Seasonal variation in the nasty-neighbor effect in a Neotropical songbird

Many territorial animals show differential responses against intruders based on the level of threat that they pose. The dear-enemy and the nasty-neighbor effects appear when territorial aggressions are more robust against stranger and neighbor individuals, respectively. We evaluated these behavioral patterns in a Neotropical songbird (Grey-browed Brushfinch, Arremon assimilis) by performing a series of playback experiments during pre-breeding and post-breeding seasons. We found that males exhibit the nasty-neighbor effect because they respond more aggressively towards neighbors than to strangers. However, the level of aggression and the main response revealing neighbor-stranger discrimination vary seasonally. Aggression to potential intrusions by neighbors was strongest prior to reproduction. We also found that males of A. assimilis can individually recognize specific males based on the location from which their song is perceived . We conclude that territorial males respond to neighbors by assessing their threat to paternity and, therefore, they modulate their aggressive response based on the season. In contrast, limited responses to strangers suggest these individuals, presumably perceived as low-quality floaters, do not represent a serious threat to males of A. assimilis during the seasons we studied them. In sum, territorial aggressions appear to be a mate-guarding mechanism in this species.

• Autores: Gutiérrez Carrillo, Daniel Alejandro
• Tipo de recurso: Trabajo de grado de pregrado
• Fecha de publicación: 2022
• Institución: Universidad de los Andes
• Repositorio: Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/55068
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/1992/55068
• Palabra clave: Arremon assimilis; Dear-enemy effect; Nasty-neighbor effect; Neighbor-stranger discrimination; Biología
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/