Behaviour, Volume 140, Number 7 (2003) http://caliban.ingentaselect.com/vl=137000/cl=27/nw=1/rpsv/cw/www/brill/0005 7959/v140n7/contp1-1.htm
(see Abstracts below) Lod�, T. & D. Le Jacques 2003. Influence of advertisement calls on reproductive success in the male midwife toad Alytes obstetricans. Bahavioiur 140: 885-898. Devinney, B.J., C.M. Berman & K.L.R. Rasmussen 2003. Individual differences in response to sibling birth among free-ranging yearling rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago. Behaviour 140: 899-924. Slabbekoorn, H., A. Jesse & D.A. Bell 2003. Microgeographic song variation in island populations of the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys nutalli): innovation through recombination. Behaviour 140: 947-963. ---------------------------------- Abstracts Lod�, T. & D. Le Jacques 2003. Influence of advertisement calls on reproductive success in the male midwife toad Alytes obstetricans. Bahavioiur 140: 885-898. Considering the advertisement call in anuran as a sexually selected trait, we investigated the effects of male call parameters on reproductive success in midwife toad Alytes obstetricans. The pattern of advertisement call was studied in 81 males. The mean fundamental frequency varied among males. Fundamental frequency, call duration and male size correlated with the male mating success. From the stepwise regression analysis, the low call frequency was found to influence significantly the number of carried eggs and the hatching success. The fact that a single male may fertilise the eggs of several females and a single female may mate with several males constitutes an original sexual system. Large males obtained more matings and showed a higher hatching success. Female choice for dominant frequency may be regarded as a related-fitness trait being correlated with male size. Anyway, the male size and the female choice for low calls result in a same evolutionary trend favouring a best fitness. Devinney, B.J., C.M. Berman & K.L.R. Rasmussen 2003. Individual differences in response to sibling birth among free-ranging yearling rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago. Behaviour 140: 899-924. The birth of a younger sibling is a normal event in the life of a nonhuman primate, yet commonly it is thought to be a stressful transition for the older sibling. In our previous research, we found that yearling rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) experienced increases in one mild form of distress but no significant increases in overt forms of distress, in spite of significant reductions in mother-yearling interaction. Nevertheless, some individual yearlings were distressed by this transition and here we examine variables that may structure individual differences in distress. We observed 31 yearling rhesus monkeys on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, during the month before and month after their siblings' births using focal animal sampling methods. Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), parent-offspring conflict theory (Trivers, 1974), and dynamic assessment models (Bateson, 1994) all predict a relationship between reduction in maternal care and increase in offspring distress, yet no previous study of sibling birth in primates has examined this relationship. We found that the reduction in the proportion of time on the nipple from the month before sibling birth to the month after was related to the rate of geckering (a distress vocalization) after sibling birth, and that the increase in time out of sight of the mother was related to the proportion of time yearlings spent in a tense state after sibling birth. Maternal aggression after sibling birth also was related to the yearlings' rate of geckering. Yearling distress was related to qualities of the mother-yearling relationship, in that yearlings that had relatively greater responsibility for maintaining proximity with their mothers before sibling birth were relatively more tense afterwards. Yearlings displayed increases in play, grooming, and contact with group members other than the mother after sibling birth, suggesting a marked shift toward greater maturity in their social relationships. Slabbekoorn, H., A. Jesse & D.A. Bell 2003. Microgeographic song variation in island populations of the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys nutalli): innovation through recombination. Behaviour 140: 947-963. Current geographic variation in bird song dialects may be used to infer historical processes involved in dialect formation. Discrete island populations, separated by water or unsuitable habitat, may be particularly useful as they allow for unequivocal subdivision of populations. We analyzed song recordings of nine populations of the white-crowned sparrow within the San Francisco Bay area, both on 'true' islands separated by water and in habitat islands along the Bay shore. We found one or two unique songtypes in each population with little variation within songtypes among individuals. Differences in songtypes concerned variation in syntax, syllable shapes, and spectral and temporal features. While each songtype exhibited unique features, there were often parts of the song that showed high similarity with songtypes of neighboring populations. We think that successfully dispersing males may learn from multiple tutors and produce songtype hybrids which could explain the variation in songtypes among populations. We found rare acoustic features on the 'true' islands, but also an apparent lack of impact by water barriers on the relationship between song similarity and geographic distance. A possible explanation may be that male dispersal, or just spread of song characteristics, is predominantly from island to mainland. Such a unidirectional pattern could result in rare song characteristics on islands, while general acoustic characteristics are still shared with the nearest mainland populations. Variation in similarity-based clustering of songtypes suggested that new songtypes emerge through recombination of components from existing songtypes.
