Birdsong Courtship

Question 1

What is the reason for birdsong

Answer 1

Attract mates of same species

Question 2

Who benefits from birdsong

Answer 2

males and females

Question 3

Why do individual differences exist within a species (4)

Answer 3

Brain development
Neuronal activity
Adaptive value
Reproductive fitness

Question 4

Describe the genetics of white crowned sparrows of Northern California

Answer 4

Genetically identical

Question 5

add study here

Question 6

Who studied male bird dialects

Answer 6

Peter Marler

Question 7

What intrigued peter marler about birdsong

Answer 7

Within a species, birds living in distinct neighborhoods sing unique songs

Question 8

What were peter marler’s two hypotheses

Answer 8

Genetic variation leads to different nervous system development
Environmental factors contribute to unique dialects (learn from fathers)

Question 9

What happens to deafened male birds

Answer 9

Sing poorly

Question 10

What happens to birds raised in isolation

Answer 10

Never learn to sing a full song

Question 11

What songs are birds especially attuned to

Answer 11

Songs of their own species

Question 12

What is the critical period of bird song development

Answer 12

Months before singing is done by the male bird. Songs must be heard during this time. About 10-50 days old

Question 13

What happens if a bird hears the song of a closely related species during the critical period

Answer 13

Does not inhibit the ability for young bird to sing his own song later in life

Question 14

What is the matching phase in bird development

Answer 14

About 150 days after birth, bird develops its own song

Question 15

Can birds be heard singing a song of a related species?

Answer 15

Yes

Question 16

Why can birds be heard singing a song of a related species?

Answer 16

When a young male can hear the song of his own species, he will mimic the song of any bird he can see and hear

Question 17

How do social effects relate to the critical period and non-conspecific bird song development

Answer 17

Social effects can outlast the critical period. Interacting with non-conspecific tutor after 50 days leads to development of the non-conspecific song

Question 18

What are the four neural correlates of birdsong

Answer 18

Memories of songs heard during critical period
Song production
Auditory feedback/song production matching song memory
Particular property of male brain (females dont sing)

Question 19

What are the hypothesized properties of the male brain that may cause them to sing

Answer 19

Genetic - female is ZW, male is ZZ
Hormonal - testosterone, estadiol

Question 20

How are genetics considered to influence birdsong in male birds?

Answer 20

Chromosomes determine gonads, gonads secrete hormones, hormones act on receptors in the brain, produce gene expression patterns distinct in male and female brains

Question 21

What are the environmental influences on genetics and physiology in birds

Answer 21

Internal influences: Food, hormones

Question 22

What are the environemntal influences in the physiology and development of birds

Answer 22

External influences
Physical: heat, light, water
Social: predator/pray interactions, male/female interactions

Question 23

What does the sensory learning phase entail

Answer 23

Auditory memory formation

Question 24

What does the sensorimotor phase entail

Answer 24

Subsong
Plastic song
Crystallized song

Question 25

What is thought to be between the sensory learning phase and the sensorimotor phase

Answer 25

The storage phase

Question 26

What five sets of genes are thought to influence birdsong development

Answer 26

Area X: NO synthase IMAN : NMDA-R HVC: AR RA: Aldehyde dehydrogenase

Question 27

When is area X: NO synthase most prevalent

Answer 27

0-40 days after hatching

Question 28

Describe IMAN:NMDA-R expression throughout birds lifetime

Answer 28

Expressed periodically from 0-30 days, fully from 30-40 days, then fades out from 40-60 days

Question 29

Describe the gene expression of NCM:ZENK throughout birds lifetime

Answer 29

Fades in from birth-30 days, expressed fully from 30-50 days, then fades out from 50-60 days

Question 30

Describe HVC:AR throughout bird lifespan

Answer 30

Fades in from 0-40 days, fully expressed from 40-60 days

Question 31

Describe RA expression throughout bird lifespan

Answer 31

Fades in 0-25 days, expressed 15-45 days, fades out 45-60 days

Question 32

What stimuli control the onset of gene expression changes?

Answer 32

Auditory input such as hearing its tutors song during critical period and hearing its own song during sensorimoto phase

Question 33

When is the sensorimotor phase

Answer 33

150-200 days old

Question 34

How does the bird differentiate between its own song and its tutors song

Answer 34

Neurons in anterior forebrain become selectively tuned to the birds own song, and activity of these neurons is high only when the bird hears itself sing

Question 35

What is area X?

Answer 35

A key song control region in the male brain

Question 36

What protein is high in Area X?

Answer 36

Zenk

Question 37

When are levels of Zenk high in area X

Answer 37

When the male hears the tutor song, and when he attempts to match it with his whole song

Question 38

What happens in Area X when as the bird perfects the song, and what does this mean?

