Effects of population size on singing behavior of a rare duetting songbird

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dc.contributor.authorValderrama Ortiz, Sandra Viviana
dc.contributor.authorMolles, Laura E.
dc.contributor.authorWaas, Joseph R.
dc.coverage.spatialUnited Statesen_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2012-09-20T21:45:44Z
dc.date.available2012-09-20T21:45:44Z
dc.date.copyright2012-09-14
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractAlthough the genetic and ecological effects of population declines in endangered species have been well studied, little is known of the social consequences. Changes in signaling behavior may result in disrupted communication and affect both reproductive and conflict-resolution activities. The North Island Kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) is an endangered, duetting (i.e., alternating, coordinated singing by mated pairs) songbird endemic to New Zealand temperate rain forests. Scattered populations (approximately 1500 individuals in 13 surviving and 11 translocated populations) in isolated conservation areas of different sizes have been rescued from extirpation and are currently recovering. We examined key song attributes of the Kōkako to assess whether population size or growth rate are related to song complexity, the reduction of which may compromise effective communication. We analyzed song repertoire size and phrase-type sharing (i.e., Jaccard index of similarity), vocal performance (singing rates, song switching rates, and diversity of phrase types), and song syntactical characteristics (i.e., unpredictability in sequences of phrase types) in surviving and translocated populations (populations of approximately 19–250 territorial individuals). Population size was positively correlated with a population's song repertoire, song diversity, and switching of song phrase types and negatively correlated with shared phrase types and variation in syntactical structure of songs. Population growth rate correlated positively with pair repertoire size, population repertoire size, and singing rates during song bouts. As for solo-singing species in fragmented landscapes, songs in the fragmented populations of Kōkako appear to be undergoing microevolution as occurs in island colonization events. Our results suggest that vocal changes in small populations could affect population establishment and growth, particularly in multiple-source translocations. We believe measurement of vocal behavior could be used as a supplement to periodic population censuses to allow more frequent monitoring of population size.en_NZ
dc.identifier.citationValderrama, S.V., Molles, L.E. & Waas, J.R. (2013). Effects of population size on singing behavior of a rare duetting songbird. Conservation Biology, 27(1), 210-218.en_NZ
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01917.xen_NZ
dc.identifier.issn1523-1739
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/6646
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWileyen_NZ
dc.relation.isPartOfConservation Biologyen_NZ
dc.relation.ispartofConservation Biology
dc.subjectbehavioral conservationen_NZ
dc.subjectCallaeas cinereaen_NZ
dc.subjectendangered populationsen_NZ
dc.subjectfragmentationen_NZ
dc.subjectNorth Island Kōkakoen_NZ
dc.subjectsong complexityen_NZ
dc.subjectsong repertoiresen_NZ
dc.titleEffects of population size on singing behavior of a rare duetting songbirden_NZ
dc.typeJournal Articleen_NZ
pubs.begin-page210en_NZ
pubs.elements-id38773
pubs.end-page218en_NZ
pubs.issue1en_NZ
pubs.volume27en_NZ
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