1
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Demartsev V, Averly B, Johnson-Ulrich L, Sridhar VH, Leonardos L, Vining A, Thomas M, Manser MB, Strandburg-Peshkin A. Mapping vocal interactions in space and time differentiates signal broadcast versus signal exchange in meerkat groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230188. [PMID: 38768207 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0188] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal vocal communication research traditionally focuses on acoustic and contextual features of calls, yet substantial information is also contained in response selectivity and timing during vocalization events. By examining the spatiotemporal structure of vocal interactions, we can distinguish between 'broadcast' and 'exchange' signalling modes, with the former potentially serving to transmit signallers' general state and the latter reflecting more interactive signalling behaviour. Here, we tracked the movements and vocalizations of wild meerkat (Suricata suricatta) groups simultaneously using collars to explore this distinction. We found evidence that close calls (used for maintaining group cohesion) are given as signal exchanges. They are typically given in temporally structured call-response sequences and are also strongly affected by the social environment, with individuals calling more when they have more neighbours and juveniles responding more to adults than the reverse. In contrast, short note calls appear mainly in sequences produced by single individuals and show little dependence on social surroundings, suggesting a broadcast signalling mode. Despite these differences, both call categories show similar clustering in space and time at a group level. Our results highlight how the fine-scale structure of vocal interactions can give important insights into the usage and function of signals in social groups. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Kalahari Research Centre , Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
| | - Baptiste Averly
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Kalahari Research Centre , Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
| | - Lily Johnson-Ulrich
- Kalahari Research Centre , Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich , Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Vivek H Sridhar
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Konstanz 78467, Germany
| | - Leonardos Leonardos
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Konstanz 78467, Germany
| | - Alexander Vining
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California , Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Mara Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
| | - Marta B Manser
- Kalahari Research Centre , Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich , Zurich 8057, Switzerland
- Interdisciplinary Center for the Evolution of Language, University of Zurich , Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Kalahari Research Centre , Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
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2
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Goll Y, Bordes C, Weissman YA, Shnitzer I, Beukeboom R, Ilany A, Koren L, Geffen E. The interaction between cortisol and testosterone predicts leadership within rock hyrax social groups. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14857. [PMID: 37684271 PMCID: PMC10491601 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41958-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Group movement leadership is associated with higher risks for those in the front. Leaders are the first to explore new areas and may be exposed to predation. Individual differences in risk-taking behavior may be related to hormonal differences. In challenging circumstances, such as risk-taking leadership that may pose a cost to the leader, cortisol is secreted both to increase the likelihood of survival by restoring homeostasis, and to mediate cooperative behavior. Testosterone too has a well-established role in risk-taking behavior, and the dual-hormone hypothesis posits that the interaction of testosterone and cortisol can predict social behavior. Based on the dual-hormone hypothesis, we investigated here whether the interaction between testosterone and cortisol can predict risk-taking leadership behavior in wild rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis). We used proximity loggers, observations, and playback trials to characterize hyrax leaders in three different leadership contexts that varied in their risk levels. In support of the dual-hormone hypothesis, we found that cortisol and testosterone interactions predict leadership that involves risk. Across different circumstances that involved low or high levels of risk, testosterone was positively related to leadership, but only in individuals (both males and females) with low levels of cortisol. We also found an interaction between these hormone levels and age at the low-risk scenarios. We suggest that the close social interactions and affiliative behavior among hyrax females within small egalitarian groups may make female leadership less risky, and therefore less stressful, and allow female leaders to influence group activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Goll
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Camille Bordes
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yishai A Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Inbar Shnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Rosanne Beukeboom
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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3
