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Stoessel A, David R, Bornitz M, Ossmann S, Neudert M. Auditory thresholds compatible with optimal speech reception likely evolved before the human-chimpanzee split. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20732. [PMID: 38007561 PMCID: PMC10676368 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47778-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The anatomy of the auditory region of fossil hominins may shed light on the emergence of human spoken language. Humans differ from other great apes in several features of the external, middle and inner ear (e.g., short external ear canal, small tympanic membrane, large oval window). However, the functional implications of these differences remain poorly understood as comparative audiometric data from great apes are scarce and conflicting. Here, we measure the sound transfer function of the external and middle ears of humans, chimpanzees and bonobos, using laser-Doppler vibrometry and finite element analysis. This sound transfer function affects auditory thresholds, which relate to speech reception thresholds in humans. Unexpectedly we find that external and middle ears of chimpanzees and bonobos transfer sound better than human ones in the frequency range of spoken language. Our results suggest that auditory thresholds of the last common ancestor of Homo and Pan were already compatible with speech reception as observed in humans. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the morphological evolution observed in the bony auditory region of fossil hominins was driven by the emergence of spoken language. Instead, the peculiar human configuration may be a by-product of morpho-functional constraints linked to brain expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Stoessel
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Erbertstr. 1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Romain David
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Matthias Bornitz
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Steffen Ossmann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marcus Neudert
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
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2
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McLester E, Fruth B. Golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus chrysogaster) exhibit a larger home range and longer travel distances than those of bonobos (Pan paniscus) at LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23486. [PMID: 36920052 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Primate ranging behavior is associated with numerous social and ecological correlates. Interspecific comparisons of ranging behavior can therefore provide insight into the socio-ecological conditions that characterize a species' niche within its community. We provide the first description of ranging behavior in golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus chrysogaster), using sympatric bonobos (Pan paniscus) as a comparison. Over 6 months, we recorded GPS tracks at 1- and 5-min intervals from one habituated golden-bellied mangabey group and two habituated bonobo communities at LuiKotale, central Democratic Republic of the Congo. We compared estimates of home range size, time spent at different elevations, and hourly travel distances between species. We modeled daily travel distances against total monthly rainfall to investigate seasonal variation in daily ranging. The golden-bellied mangabey home range was similarly sized or larger than each of the two bonobo communities at LuiKotale across estimation methods. Mangabeys visited more of their range per day and spent more time in terra firma forest and less time in swamps than bonobos. Mangabeys traveled significantly farther per day and during midday hours than bonobos, but travel distances did not relate to monthly rainfall in either species. Golden-bellied mangabeys exhibited wide daily ranging behavior that more closely resembled that of sympatric bonobos than other Cercocebus species. Large homes ranges in mangabeys are likely influenced by food availability in terra firma forest, especially as groups appear to travel long distances between fruit trees and terrestrial food patches. Maximizing daytime activity may help mangabeys avoid competition from heterospecifics and indicates temporal niche partitioning in this primate community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward McLester
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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3
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Stein RM, Rachlow JL. Acoustic ecology of terrestrial mammals: a new Signaller–Receiver Conceptual Framework. Mamm Rev 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Stein
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1136 Moscow ID 83844‐1136 USA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1136 Moscow ID 83844‐1136 USA
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4
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Fitzgerald M, Willems EP, Gaspard Soumah A, Matsuzawa T, Koops K. To drum or not to drum: Selectivity in tree buttress drumming by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23382. [PMID: 35383993 PMCID: PMC9540414 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Chimpanzees live in fission-fusion social organizations, which means that party size, composition, and spatial distribution are constantly in flux. Moreover, chimpanzees use a remarkably extensive repertoire of vocal and nonvocal forms of communication, thought to help convey information in such a socially and spatially dynamic setting. One proposed form of nonvocal communication in chimpanzees is buttress drumming, in which an individual hits a tree buttress with its hands and/or feet, thereby producing a low-frequency acoustic signal. It is often presumed that this behavior functions to communicate over long distances and is, therefore, goal-oriented. If so, we would expect chimpanzees to exhibit selectivity in the choice of trees and buttresses used in buttress drumming. Selectivity is a key attribute of many other goal-directed chimpanzee behaviors, such as nut-cracking and ant dipping. Here, we investigate whether chimpanzees at the Seringbara study site in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea, West Africa, show selectivity in their buttress drumming behavior. Our results indicate that Seringbara chimpanzees are more likely to use larger trees and select buttresses that are thinner and have a greater surface area. These findings imply that tree buttress drumming is not a random act, but rather goal-oriented and requires knowledge of suitable trees and buttresses. Our results also point to long-distance communication as a probable function of buttress drumming based on selectivity for buttress characteristics likely to impact sound propagation. This study provides a foundation for further assessing the cognitive underpinnings and functions of buttress drumming in wild chimpanzees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maegan Fitzgerald
