and unpaired focal males. We recorded their songs and analyzed whether song structure varied with pairing status and noise treatment. To validate our study design, we tested whether noise playback affected measurement of spectral song traits and changed noise levels within territories of focal males. Consistent with our predictions, unpaired males sang differently than paired males, giving longer songs at higher rates. Contrary to predictions, paired males changed their songs by increasing peak frequency during high intensity noise playback, whereas unpaired males did not. If adjusting song frequency in noise is beneficial for long-distance communication we would have expected unpaired males to change their songs in response to noise. By adjusting song frequency, paired males reduce masking and produce a song that is easier to hear. However, if females prefer low frequency song, then unpaired males may be constrained by female preference. Alternatively, if noise adjustments are learned and vary with experience or quality, unpaired males in our study population may be younger, less experienced, or lower quality males.

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