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Lamoni L, Garland EC, Allen JA, Coxon J, Noad MJ, Rendell L. Variability in humpback whale songs reveals how individuals can be distinctive when sharing a complex vocal display. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:2238. [PMID: 37092914 DOI: 10.1121/10.0017602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Individually distinctive acoustic signals in animal vocal communication are taxonomically widespread, however, the investigation of these signal types in marine mammals has focused only on a few species. Humpback whale songs are a stereotyped, hierarchically structured vocal display performed by males, and hence thought to be sexually selected. Within a population, whales conform to a common version of the song despite the song constantly evolving. While humpback songs have been studied extensively at the population level, individual level variation has been rarely described, with inconclusive results. Here, we quantified inter- and intra-individual variability at different levels in the song hierarchy using songs from 25 singers across two song types from the eastern Australian population song of 2002 (12 singers), and the revolutionary song introduced in 2003 (13 singers). Inter-individual variability was found heterogeneously across all hierarchical levels of the song structure. In addition, distinct and individually specific patterns of song production were consistently recorded across song levels, with clear structural differences between the two song types. These results suggest that within the constraints of song conformity, males can produce individually distinctive patterns that could function as an advertisement to females to convey individual qualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Lamoni
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution/Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen C Garland
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution/Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny A Allen
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratories, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Jennifer Coxon
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution/Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Noad
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratories, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Luke Rendell
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution/Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
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4
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Watson SK, Filippi P, Gasparri L, Falk N, Tamer N, Widmer P, Manser M, Glock H. Optionality in animal communication: a novel framework for examining the evolution of arbitrariness. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2057-2075. [PMID: 35818133 PMCID: PMC9795909 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A critical feature of language is that the form of words need not bear any perceptual similarity to their function - these relationships can be 'arbitrary'. The capacity to process these arbitrary form-function associations facilitates the enormous expressive power of language. However, the evolutionary roots of our capacity for arbitrariness, i.e. the extent to which related abilities may be shared with animals, is largely unexamined. We argue this is due to the challenges of applying such an intrinsically linguistic concept to animal communication, and address this by proposing a novel conceptual framework highlighting a key underpinning of linguistic arbitrariness, which is nevertheless applicable to non-human species. Specifically, we focus on the capacity to associate alternative functions with a signal, or alternative signals with a function, a feature we refer to as optionality. We apply this framework to a broad survey of findings from animal communication studies and identify five key dimensions of communicative optionality: signal production, signal adjustment, signal usage, signal combinatoriality and signal perception. We find that optionality is widespread in non-human animals across each of these dimensions, although only humans demonstrate it in all five. Finally, we discuss the relevance of optionality to behavioural and cognitive domains outside of communication. This investigation provides a powerful new conceptual framework for the cross-species investigation of the origins of arbitrariness, and promises to generate original insights into animal communication and language evolution more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart K. Watson
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Piera Filippi
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Luca Gasparri
- Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland,Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8163 – STL – Savoirs Textes LangageF‐59000LilleFrance
| | - Nikola Falk
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nicole Tamer
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Paul Widmer
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Marta Manser
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Hans‐Johann Glock
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland
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5
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Demartsev V, Haddas-Sasson M, Ilany A, Koren L, Geffen E. Male rock hyraxes that maintain an isochronous song rhythm achieve higher reproductive success. J Anim Ecol 2022. [PMID: 36097377 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Rhythmic stability (nonrandom temporal structure) is required for many neural and physiological functions, whereas rhythmic irregularities can indicate genetic or developmental deficiencies. Therefore, rhythmic courtship or contest signals are widespread in nature as honest advertisement displays. Examination of bird songs revealed the pervasiveness of categorical rhythmic patterns that can be described as small integer ratios between sequential inter-call intervals. As similar rhythmic profiles are prevalent in human music, it was suggested that a shared functionality could drive both animal songs and human musical rhythms, facilitating synchrony between signallers and enabling easy identification of performance errors. Here we examined whether the rhythmic structure and the rhythmic stability of vocal displays are related to reproductive success in male rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), which presents an unusual case of a terrestrial singing mammal. We combined long-term parentage analysis of 13 male hyraxes (22 male/years) with an analysis of an audio library of 105 hyrax songs. Male annual reproductive success was determined by the number of offspring that survived to the age of 1 year. The frequency of singing events was used to determine the seasonal singing effort for each male. Songs were analysed for rhythmic structure, focusing on the presence of categorical rhythms and the contribution of rhythmic stability to annual reproductive success. We found that male hyraxes that sing more frequently tend to have more surviving offspring and that the rhythmic profile of hyrax songs