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.,Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Erik P Willems
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Aly Gaspard Soumah
- Institut de Recherche Environnementale de Bossou, Bossou, Republic of Guinea
| | - Tetsuro Matsuzawa
- Department of Pedagogy, Chubu Gakuin University, Gifu, Japan.,Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kathelijne Koops
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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5
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Crunchant AS, Stewart FA, Piel AK. Vocal communication in wild chimpanzees: a call rate study. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12326. [PMID: 34721995 PMCID: PMC8532989 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patterns of vocal communication have implications for species conservation: a change in calling behaviour can, for instance, reflect a disturbed habitat. More importantly, call rate is a parameter that allows conservation planners to convert call density into animal density, when detecting calls with a passive acoustic monitoring system (PAM). METHODS We investigated chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) call rate during the late dry season in the Issa Valley, western Tanzania by conducting focal follows. We examined the socio-ecological factors that influence call production rate of savanna woodland chimpanzees. RESULTS We found that sex, proportion of time spent in a vegetation type, proportion of time spent travelling, time of the day, party size and swollen parous female presence had a significant effect on the call rate. Call rate differed among the different demographic classes with subadult and adult males vocalising twice as often as the subadult and adult females and three times as often as the juveniles. APPLICATIONS The use of PAM and recent statistical developments to estimate animal density is promising but relies on our knowing individual call rate, often not available for many species. With the improvement in automatic call detection, we anticipate that PAM will increasingly be broadly applied to primates but also across taxa, for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Crunchant
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona A. Stewart
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alex K. Piel
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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6
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Mercado E, Perazio CE. All units are equal in humpback whale songs, but some are more equal than others. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:149-177. [PMID: 34363127 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01539-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Flexible production and perception of vocalizations is linked to an impressive array of cognitive capacities including language acquisition by humans, song learning by birds, biosonar in bats, and vocal imitation by cetaceans. Here, we characterize a portion of the repertoire of one of the most impressive vocalizers in nature: the humpback whale. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of sounds (units) produced by humpback whales revealed that singers gradually morphed streams of units along multiple acoustic dimensions within songs, maintaining the continuity of spectral content across subjectively dissimilar unit "types." Singers consistently produced some unit forms more frequently and intensely than others, suggesting that units are functionally heterogeneous. The precision with which singing humpback whales continuously adjusted the acoustic characteristics of units shows that they possess exquisite vocal control mechanisms and vocal flexibility beyond what is seen in most animals other than humans. The gradual morphing of units within songs that we observed is inconsistent with past claims that humpback whales construct songs from a fixed repertoire of discrete unit types. These findings challenge the results of past studies based on fixed-unit classification methods and argue for the development of new metrics for characterizing the graded structure of units. The specific vocal variations that singers produced suggest that humpback whale songs are unlikely to provide detailed information about a singer's reproductive fitness, but can reveal the precise locations and movements of singers from long distances and may enhance the effectiveness of units as sonar signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
| | - Christina E Perazio
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.,School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA
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8
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Moreira A, Croze M, Delehelle F, Cussat-Blanc S, Luga H, Mollereau C, Balaresque P. Hearing Sensitivity of Primates: Recurrent and Episodic Positive Selection in Hair Cells and Stereocilia Protein-Coding Genes. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6302699. [PMID: 34137817 PMCID: PMC8358225 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The large spectrum of hearing sensitivity observed in primates results from the impact of environmental and behavioral pressures to optimize sound perception and localization. Although evidence of positive selection in auditory genes has been detected in mammals including in Hominoids, selection has never been investigated in other primates. We analyzed 123 genes highly expressed in the inner ear of 27 primate species and tested to what extent positive selection may have shaped these genes in the order Primates tree. We combined both site and branch-site tests to obtain a comprehensive picture of the positively selected genes (PSGs) involved in hearing sensitivity, and drew a detailed description of the most affected branches in the tree. We chose a conservative approach, and thus focused on confounding factors potentially affecting PSG signals (alignment, GC-biased gene conversion, duplications, heterogeneous sequencing qualities). Using site tests, we showed that around 12% of these genes are PSGs, an α selection value consistent with average human genome estimates (10-15%). Using branch-site tests, we showed that the primate tree is heterogeneously affected by positive selection, with the black snub-nosed monkey, the bushbaby, and the orangutan, being the most impacted branches. A large proportion of these genes is inclined to shape hair cells and stereocilia, which are involved in the mechanotransduction process, known to influence frequency perception. Adaptive selection, and more specifically recurrent adaptive evolution, could have acted in parallel on a set of genes (ADGRV1, USH2A, PCDH15, PTPRQ, and ATP8A2) involved in stereocilia growth and the whole complex of bundle links connecting them, in species across different habitats, including high altitude and nocturnal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Moreira
- Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Faculté de Médecine Purpan, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France.,Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), CNRS UMR5505, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Myriam Croze
- Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Faculté de Médecine Purpan, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Franklin Delehelle
- Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Faculté de Médecine Purpan, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France.,Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), CNRS UMR5505, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Sylvain Cussat-Blanc
- Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), CNRS UMR5505, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Hervé Luga
- Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), CNRS UMR5505, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Catherine Mollereau
- Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Faculté de Médecine Purpan, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Patricia Balaresque
- Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Faculté de Médecine Purpan, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, France
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9
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Darras KF, Pérez N, - M, Dilong L, Hanf-Dressler T, Markolf M, Wanger TC. ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics. F1000Res 2020; 9:1224. [PMID: 33274051 PMCID: PMC7682500 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.26369.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Passive acoustic monitoring of soundscapes and biodiversity produces vast amounts of audio recordings, but the management and analyses of these raw data present technical challenges. A multitude of software solutions exist, but none can fulfil all purposes required for the management, processing, navigation, analysis, and dissemination of acoustic data. The field of ecoacoustics needs a software tool that is free, evolving, and accessible. We take a step in that direction and present ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics designed and built by ecologists and software engineers. ecoSound-web can be used for storing, organising, and sharing soundscape projects, manually creating and peer-reviewing annotations of soniferous animals and phonies, analysing audio in time and frequency, computing alpha acoustic indices, and providing reference sound libraries for different taxa. We present ecoSound-web's features, structure, and compare it with similar software. We describe its operation mode and the workflow for typical use cases such as the sampling of bird and bat communities, the use of a primate call library, and the analysis of phonies and acoustic indices. ecoSound-web is available from: https://github.com/ecomontec/ecoSound-web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin F.A. Darras
- Computational Landscape Ecology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, 01737, Germany
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Niedersachsen, 37077, Germany
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems & Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, China
| | - Noemí Pérez
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Niedersachsen, 37077, Germany
| | - Mauladi -
- Department of Information Systems, Universitas Jambi, Jambi, Jambi, 36122, Indonesia
| | - Liu Dilong
- Quality Technology Centre, Nanjing Julong Steel Pipe Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 211800,, China
| | - Tara Hanf-Dressler
- Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Niedersachsen, 37077, Germany
| | - Matthias Markolf
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Centre,, Göttingen, Niedersachsen, 37077, Germany
| | - Thomas C Wanger
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems & Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310030, China
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
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Hasiniaina AF, Radespiel U, Kessler SE, Rina Evasoa M, Rasoloharijaona S, Randrianambinina B, Zimmermann E, Schmidt S, Scheumann M. Evolutionary significance of the variation in acoustic communication of a cryptic nocturnal primate radiation ( Microcebus spp.). Ecol Evol 2020; 10:3784-3797. [PMID: 32313636 PMCID: PMC7160168 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic phenotypic variation is of major importance for speciation and the evolution of species diversity. Whereas selective and stochastic forces shaping the acoustic divergence of signaling systems are well studied in insects, frogs, and birds, knowledge on the processes driving acoustic phenotypic evolution in mammals is limited. We quantified the acoustic variation of a call type exchanged during agonistic encounters across eight distinct species of the smallest-bodied nocturnal primate radiation, the Malagasy mouse lemurs. The species live in two different habitats (dry forest vs. humid forest), differ in geographic distance to each other, and belong to four distinct phylogenetic clades within the genus. Genetically defined species were discriminated reliably on the phenotypic level based on their acoustic distinctiveness in a discriminant function analysis. Acoustic variation was explained by genetic distance, whereas differences in morphology, forest type, or geographic distance had no effect. The strong impact of genetics was supported by a correlation between acoustic and genetic distance and the high agreement in branching pattern between the acoustic and molecular phylogenetic trees. In sum, stochastic factors such as genetic drift best explained acoustic diversification in a social communication call of mouse lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine HannoverHannoverGermany
| | - Sharon E. Kessler
- Department of PsychologyFaculty of Natural SciencesUniversity of StirlingStirlingScotland
- Department of AnthropologyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - Mamy Rina Evasoa
- Faculty of Science, Technology and EnvironmentUniversity of MahajangaMahajangaMadagascar
| | | | | | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine HannoverHannoverGermany
| | - Sabine Schmidt
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine HannoverHannoverGermany
| | - Marina Scheumann
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine HannoverHannoverGermany
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