动物信号本质上是复杂的表型,具有许多相互作用的部分,以引起接受者的反应。信号分量之间相互关系的模式反映了每个分量的表达程度,并响应选择,与他人合作或独立于他人。此外,许多物种具有复杂的库,由在不同环境中使用的多种信号类型组成,和常见的形态和生理限制可能导致相互关系延伸到物种库的多个信号。可以在表型整合的框架内探索信号性状之间相互关系的进化意义,它提供了一套定量技术来表征复杂的表型。特别是,这些技术允许评估模块化和集成,其中描述,分别,一组性状独立或联合共生的程度。尽管信号和剧目的复杂性被认为是多元化和社会发展的主要驱动因素,很少有研究明确测量信号的表型整合,以调查不同通信系统的演变。我们应用了表型整合研究的方法来量化树蛙Hylaversicolor中两种主要发声类型(广告和侵略性呼叫)的整合,Hylacinerea,和Dendropsophusebraccatus。我们记录了男性呼叫,并计算了呼叫类型内和跨呼叫类型的特征的标准化表型方差-协方差(P)矩阵。我们发现了不同调用类型的显著集成,但是整合的强度因物种而异,并且与每个物种内呼叫类型的声学相似性相对应。杂色H.具有最模块化的广告和激进的呼叫,并且在声学上最不相似的呼叫类型。此外,P对杂色嗜血杆菌不断变化的社会竞争水平很有帮助。我们的发现为动物交流研究提供了新的方向,其中多个信号特征之间的复杂关系是理解信号进化的关键考虑因素。
Animal signals are inherently complex phenotypes with many interacting parts combining to elicit responses from receivers. The pattern of interrelationships between signal components reflects the extent to which each component is expressed, and responds to selection, either in concert with or independently of others. Furthermore, many species have complex repertoires consisting of multiple signal types used in different contexts, and common morphological and physiological constraints may result in interrelationships extending across the multiple signals in species\' repertoires. The evolutionary significance of interrelationships between signal traits can be explored within the framework of phenotypic integration, which offers a suite of quantitative techniques to characterize complex phenotypes. In particular, these techniques allow for the assessment of
modularity and integration, which describe, respectively, the extent to which sets of traits covary either independently or jointly. Although signal and repertoire complexity are thought to be major drivers of diversification and social evolution, few studies have explicitly measured the phenotypic integration of signals to investigate the evolution of diverse communication systems. We applied methods from phenotypic integration studies to quantify integration in the two primary vocalization types (advertisement and aggressive calls) in the treefrogs Hyla versicolor, Hyla cinerea, and Dendropsophus ebraccatus. We recorded male calls and calculated standardized phenotypic variance-covariance (P) matrices for characteristics within and across call types. We found significant integration across call types, but the strength of integration varied by species and corresponded with the acoustic similarity of the call types within each species. H. versicolor had the most modular advertisement and aggressive calls and the least acoustically similar call types. Additionally, P was robust to changing social competition levels in H. versicolor. Our findings suggest new directions in animal communication research in which the complex relationships among the traits of multiple signals are a key consideration for understanding signal evolution.