is predominantly isochronous with sequential vocal element pairs nearly equally spaced. The ratio of isochronous vocal element transitions (on-integer) to element transitions that deviate from an isochronous pattern (off-integer) in hyrax songs is positively correlated with male reproductive success. Our findings support the notion that isochronous rhythmic stability can serve as an indication of quality in sexually selected signals and is not necessarily driven by the need for multiple caller synchronization. The relative scarcity of nonisochronous rhythmic categories in individually performed hyrax songs raises the question of whether such rhythmic categories could be a product of collective, coordinated signalling, while being selected against in individual performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Plank Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Amiyaal Ilany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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6
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Saloma A, Ratsimbazafindranahaka MN, Martin M, Andrianarimisa A, Huetz C, Adam O, Charrier I. Social calls in humpback whale mother-calf groups off Sainte Marie breeding ground (Madagascar, Indian Ocean). PeerJ 2022; 10:e13785. [PMID: 35990903 PMCID: PMC9390327 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) use vocalizations during diverse social interactions or activities such as foraging or mating. Unlike songs produced only by males, social calls are produced by all types of individuals (adult males and females, juveniles and calves). Several studies have described social calls in the humpback whale's breeding and the feeding grounds and from different geographic areas. We aimed to investigate for the first time the vocal repertoire of humpback whale mother-calf groups during the breeding season off Sainte Marie island, Madagascar, South Western Indian Ocean using data collected in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. We recorded social calls using Acousonde tags deployed on the mother or the calf in mother-calf groups. A total of 21 deployments were analyzed. We visually and aurally identified 30 social call types and classified them into five categories: low, medium, high-frequency sounds, amplitude-modulated sounds, and pulsed sounds. The aural-visual classifications have been validated using random forest (RF) analyses. Low-frequency sounds constituted 46% of all social calls, mid-frequency 35%, and high frequency 10%. Amplitude-modulated sounds constituted 8% of all vocalizations, and pulsed sounds constituted 1%. While some social call types seemed specific to our study area, others presented similarities with social calls described in other geographic areas, on breeding and foraging grounds, and during migrating routes. Among the call types described in this study, nine call types were also found in humpback whale songs recorded in the same region. The 30 call types highlight the diversity of the social calls recorded in mother-calf groups and thus the importance of acoustic interactions in the relationships between the mother and her calf and between the mother-calf pair and escorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjara Saloma
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France,Département de Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar,Association Cétamada, Barachois Sainte Marie, Madagascar
| | - Maevatiana N. Ratsimbazafindranahaka
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France,Département de Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar,Association Cétamada, Barachois Sainte Marie, Madagascar
| | - Mathilde Martin
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France
| | - Aristide Andrianarimisa
- Département de Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Chloé Huetz
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France
| | - Olivier Adam
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France,Institut Jean Le Rond d’Alembert, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Charrier
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Saclay, France
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7
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Frydman G, Goll Y, Geffen E, Koren L. Sex differences in frequencies in a species with modest sexual size dimorphism. BIOACOUSTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2022.2105954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gal Frydman
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yael Goll
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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8
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Habitat preferences, estimated abundance and behavior of tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax sp.) in fragmented montane forests of Taita Hills, Kenya. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6331. [PMID: 35428748 PMCID: PMC9012809 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10235-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied a previously almost unknown nocturnal mammal, an apparently undescribed species of tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax sp.) in the moist montane forests of Taita Hills, Kenya. We used thermal imaging to locate tree hyraxes, observe their behavior, and to identify woody plants most frequently visited by the selective browsers. We also documented acoustic behavior in forest fragments of different sizes. Data on calling type and frequency were analyzed together with lidar data to estimate population densities and to identify forest stand characteristics associated with large populations. Viable populations were found only in the largest forest fragments (> 90 ha), where tree hyraxes preferred most pristine forest stands with high, multilayered canopies. The estimated population sizes in smaller forest fragments were very limited, and hyraxes were heard to call only during late night and early morning hours, presumably in order to avoid detection. While we frequently recorded tree hyrax songs in the largest forest fragments, we almost never heard songs in the small ones. All remaining subpopulations of the Taita tree hyrax are under threat of human disturbance and further habitat deterioration. Conservation efforts should include protection of all remaining habitat patches, but also reforestation of former habitat is urgently needed.
