Recognition of heterospecific mobbing calls can occur through both innate and learned mechanisms,with the former often explained by two main hypotheses:the acoustic similarity hypothesis,which emphasizes shared acoust...Recognition of heterospecific mobbing calls can occur through both innate and learned mechanisms,with the former often explained by two main hypotheses:the acoustic similarity hypothesis,which emphasizes shared acoustic features,and the phylogenetic conservatism hypothesis,which posits that closely related species may share innate decoding templates.However,it remains unclear whether phylogenetic relatedness alone can drive the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls,a question with important implications for understanding the evolution of interspecific communication and anti-predator strategies.We examined the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls in Masked Laughingthrushes(Pterorhinus perspicillatus) using playback experiments with three allopatric species' mobbing calls of Leiothrichidae family.Results revealed two key findings:(1) Masked Laughingthrushes exhibited mobbing responses to unfamiliar mobbing calls,though at significantly lower intensity compared to conspecific playbacks.(2) Phylogenetic relatedness significantly predicted mobbing intensity,independent of overall acoustic similarity.These findings improve our understanding of how birds like Masked Laughingthrush instinctively recognize mobbing calls from other species.We show phylogenetic relatedness rather than overall acoustic similarity may be a key to this innate ability.Species that share a common ancestor may possess similar built-in neural systems for decoding alarm signals.We suggest that future research needs to combine neurobiological techniques to determine how inherited biases and feature decoding system together guide variable bird communities to perceive heterospecific mobbing calls.展开更多
Island ecosystems,serving as natural laboratories,facilitate geographical isolation,ecological specialization,and species divergence.The Sichuan Basin,surrounded by mountain ranges,represents a typical continental isl...Island ecosystems,serving as natural laboratories,facilitate geographical isolation,ecological specialization,and species divergence.The Sichuan Basin,surrounded by mountain ranges,represents a typical continental island due to its marked environmental spatial heterogeneity.This heterogeneity may contribute to geographical isolation and habitat heterogeneity,resulting in genetic divergence within populations.Therefore,we used the White-browed Laughingthrush(Garrulax sannio)as a model specimen to investigate the genetic divergence in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges,given its presence in various habitats within and beyond this basin.Employing a RAD-seq dataset of 140 G.sannio individuals from 17 distinct ecological zones in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges,we conducted PCA,population structure analysis,phylogenetic tree construction,and gene flow analysis to comprehensively analyze G.sannio groups.Additionally,in conjunction with geographical and ecological data,we performed isolation by distance,isolation by environment,PCA,and latent factor mixed model analysis to identify factors influencing the genetic divergence among these G.sannio groups.In summary,the 17 G.sannio groups were categorized into high-elevation,medium-elevation,and lowelevation groups.Genetic divergence in G.sannio may be attributed to both geographical distance and key ecological factors,particularly elevation and key climatic variables.Notably,the high-elevation group exhibited a greater number of SNPs and selected genes associated with the key ecological factors compared to the lowelevation group.The ADCY9 gene and several associated key pathways were identified as crucial elements driving ecological adaptation(elevation and key climatic variables)in the high-elevation group.Furthermore,climate changes during the glacial cycles may have facilitated gene flow among these groups residing in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges.Our findings provide evidence of genetic divergence in G.sannio influenced by the geographical distance and key ecological factors between the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges.These results lay the groundwork for future research on the molecular systematics of continental islands.展开更多
文摘Recognition of heterospecific mobbing calls can occur through both innate and learned mechanisms,with the former often explained by two main hypotheses:the acoustic similarity hypothesis,which emphasizes shared acoustic features,and the phylogenetic conservatism hypothesis,which posits that closely related species may share innate decoding templates.However,it remains unclear whether phylogenetic relatedness alone can drive the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls,a question with important implications for understanding the evolution of interspecific communication and anti-predator strategies.We examined the recognition of unfamiliar mobbing calls in Masked Laughingthrushes(Pterorhinus perspicillatus) using playback experiments with three allopatric species' mobbing calls of Leiothrichidae family.Results revealed two key findings:(1) Masked Laughingthrushes exhibited mobbing responses to unfamiliar mobbing calls,though at significantly lower intensity compared to conspecific playbacks.(2) Phylogenetic relatedness significantly predicted mobbing intensity,independent of overall acoustic similarity.These findings improve our understanding of how birds like Masked Laughingthrush instinctively recognize mobbing calls from other species.We show phylogenetic relatedness rather than overall acoustic similarity may be a key to this innate ability.Species that share a common ancestor may possess similar built-in neural systems for decoding alarm signals.We suggest that future research needs to combine neurobiological techniques to determine how inherited biases and feature decoding system together guide variable bird communities to perceive heterospecific mobbing calls.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China(31372171)Leshan Normal University research grants(205210094,ZZ201805,CGZZ202002,205220114,DGZZ202006).
文摘Island ecosystems,serving as natural laboratories,facilitate geographical isolation,ecological specialization,and species divergence.The Sichuan Basin,surrounded by mountain ranges,represents a typical continental island due to its marked environmental spatial heterogeneity.This heterogeneity may contribute to geographical isolation and habitat heterogeneity,resulting in genetic divergence within populations.Therefore,we used the White-browed Laughingthrush(Garrulax sannio)as a model specimen to investigate the genetic divergence in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges,given its presence in various habitats within and beyond this basin.Employing a RAD-seq dataset of 140 G.sannio individuals from 17 distinct ecological zones in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges,we conducted PCA,population structure analysis,phylogenetic tree construction,and gene flow analysis to comprehensively analyze G.sannio groups.Additionally,in conjunction with geographical and ecological data,we performed isolation by distance,isolation by environment,PCA,and latent factor mixed model analysis to identify factors influencing the genetic divergence among these G.sannio groups.In summary,the 17 G.sannio groups were categorized into high-elevation,medium-elevation,and lowelevation groups.Genetic divergence in G.sannio may be attributed to both geographical distance and key ecological factors,particularly elevation and key climatic variables.Notably,the high-elevation group exhibited a greater number of SNPs and selected genes associated with the key ecological factors compared to the lowelevation group.The ADCY9 gene and several associated key pathways were identified as crucial elements driving ecological adaptation(elevation and key climatic variables)in the high-elevation group.Furthermore,climate changes during the glacial cycles may have facilitated gene flow among these groups residing in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges.Our findings provide evidence of genetic divergence in G.sannio influenced by the geographical distance and key ecological factors between the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding mountain ranges.These results lay the groundwork for future research on the molecular systematics of continental islands.
