View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Scholarship at UWindsor University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2012 The vocal behaviour of long-tailed manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis): The role of vocalizations in mate attraction and male-male interactions Dugan Finn Maynard University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Maynard, Dugan Finn, "The vocal behaviour of long-tailed manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis): The role of vocalizations in mate attraction and male-male interactions" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5619. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5619 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. 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THE VOCAL BEHAVIOUR OF LONG‐TAILED MANAKINS (CHIROXIPHIA LINEARIS): THE ROLE OF VOCALIZATIONS IN MATE ATTRACTION AND MALE‐MALE INTERACTIONS. by DUGAN FINN MAYNARD A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of Biological Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2012 © 2012 Dugan F. Maynard The vocal behaviour of Long‐tailed Manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis): The role of vocalizations in mate attraction and male‐male interactions by Dugan F. Maynard APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr. Phil Graniero, External Reader Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences ______________________________________________ Dr. Stéphanie Doucet, Internal Reader Department of Biological Sciences ______________________________________________ Dr. Trevor Pitcher, Internal Reader Department of Biological Sciences ______________________________________________ Dr. Daniel Mennill, Advisor Department of Biological Sciences ______________________________________________ Dr. Lynda Corkum, Chair of Defence Department of Biological Sciences January 13, 2012 Declaration of Co-Authorship I hereby declare that this thesis incorporates material that is a result of joint research, as follows: For chapter 1, I am the sole author. For chapter 2, I am the principal author, and I share authorship with Kara-Anne Ward, John Burt, Stéphanie Doucet, and Daniel Mennill. My graduate supervisor Daniel Mennill and my collaborator Stéphanie Doucet made this research possible through funding, assistance with research design, and assistance with field research. Daniel Mennill provided assistance with statistical analyses and writing. Kara-Anne Ward assisted with the execution of the field research and provided feedback on drafts of the manuscript. John Burt and Brian Otis designed the Encounternet radiotelemetry technology and provided support and technical assistance during the execution of the research that forms the basis of Chapter 2. This chapter is formatted as a manuscript for future submission to the journal Ethology. For chapter 3, I am the principal author, and I share authorship with Kara-Anne Ward, Stéphanie Doucet, and Daniel Mennill. My graduate supervisor Daniel Mennill provided assistance with experimental design, field research, statistical analyses, and writing. Kara-Anne Ward and Stephanie Doucet assisted with the execution of field research. This chapter is formatted as a manuscript for future submission to the journal Animal Behaviour. Appendix I is a technical manuscript which is included as a supplement that provides support for the new technology (Encounternet) used in Chapter 2. I am a co-author on the manuscript that comprises this appendix, and I share authorship with Daniel Mennill, Stéphanie Doucet, Kara-Anne Ward, Brian Otis, and John Burt. My supervisor Daniel Mennill is the lead author on this manuscript. Together with collaborators Stéphanie Doucet and Kara-Anne Ward, I contributed to the design of this chapter and played a major role in conducting field research, iii analyzing data, and drafting the manuscript. John Burt and Brian Otis designed the Encounternet radiotelemetry technology and provided support and technical assistance during the execution of the research that forms the basis of Appendix I. This chapter is formatted as a manuscript for future submission to the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution. I am aware of the University of Windsor Senate Policy on Authorship and I certify that I have properly acknowledged the contribution of other researchers to my thesis, and have obtained written permission from each of the co-authors to include the above materials in my thesis. I certify that, with the above qualification, this thesis, and the research to which it refers, is the product of my own work. I declare that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owners to include such materials in my thesis. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv Abstract Tropical birds are little studied relative to temperate birds, despite the fact that tropical species often exhibit unique behaviours, not seen in the temperate-zone. I explore the link between male vocal behaviour and female movement in neotropical lekking Long-tailed Manakins (Chiroxiphia linearis) using acoustic recordings to monitor male vocalizations and a novel telemetry system to monitor female visitation behaviour. I report surprisingly few relationships between male vocalizations and female visitation behaviour, in contrast to results from another long-term study population in a different habitat. I examine the timing of male calling behaviour, showing that males avoid overlapping known neighbours, but actively overlap unknown intruders simulated through playback. Overall, my thesis provides insight into acoustic communication in manakins, revealing that male vocalizations play less of a role than expected in female mate choice, and that males modify the timing of their calls in response to the vocalizations of other nearby individuals. v Acknowledgements First, and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Dan Mennill. Starting my masters, I could not have hoped for a better supervisor, one who would push me to achieve, provide incredible support and feedback and allow me to conduct field work in the most amazing place on earth. I will always be grateful for the amazing experience I had being a part of his lab. I thank my collaborators, Dr. Stéphanie Doucet, Kara-Anne Ward, and Dr. John Burt. Without Dan, Stéphanie, and Kara’s help in the field none of this research would have been possible. Stéphanie’s expertise on Long-tailed Manakins and her familiarity with capturing and banding them was essential. Her feedback and support on all aspects of the project played an invaluable role in shaping this thesis. Kara’s help on every aspect of this project – from data collection, to her keen insights in the field, to the discussion and formulation of key ideas which shaped this thesis – was of the utmost importance to the success of this project, which would have been impossible without her constant help and support. John’s technical assistance with all aspects related to Encounternet was invaluable. His enthusiasm and the time he invested in this project both in the field and from afar was incredible, I thank him for his knowledge, patience and continued assistance I would like to thank my other committee members, Dr. Phil Graniero and Dr. Trevor Pitcher for their time, and assistance along the way in formulating and clarifying the ideas that lead to this thesis. I truly appreciate all the feedback they have provided, which has helped me clarify my own ideas and improved my skills as a biologist. I would like to thank the many undergraduate volunteers invested their time and energy in this project over the course of the last two years: Matthew Battiston, Celia Girgenti, Sam vi Dundas, Scott Wonsch, Nisreen Al-Farra, and Matt Watson. Your dedication is incredible and this project could not have succeeded without your support. I am eternally grateful to the field crews of Base Cero from the past two years: Pierre- Paul