The Effect of Hemosporidian Infections on White-Crowned Sparrow Singing Behavior |
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| Authors: | Sarah Gilman Daniel T Blumstein† & Johannes Foufopoulos‡ |
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| Institution: | The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA |
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| Abstract: | Relatively little is known about the effects of specific parasites on sexually selected behavioral traits. We subjected free‐living mountain white‐crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) to a playback experiment to identify the effect of hemosporidian parasites on potentially sexually selected song characteristics. We recorded song after a playback of a novel white‐crowned sparrow song, meant to simulate a territorial intrusion. Infections with Leucocytozoon or Plasmodium influenced singing behavior, while infection with Haemoproteus had no detectable effect. Specifically, song consistency, as measured using a spectrogram correlation, was influenced by both Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon infection. Additionally, birds infected with Plasmodium sang fewer songs following experimental playback. Thus, relatively widespread parasites, like Plasmodium, may have a strong effect on potentially sexually selected song characteristics. |
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