Developmental modulation and predictability of age-dependent vocal plasticity in adult zebra finches

Abstract Predicting the nature of behavioral plasticity can provide insight into mechanisms of behavioral expression and control. Songbirds like the zebra finch rely on vocal signals for communication, and the performance of these signals demonstrate considerable plasticity over development. Traditionally, these signals were thought to be fixed in adulthood, but recent studies have revealed significant age-dependent changes to spectral and temporal features of song in adult songbirds. A number of age-dependent changes to song resemble acute changes to adult song performance across social contexts (e.g., when an adult male sings to a female relative to when he sings in isolation). The ability of variation in social context-dependent changes to predict variation in age-dependent plasticity would suggest shared mechanisms, but little is known about this predictability. In addition, although developmental experiences can shape adult plasticity, little is known about the extent to which social interactions during development affect age-dependent change to adult song. To this end, we systematically analyzed age- and context-dependent changes to adult zebra finch song, and then examined the degree to which age-dependent changes varied across birds that were social or non-socially tutored birds and to which social context-dependent changes predicted age-dependent changes. Non-socially tutored birds showed more dramatic changes to the broad structure of their motif over time than socially tutored birds, but non-socially and socially tutored birds did not differ in the extent of changes to various spectral and temporal features of song. Overall, we found that adult zebra finches produced longer and more spectrally stereotyped songs when they were older than when they were younger. Moreover, regardless of developmental tutoring, individual variation in age-dependent changes to song bout duration and syllable repetition were predicted by variation in social context-dependent changes to these features. These data indicate that social experiences during development can shape some aspects of adult plasticity and that acute context-dependent and long-term age-dependent to some song features could be mediated by modifications within similar neural substrates.