02359nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001300041245010800054210007100162260001600233300001400249490000800263520137300271653002701644653002301671653002601694653002901720653001301749653002101762100001901783700002601802700002101828700002301849856023301872 2018 eng d a0003347200aMultimodal mother–offspring recognition: the relative importance of sensory cues in a colonial mammal0 aMultimodal mother–offspring recognition the relative importance  cJan-12-2018 a135 - 1420 v1463 a

Animals often employ multiple sensory modalities for communication and recognition; however, the combination of sensory cues used by individuals in given contexts will vary. Although mother–offspring recognition has been widely investigated and is known to be a multimodal process in gregarious mammal species, there is a dearth of information about the interactions between various sensory cues. Here we show how acoustic, olfactory and visual cues are used in a synergistic way in Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, mother–offspring recognition. We interpret the results using a cost–benefit perspective to disentangle the evolutionary pressures on each component of this communication system. Although olfactory cues can convey individual identity information it was their presence, not their congruency, that prompted female sniffs. We found that calls needed to be from the female's own pup for the identification process to be successful, with the information encoded in acoustic cues overriding that of olfactory cues. Despite each sensory cue accurately conveying identity information when presented in isolation, in a multimodal setting their importance, function or role may change and seems to be driven by the costs and benefits of obtaining information resulting from the constraints imposed by the active space of cues.

10aindividual recognition10amaternal behaviour10amother-offspring cues10amultimodal communication10apinniped10asensory channels1 aWierucka, Kaja1 aPitcher, Benjamin, J.1 aHarcourt, Robert1 aCharrier, Isabelle uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218303208https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218303208?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218303208?httpAccept=text/plain02232nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245012500054210006900179260001600248300001200264490000800276520134200284653002101626653002501647653001101672653001801683653002601701653001701727653002901744653002101773653001701794653003401811100002201845700002101867856006601888 2018 eng d a0003347200aThe ‘hot male’ hypothesis: do female crickets prefer males with increased body temperature in mate choice scenarios?0 ahot male hypothesis do female crickets prefer males with increas cJan-04-2018 a75 - 840 v1383 a

Insects have been extensively used as model systems to study mating preferences based on variation in acoustic signals. In many species, females perform phonotaxis towards attractive, long-range acoustic signals produced by males, whereas the final mating decision is based on an assessment of additional, multimodal, close-range cues. The production of acoustic signals is costly, because invested energy is inefficiently converted into acoustic power. Here, we investigated whether heat released as a by-product during song generation might serve as an additional cue during mate choice decisions. Males that broadcast highly energetic calling songs increased their thoracic temperature considerably above ambient temperatures. The use of this additional cue would turn the acoustic signal into an inherently bimodal one, indirectly indicating the quality of the sender. To test this hot male hypothesis, we performed trackball and Y-maze experiments with Anurogryllus muticus. For comparison, additional trackball experiments were conducted with Gryllus bimaculatus females. In all paradigms, females of both species showed no evidence of a preference for hot males and, therefore, we conclude that increases in thoracic temperature do not seem to play a role as a multimodal component in mate choice decisions in A. muticus.

10aacoustic signals10aAnurogryllus muticus10aenergy10aFemale choice10ainfrared thermography10amale quality10amultimodal communication10asexual selection10athermal cues10athoracic temperature increase1 aErregger, Bettina1 aHennig, Matthias uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721830057502742nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001300041245011000054210006900164260001600233300001400249490000800263520190800271653002002179653001402199653002002213653002902233653002102262653002302283653001902306100002102325700001902346700002402365700002102389856006602410 2017 eng d a0003347200aComplex signals and comparative mate assessment in wolf spiders: results from multimodal playback studies0 aComplex signals and comparative mate assessment in wolf spiders  cJan-12-2017 a283 - 2990 v1343 a

Complex signals of animals involve multiple sensory modes and contain multiple structural components, and teasing apart how these modes and components interact in receiver decision making is an experi- mental challenge. Females of many species have ordered preferences for increased size or expression of male indicator traits. However, studies also suggest other species may exhibit comparative evaluation of mates rather than absolute preference hierarchies. We examined mate assessment by female wolf spi- ders, Schizocosa ocreata, using digital playback of video and vibratory/seismic signals in preference and choice tests of male trait differences. In playback experiments, female wolf spiders showed ordered preferences for male condition indicating traits (leg tuft size, vibration signal amplitude) in both indi- vidual sensory modes and multimodal (combined) signals. Tests with single modes and multimodal signals showed that trait expression in either signal mode affects outcome of mate choice. Females exhibited transitive preferences, consistently choosing males with larger tuft size or higher amplitude vibration in no-choice and two-choice tests. Thus, female S. ocreata do not necessarily need to compare mates to exhibit preferences for particular traits. Choice tests with multimodal playback showed that females made predicted choices when male traits covaried positively, but in ‘cue-conflict’ (negative trait covariance) choice tests, females showed a bias for visual signal trait expression (tuft size), displaying priority for visual signals over vibratory signals when in conflict. These studies demonstrate that under controlled experimental conditions, differences in behavioural responses to manipulation of digital video and vibration playback can provide valuable insights about recognition and interpretation of complex signals and their components.

10acomplex signals10aLycosidae10amate preference10amultimodal communication10asexual selection10avibratory playback10avideo playback1 aUetz, George, W.1 aStoffer, Brent1 aLallo, Madeline, M.1 aClark, David, L. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347217300441