Great tits (Parus major) flexibly learn that herbivore-induced plant volatiles indicate prey location: An experimental evidence with two tree species
Result description
When searching for food, great tits (Parus major) can use herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) as an indicator of arthropod presence. Their ability to detect HIPVs was shown to be learned, and not innate, yet the flexibility and generalization of learning remain unclear. We studied if, and if so how, naive and trained great tits (Parus major) discriminate between herbivore-induced and noninduced saplings of Scotch elm (Ulmus glabra) and cattley guava (Psidium cattleyanum). We chemically analyzed the used plants and showed that their HIPVs differed significantly and overlapped only in a few compounds. Birds trained to discriminate between herbivore-induced and noninduced saplings preferred the herbivore-induced saplings of the plant species they were trained to. Naive birds did not show any preferences. Our results indicate that the attraction of great tits to herbivore-induced plants is not innate, rather it is a skill that can be acquired through learning, one tree species at a time. We demonstrate that the ability to learn to associate HIPVs with food reward is flexible, expressed to both tested plant species, even if the plant species has not coevolved with the bird species (i.e., guava). Our results imply that the birds are not capable of generalizing HIPVs among tree species but suggest that they either learn to detect individual compounds or associate whole bouquets with food rewards.
Keywords
Parus majormultitrophic interactionsinsectivorous birdsinsect herbivoresinduced indirect plant defenseHIPVsherbivore-induced plant volatilesforagingAvian olfaction
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
Alternative codes found
RIV/60077344:_____/21:00544047
Result on the web
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Great tits (Parus major) flexibly learn that herbivore-induced plant volatiles indicate prey location: An experimental evidence with two tree species
Original language description
When searching for food, great tits (Parus major) can use herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) as an indicator of arthropod presence. Their ability to detect HIPVs was shown to be learned, and not innate, yet the flexibility and generalization of learning remain unclear. We studied if, and if so how, naive and trained great tits (Parus major) discriminate between herbivore-induced and noninduced saplings of Scotch elm (Ulmus glabra) and cattley guava (Psidium cattleyanum). We chemically analyzed the used plants and showed that their HIPVs differed significantly and overlapped only in a few compounds. Birds trained to discriminate between herbivore-induced and noninduced saplings preferred the herbivore-induced saplings of the plant species they were trained to. Naive birds did not show any preferences. Our results indicate that the attraction of great tits to herbivore-induced plants is not innate, rather it is a skill that can be acquired through learning, one tree species at a time. We demonstrate that the ability to learn to associate HIPVs with food reward is flexible, expressed to both tested plant species, even if the plant species has not coevolved with the bird species (i.e., guava). Our results imply that the birds are not capable of generalizing HIPVs among tree species but suggest that they either learn to detect individual compounds or associate whole bouquets with food rewards.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
Jimp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
—
OECD FORD branch
10615 - Ornithology
Result continuities
Project
Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2021
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Ecology and Evolution
ISSN
2045-7758
e-ISSN
—
Volume of the periodical
11
Issue of the periodical within the volume
16
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
9
Pages from-to
10917-10925
UT code for WoS article
000675250200001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85110584241
Basic information
Result type
Jimp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
OECD FORD
Ornithology
Year of implementation
2021