Song rate as a signal of male aggressiveness during territorial contests in the wood warbler

Aggressive signaling is an important component in animal communication, as it provides an efficient mechanism for settling conflicts over resources between competitors. In songbirds, a number of singing behaviors have been proposed to be aggressive signals used in territory defense, including song rate. Although aggressive signaling in songbirds has received considerable research attention, adequate evidence for most putative aggressive signals is not available. In this study, we experimentally investigated whether the song rate of male wood warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) is a signal of their aggressive intent in male-male interactions. We found that males responded differentially to simulated territorial intrusions depending on the song rate of an intruder. Moreover, males that continued to sing during territorial contests increased their song rates, and this behavior predicted the strength of aggressive escalation by the signaler. These results suggest that song rate is an aggress...攻击性信号行为（aggressive signaling）是动物通讯的重要组成部分，其为竞争者间围绕资源的冲突解决提供了高效途径。在鸣禽中，多项鸣唱行为被认为是用于领地防御的攻击性信号，其中包括鸣唱速率（song rate）。尽管鸣禽的攻击性信号行为已受到大量研究关注，但多数疑似攻击性信号仍缺乏足够的实证支撑。本研究通过实验探究了雄性林柳莺（Phylloscopus sibilatrix）的鸣唱速率在雄-雄互动中是否能够传递其攻击性意图。研究结果显示，雄性林柳莺对模拟领地入侵的反应存在显著差异，且该差异取决于入侵者的鸣唱速率。此外，在领地争斗中持续鸣唱的雄性个体，其鸣唱速率会有所提升，且该行为可预测信号发出者攻击性升级的强度。上述结果表明，鸣唱速率是一种攻击性...