Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush
Visual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a conn...
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| Format: | Article |
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The Royal Society
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230976 |
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| author | Kamal Raj Gosai Liping Zhou Yang Liu Edward L. Braun Rebecca T. Kimball Scott K. Robinson Aiwu Jiang Eben Goodale |
| author_facet | Kamal Raj Gosai Liping Zhou Yang Liu Edward L. Braun Rebecca T. Kimball Scott K. Robinson Aiwu Jiang Eben Goodale |
| author_sort | Kamal Raj Gosai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a connection to grouping behaviour, although it is unclear whether this is linked to ISDM. We studied greater necklaced laughingthrush (GNLT, Pterorhinus pectoralis) and lesser necklaced laughingthrush (LNLT, Garrulax monileger), which were recently placed in different genera. Measurements of 162 museum specimens showed LNLT converging in sympatry with GNLT in necklace colour, but diverging in necklace to body ratio, with proportionally smaller necklaces. The species were closely associated in six of seven MSF systems from Nepal to China. In a study of foraging behaviour in Nepal, aggression was rare between the species, LNLT followed GNLT and had lower foraging rates when further from GNLT. Our data suggest a link between this MSF-associated mimicry and ISDM, and that the subordinate LNLT may be the mimic and gain more from the resemblance. The species spend much time together in dense and poorly lit vegetation, where the LNLTs resemblance to GNLTs potentially allows them to forage closer to GNLTs than would be otherwise possible. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T11:27:07Z |
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| id | doaj.art-c85a55db0d8e4d59883b4ac705c8c511 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-21T23:52:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
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| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c85a55db0d8e4d59883b4ac705c8c5112024-05-17T20:02:35ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032024-04-0111410.1098/rsos.230976Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrushKamal Raj Gosai0Liping Zhou1Yang Liu2Edward L. Braun3Rebecca T. Kimball4Scott K. Robinson5Aiwu Jiang6Eben Goodale7Guangxi Key Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University , Nanning, Guangxi 530004, People's Republic of ChinaKunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Kunming, Yunnan 650223, People's Republic of ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University , Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Biology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Biology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USAFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USAGuangxi Key Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University , Nanning, Guangxi 530004, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Health and Environmental Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of ChinaVisual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a connection to grouping behaviour, although it is unclear whether this is linked to ISDM. We studied greater necklaced laughingthrush (GNLT, Pterorhinus pectoralis) and lesser necklaced laughingthrush (LNLT, Garrulax monileger), which were recently placed in different genera. Measurements of 162 museum specimens showed LNLT converging in sympatry with GNLT in necklace colour, but diverging in necklace to body ratio, with proportionally smaller necklaces. The species were closely associated in six of seven MSF systems from Nepal to China. In a study of foraging behaviour in Nepal, aggression was rare between the species, LNLT followed GNLT and had lower foraging rates when further from GNLT. Our data suggest a link between this MSF-associated mimicry and ISDM, and that the subordinate LNLT may be the mimic and gain more from the resemblance. The species spend much time together in dense and poorly lit vegetation, where the LNLTs resemblance to GNLTs potentially allows them to forage closer to GNLTs than would be otherwise possible.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230976avian plumage mimicryconvergent evolutioninterspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM)mixed-species flocksspecies associationsvisual deception |
| spellingShingle | Kamal Raj Gosai Liping Zhou Yang Liu Edward L. Braun Rebecca T. Kimball Scott K. Robinson Aiwu Jiang Eben Goodale Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush Royal Society Open Science avian plumage mimicry convergent evolution interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) mixed-species flocks species associations visual deception |
| title | Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| title_full | Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| title_fullStr | Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| title_short | Investigating flock-associated mimicry: examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| title_sort | investigating flock associated mimicry examining the evidence for and drivers of plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush |
| topic | avian plumage mimicry convergent evolution interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) mixed-species flocks species associations visual deception |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230976 |
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