title: Song discrimination by nestling collared flycatchers during early development.
abstract: Pre-zygotic isolation is often maintained by species-specific signals and preferences. However, in species where signals are learnt, as in songbirds, learning errors can lead to costly hybridization. Song discrimination expressed during early developmental stages may ensure selective learning later in life but can be difficult to demonstrate before behavioural responses are obvious. Here, we use a novel method, measuring changes in metabolic rate, to detect song perception and discrimination in collared flycatcher embryos and nestlings. We found that nestlings as early as 7 days old respond to song with increased metabolic rate, and, by 9 days old, have increased metabolic rate when listening to conspecific when compared with heterospecific song. This early discrimination between songs probably leads to fewer heterospecific matings, and thus higher fitness of collared flycatchers living in sympatry with closely related species.
authors.affiliation: Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 753 26 Uppsala, Sweden eryn.mcfarlane@ebc.uu.se.
authors.forename: S Eryn
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0706-458X
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.affiliation: Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 753 26 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Söderberg
authors.affiliation: Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 753 26 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wheatcroft
authors.affiliation: Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 753 26 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qvarnström
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology; D020308:Songbirds / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
keywords: Ficedula flycatcher; metabolic rate; song; species recognition