Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?

We conducted playback-response experiments to assess whether the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) population found on Grand Bahama Island might be a distinct and critically endangered species. In one experiment, Brown-headed Nuthatch individuals in north Florida were presented with calls from:...

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Autores principales:	Heather E. Levy, James A. Cox
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Resilience Alliance 2020
Materias:	allopatric populations bahama nuthatch brown-headed nuthatch conspecific recognition island populations playback experiment species limits Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/583024bb2c214fee8267fd6f539439d2
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:583024bb2c214fee8267fd6f539439d22021-12-02T14:37:54ZVariation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?1712-6568https://doaj.org/article/583024bb2c214fee8267fd6f539439d22020-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ace-eco.org/vol15/iss2/art15/https://doaj.org/toc/1712-6568We conducted playback-response experiments to assess whether the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) population found on Grand Bahama Island might be a distinct and critically endangered species. In one experiment, Brown-headed Nuthatch individuals in north Florida were presented with calls from: (1) a male conspecific in North Carolina; (2) a male recorded on Grand Bahama Island; (3) a male Pygmy Nuthatch (S. pygmae), a western congener; and (4) a male House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), which occurs in a different avian family (Troglodytidae). Vocalizations were broadcast at 20 locations, and detection and the proximity with which individuals approached the speaker were quantified. Nuthatches were detected at 0.72 (± 0.02; mean ± standard deviation) of trials where conspecific vocalizations were used, but were only detected half as frequently 0.27-0.30 (± 0.04) when Bahama Nuthatch and Pygmy Nuthatch vocalizations were used. Detections were least likely when House Wren vocalizations were used (0.15 ± 0.11). Nuthatches also approached the playback device more closely when North Carolina vocalizations were used. In a second playback assessment conducted in the Bahamas, males were three times more likely to respond when calls of a Bahama male were used versus calls of males in Florida. We also analyzed spectrograms of the two-syllable call notes produced by Bahama (N = 1) and continental (N = 10) males. The Bahama call has a higher peak frequency (6.1 vs. 4.8 kHz ± 0.6) and a slurred descent that extends over a broader frequency range (4.5 vs. 2.0 kHz). Results suggest that vocalizations of the Bahama population have diverged significantly and may affect interactions if the populations were to come into contact. Other genetic and morphological assessments also point to significant differences and support recognition of the Bahama Nuthatch as an independent species that may now be extinct.Heather E. LevyJames A. CoxResilience Alliancearticleallopatric populationsbahama nuthatchbrown-headed nuthatchconspecific recognitionisland populationsplayback experimentspecies limitsPlant cultureSB1-1110Environmental sciencesGE1-350Plant ecologyQK900-989ENAvian Conservation and Ecology, Vol 15, Iss 2, p 15 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	allopatric populations bahama nuthatch brown-headed nuthatch conspecific recognition island populations playback experiment species limits Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989
spellingShingle	allopatric populations bahama nuthatch brown-headed nuthatch conspecific recognition island populations playback experiment species limits Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989 Heather E. Levy James A. Cox Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
description	We conducted playback-response experiments to assess whether the Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) population found on Grand Bahama Island might be a distinct and critically endangered species. In one experiment, Brown-headed Nuthatch individuals in north Florida were presented with calls from: (1) a male conspecific in North Carolina; (2) a male recorded on Grand Bahama Island; (3) a male Pygmy Nuthatch (S. pygmae), a western congener; and (4) a male House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), which occurs in a different avian family (Troglodytidae). Vocalizations were broadcast at 20 locations, and detection and the proximity with which individuals approached the speaker were quantified. Nuthatches were detected at 0.72 (± 0.02; mean ± standard deviation) of trials where conspecific vocalizations were used, but were only detected half as frequently 0.27-0.30 (± 0.04) when Bahama Nuthatch and Pygmy Nuthatch vocalizations were used. Detections were least likely when House Wren vocalizations were used (0.15 ± 0.11). Nuthatches also approached the playback device more closely when North Carolina vocalizations were used. In a second playback assessment conducted in the Bahamas, males were three times more likely to respond when calls of a Bahama male were used versus calls of males in Florida. We also analyzed spectrograms of the two-syllable call notes produced by Bahama (N = 1) and continental (N = 10) males. The Bahama call has a higher peak frequency (6.1 vs. 4.8 kHz ± 0.6) and a slurred descent that extends over a broader frequency range (4.5 vs. 2.0 kHz). Results suggest that vocalizations of the Bahama population have diverged significantly and may affect interactions if the populations were to come into contact. Other genetic and morphological assessments also point to significant differences and support recognition of the Bahama Nuthatch as an independent species that may now be extinct.
format	article
author	Heather E. Levy James A. Cox
author_facet	Heather E. Levy James A. Cox
author_sort	Heather E. Levy
title	Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
title_short	Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
title_full	Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
title_fullStr	Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
title_full_unstemmed	Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?
title_sort	variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on grand bahama island?
publisher	Resilience Alliance
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/583024bb2c214fee8267fd6f539439d2
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Variation in responses to interspecific vocalizations among sister taxa of the Sittidae: imminent extinction of a cryptic species on Grand Bahama Island?

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