Song complexity is associated with habitat quality in an upland passerine

Abstract

Understanding the influence of intrinsic (genetic and morphological) and extrinsic (geographical, environmental and social) factors on the performance and spatial differentiation of sexual signals, such as bird song, can help identify behavioural indicators of individual quality, habitat degradation and social environment. We used the Iberian Bluethroat Luscinia svecica azuricollis, a migratory bird that breeds in fragmented landscapes dominated by shrublands, as a case study to: (1) assess how a set of acoustic indicators of song performance are driven by intrinsic and extrinsic factors; and (2) contrast deterministic (adaptations to the environmental context and morphological constraints) vs. stochastic (differentiation by geographical isolation) explanations for song differentiation patterns. We explored acoustic indicators of song performance (spectral, temporal and song complexity) in relation to parameters related to genetic structure, body size, habitat type, habitat quality (assessed through a spatially explicit modelling approach) and social context (population abundance and songbird community composition). Then, we explored the contribution of genetic, geographical and environmental dissimilarity to song diversification across space. Our results highlight an association of song spectral variables with genetic structure and a significant connection between song complexity and duration with habitat quality. We found no relationship between social features and acoustic variables, or between song differentiation and genetic or geographical distances. There was, however, a correlation between song differentiation and environmental dissimilarity. We recommend the consideration of song complexity as an indicator of habitat quality.