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Behavior and Ethology Commons

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Missouri State University

Birds

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Full-Text Articles in Behavior and Ethology

Quantitative Song Variety In Relation To Genotype In A Hybridizing Chickadee Population, Shelby Madison Palmer Jan 2023

Quantitative Song Variety In Relation To Genotype In A Hybridizing Chickadee Population, Shelby Madison Palmer

MSU Graduate Theses

The Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina chickadee (P. carolinensis) are North American songbird species that hybridize in a narrow contact zone stretching latitudinally from New Jersey to Kansas, USA. The association between genetic ancestry and song type in this hybrid zone has been studied independently several times and found to be minimal or absent, likely due to the influence of cultural transmission on learned song in the oscine passerine clade to which the chickadees belong. Despite this, the song of both species remains remarkably distinct in allopatry, suggesting a genetic constraint on certain qualities of …


Intrasexual Territoriality, Degree Of Aggression, And Duet Function In The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus Ludovicianus), Danny Zapata Jan 2022

Intrasexual Territoriality, Degree Of Aggression, And Duet Function In The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus Ludovicianus), Danny Zapata

MSU Graduate Theses

Territorial behavior is fundamental for the reproductive success of many species. In many monogamous birds, mated pairs defend year-round territories from conspecifics. Males and females often participate in such interactions in a seemingly cooperative fashion. Furthermore, many of them have developed complex vocal interactions known as duets, in which one member of a pair overlaps its partner’s song in a more or less coordinated fashion, apparently to cooperate in territory defense. However, males and females often respond differently depending on the sex of the intruder; they differ in the degree and mode of aggression displayed during these interactions, and the …