Can mixed singing facilitate coexistence of closely related nightingale species?

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F18%3A10386231" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/18:10386231 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary053" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary053</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary053" target="_blank" >10.1093/beheco/ary053</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Can mixed singing facilitate coexistence of closely related nightingale species?

Original language description

Knowledge of the mechanisms facilitating the coexistence of closely related competing species is crucial for understanding biodiversity patterns. The concept of convergent agonistic character displacement (ACD) suggests that interspecific interference competition may lead to convergence in territorial signals between species, which helps to establish interspecific territoriality and thus facilitate the species coexistence. Despite a strong theoretical background, however, empirical evidence for convergent ACD in nature is still scarce. Here we tested whether mixed singing (i.e. copying of elements from songs of a closely related sympatric species) in the Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) in a secondary contact zone with the Common Nightingale (L. megarhynchos) could represent a case of convergent ACD. Using playback experiments, we measured the intensity of physical and vocal territorial responses of Common Nightingale males to 3 stimuli: conspecific song, pure heterospecific song, and mixed heterospecific song of the Thrush Nightingale. We found that Common Nightingale males showed a stronger physical territorial response to conspecific than both pure and mixed heterospecific songs. However, the intensity of vocal territorial response significantly increased with the presence of Common Nightingale elements in the stimuli, being lowest to pure heterospecific songs, intermediate to mixed heterospecific songs, and strongest to conspecific songs. These results indicate that mixed singing in the Thrush Nightingale may indeed be a case of convergent ACD. Our findings highlight the potential importance of mixed singing in facilitating species coexistence in the early stages of divergence.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Behavioral Ecology

ISSN

1045-2249

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

29

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

925-932

UT code for WoS article

000439055800025

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85048273935