Distinct patterns of geographic variation for different song components in Daurian Redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus

Abstract

ABSTRACTCapsule: Components of Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus song have evolved along independent trajectories and show a mix of clinal and dialect patterns of geographic variation.Aims: To investigate multiple structural components of song in Daurian Redstarts Phoenicurus auroreus as they varied among five locations across South Korea. To test whether different components of the same signal can evolve along independent trajectories, or else are constrained to evolve in correlated fashion.Methods: Two distinct song components were investigated: the introductory whistle and the complex syllable. For both segments, we made both qualitative and quantitative comparisons of similarity among individuals both within and among populations.Results: Patterns of geographic variation differed substantially between the two song segment types. Introductory whistles varied widely both within and among individuals, and were distributed across space in a mosaic pattern. Complex syllable parts showed high within-individual similarity and a distinctly clinal pattern of geographic variation, with the exception of a distinct dialect in one population isolated by a high-elevation mountain range.Conclusions: The results suggest that different components of Daurian Redstart songs have evolved along independent trajectories; that specific song components may show a mix of clinal and dialect patterns of geographic variation; and that different song components might simultaneously transmit distinct patterns of information about individual, dialect or species identity.