Character displacement of song and morphology in African tinkerbirds

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2009
Authors:A. N. G. Kirschel, Blumstein, D. T., Smith, T. B.
Journal:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume:106
Pagination:8256–8261
Date Published:May
Keywords:bioacoustics, birds, character-displacement, evolution, songs
Abstract:

10.1073/pnas.0810124106 Divergence in acoustic signals between populations of animals can lead to species recognition failure, reproductive isolation, and speciation. Character displacement may facilitate coexistence of species in natural communities, yet evidence for character displacement in acoustic signals is scant. Here, we find evidence of character displacement in song as well as body size and bill size of 2 related African tinkerbirds. Playback experiments indicate that related species' songs are perceived differently in sympatry than in allopatry. We suggest character displacement occurs in phenotypic traits facilitating species recognition, which has important implications for understanding the processes that lead to speciation and diversification. Because many of the sites where the 2 species coexist are areas where pristine rainforest has been degraded, results also suggest that anthropogenic pressures resulting from deforestation may be a contributing cause of character displacement in these species.

URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0810124106
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0810124106
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith