Meeting Abstract

83.3  Monday, Jan. 6 11:00  The role of a fluctuating environment on multiple signals SIMPSON, RK*; MCGRAW, KJ; Arizona State University; Arizona State University rksimps1@asu.edu

Many animals communicate using more than one modality (e.g. acoustic, visual), and several hypotheses have arisen to explain the evolution of multiple signals. These hypotheses typically assume static selection pressures and fail to acknowledge how environmental fluctuations over time or space can shape variation in signaling systems. Environmental variability, such as food availability and ambient lighting, may affect the costs and benefits of trait development and information content in signalers as well as signal perception and value in receivers. We are studying how the form and function of multiple signals in a tropical songbird change due to spatiotemporal environmental fluctuations. We tested how intra- and inter-annual variation in light environment and ambient noise influences the transmission, perception, and reliability of song and coloration in the red-throated ant-tanager in Panama. During the spring of 2013, we recorded songs of male ant-tanagers and plucked feathers to measure their plumage coloration. For our environmental variables, we measured canopy cover (light environment) and recorded ambient noise. We found that both canopy cover and ambient noise varied across territories, and we will present how song and color relate to this environmental variation. Our preliminary results demonstrate how male ant-tanagers on louder territories sing at higher minimum frequencies and have shorter song bandwidths. This type of study is important in understanding how the environment affects essential behaviors, such as communication, which affect the reproductive success of an individual.