Answer 38

Zenk levels drop, suggesting that it is importing in the learning process, not the production

Question 39

Why is it good to get rid of Zenk when the song is learned

Answer 39

So that the male doesnt learn the songs of other species

Question 40

What kind of molecule is Zenk

Answer 40

Transcription factor

Question 41

What is FoxP2

Answer 41

Language gene

Question 42

What happens when FoxP2 is inhibited

Answer 42

Song production impaired

Question 43

What 6 brain areas are involved in song learning

Answer 43

RA HVC IMAN NCM Area X nXllts-tracheosyringeal portion of hypoglossal nucleus

Question 44

What is the RA

Answer 44

Robust nucleus of the arcopallum

Question 45

What is the HVC

Answer 45

Higher vocalization center

Question 46

What is the IMAN

Answer 46

Lateral portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium

Question 47

What is the NCM

Answer 47

Caudomedial neostriatum

Question 48

Describe the relationship between NCM and HVC

Answer 48

Connected

Question 49

Where does NCM project to

Answer 49

RA

Question 50

Where does HVC project to

Answer 50

Area X

Question 51

Where does IMAN project to

Answer 51

RA and area X

Question 52

Where does RA project to

Answer 52

nXIIts

Question 53

What happens to adults with a removed IMAN

Answer 53

No effect on already learned song

Question 54

What happens to young birds with removed IMAN

Answer 54

INability to produce a normal song in adulthood

Question 55

Describe the IMAN in birds that vocalize but dont learn songs

Answer 55

Smaller/absent

Question 56

Describe the number of neurons in HVC throughout songbirds young life

Answer 56

Build up during the critical period, then drop down after 50 days

Question 57

What is the size of the HVC correlated with

Answer 57

Size of song repertoire

Question 58

Does large HVC lead to ability to learn many songs or does learning many songs increase HVC size

Answer 58

Learning many songs increases HVC size

Question 59

How many orders of singing birds are there

Answer 59

3

Question 60

What are the three orders of singing birds

Answer 60

Parrots, songbirds, hummingbirds

Question 61

What are the two hypotheses of why some birds learn songs

Answer 61

To fine tune the song to a particular habitat To signal fitnessto neighbors

Question 62

What are the two aspects of the hypothesis that learned songs aids in fine tuning the song to a particular habitat

Answer 62

Low/high frequency

Question 63

When does low frequency travel best

Answer 63

Dense foliage/forest/jungle (degrades less)

Question 64

When does high frequency travel best

Answer 64

In open environment or a city, where they dont compete with trucks/cars/etc

Question 65

What are the four reasons why birds sing distinct songs

Answer 65

Attract mates of same species Repel males of the same species who might try to steal territory or females Species identification hypothesis Consider costs of song learning

Question 66

What happens when a male bird hears another male bird sing

Answer 66

Males dont enter the territory where another male is singing

Question 67

Describe a songs effect on female birds of other species

Answer 67

They do not respond to it

Question 68

How do males signal high aggressiveness

Answer 68

Singing an exact match to a song in his neighbor's repertoire

Question 69

How do males signal low to moderate aggressiveness

Answer 69

Singing a related song

Question 70

How do males signal no aggressiveness with one another

Answer 70

Singing unrelated song from their neighbor

Question 71

What happens when males hold a territory for years

Answer 71

They have more shared songs with their neighbors

Question 72

What happens when males move around a lot

Answer 72

Lack any kind of song matching or dialect

Question 73

What happens in the HVC when a bird hears different songs

Answer 73

Different songs activate different HVC neurons so they can choose songs with different meanings

Question 74

What are the three possibilities for how females arrive at a song preference, and which one is incorrect?

Answer 74

Based on birth-place dialect (incorrect) Based on mastery of current local dialect Developmental history

Question 75

Why do female birds not choose song preference based on birth-place dialect

Answer 75

Males move and adopt local dialect, so song is not a reliable indicator of birthplace

Question 76

When a female moves, which dialect does she prefer?

Answer 76

THe local dialect rather than those singing her native dialect

Question 77

What advantage is there to females preferring the local dialect mastery

Answer 77

Local singing males father more offspring and their immune systems are adapted to local threats... pass on genes to thrive in the current habitat

Question 78

What evidence is there that female song preference is based on developmental history

Answer 78

More complex songs require larger HVC, larger fat reserves, more robust immune system

Question 79

What are the implications of having a more complex song

Answer 79

Fitter bird, better parental care, food procurement

Question 80

What do females judge based on song quality

Answer 80

Male health and fitness

Question 81

What happens when a young bird has a genetic or nutritional deficit

Answer 81

They are unable to keep up with song learning, which could be reflected in his brain function and song production

Question 82

What four song factors do females also prefer

Answer 82

Faster Longer Higher frequency Difficult

Question 83

What gene can song production be linked to and where is it located

Answer 83

Zenk expression in the female caudomedial mesopallidum

Question 84

When are the Zenk levels high/low in the caudomedial mesopallidum of female birds

Answer 84

High when hearing directed song Low when hearing undirected song