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9
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Goll Y, Bordes C, Weissman YA, Shnitzer I, Beukeboom R, Ilany A, Koren L, Geffen E. Sex-associated and context-dependent leadership in the rock hyrax. iScience 2022; 25:104063. [PMID: 35359807 PMCID: PMC8961210 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In many mammalian species, both sexes may take leadership role, but different traits may play a role in determining variation within species. Here we examine the effect of sex on leadership. We present three complementary datasets derived from a well-studied population of wild rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). The findings demonstrated that male and female rock hyraxes take on different leadership positions, depending on the context. When risk is moderate, more likely to lead are younger resident males, which experience high cortisol and lower testosterone levels. However, during acute predation scenarios, more likely to lead are males with lower centrality status. We suggest that hyrax males exhibit risky behaviors that may reflect their need for self-advertisement. In contrast, leadership among group females is more equally distributed. Females have little to gain from risky actions due to the lack of competition among them, but nonetheless take leadership positions. Different traits play a role in hyrax male and female leaders, in different contexts On moderate risk, younger resident males with high cortisol and low testosterone lead During predation scenario, lower centrality status males lead Among group females, leadership is more equally distributed
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Goll
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Camille Bordes
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Yishai A. Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Inbar Shnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Rosanne Beukeboom
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Corresponding author
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10
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Oates JF, Woodman N, Gaubert P, Sargis EJ, Wiafe ED, Lecompte E, Dowsett-Lemaire F, Dowsett RJ, Gonedelé Bi S, Ikemeh RA, Djagoun CAMS, Tomsett L, Bearder SK. A new species of tree hyrax (Procaviidae: Dendrohyrax) from West Africa and the significance of the Niger–Volta interfluvium in mammalian biogeography. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Tree hyraxes (Dendrohyrax) are one of only three genera currently recognized in Procaviidae, the only extant family in the mammalian order Hyracoidea. Their taxonomy and natural history have received little attention in recent decades. All tree hyrax populations of Guineo-Congolian forests of Africa are currently treated as a single species, Dendrohyrax dorsalis, the western tree hyrax, but many other groups of mammals distributed across this large biome have been shown to consist of several different species, each restricted to a distinct biogeographical region. We analysed variation in loud-call structure, pelage colour, skull morphometrics and mitochondrial genomes in populations across much of the range of D. dorsalis. This integrative approach uncovered considerable cryptic variation. The population found between the Niger and Volta Rivers in West Africa is particularly distinctive, and we describe it herein as a new species. Our study highlights the need to revise the taxonomy of the genus Dendrohyrax in light of modern systematics and current understanding of its distribution. It also adds to a growing body of evidence that the Niger–Volta interfluvium has a distinct meso-mammal fauna. Unfortunately, the fauna of this region is under major threat and warrants much greater conservation attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- John F Oates
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College CUNY, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Neal Woodman
- U. S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Research Center, Laurel, MD 20708, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Philippe Gaubert
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD/CNRS/UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Divisions of Vertebrate Zoology and Vertebrate Paleontology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Edward D Wiafe
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Emilie Lecompte
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD/CNRS/UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Sery Gonedelé Bi
- Département de Génétique, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 01 BP V34 Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | | | - Chabi A M S Djagoun
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 B.P. 526 Cotonou, Benin
| | - Louise Tomsett
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Simon K Bearder
- School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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11
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Sun C, Zhang C, Lucas JR, Lin A, Feng J, Jiang T. Territorial calls of the bat Hipposideros armiger may encode multiple types of information: body mass, dominance rank and individual identity. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:689-702. [PMID: 33409759 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01455-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In highly vocal species, territorial aggression is often accompanied using vocalizations. These vocalizations can play a critical role in determining the outcome of male-male agonistic interactions. For this, vocalizations of contestants must contain information that is indicative of each competitor's fighting ability as well as its identity, and also contestants must be able to perceive information about the physical attributes, quality and identity of the vocalizer. Here, we used adult male Great Himalayan leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideros armiger) to test whether territorial calls encoded honest information about a caller's physical attributes, quality and individual identity. We did this by exploring the relationships between territorial calls and two potential indices of fighting ability: body mass and dominance rank. Using synchronized audio-video recording, we monitored bat territorial calls and dominance rank of 16 adult male H. armiger in the laboratory. Additionally, habituation-dishabituation playback experiments were performed to test for vocal discrimination. Results showed that body mass was negatively related to minimum frequency and positively related to syllable duration. Dominance score was also negatively related to minimum frequency and positively related to peak frequency. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis suggested that territorial calls encode an individual signature. Therefore, our data show that males have the ability to utilize this vocal individual signature to discriminate between vocalizing males. In short, territorial calls of male H. armiger contain information about body mass, dominance rank and individual identity, and contestants are probably capable of perceiving this information and may use it to make appropriate decisions during agonistic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congnan Sun
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Chunmian Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jeffrey R Lucas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Aiqing Lin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China.
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
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12
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Cusano DA, Indeck KL, Noad MJ, Dunlop RA. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) social call production reflects both motivational state and arousal. BIOACOUSTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2020.1858450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dana A. Cusano
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia
| | - Katherine L. Indeck
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia
| | - Michael J. Noad
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia
| | - Rebecca A. Dunlop
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Australia
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13
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Vocalization Analyses of Nocturnal Arboreal Mammals of the Taita Hills, Kenya. DIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12120473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Three poorly known nocturnal mammal species from the montane forests of the Taita Hills in Kenya, were studied via vocalization analysis. Here, their acoustic behaviour is described. The studied animals were the tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax sp.), the small-eared greater galago (Otolemur garnettii), and the dwarf galago (Paragalago sp.). High-quality loud calls were analysed using RAVEN PRO, and compared to calls of presumed closest relatives. Our findings include the first detailed descriptions of tree hyrax songs. Moreover, our results suggest that the tree hyrax of Taita Hills may be a taxon new to science, as it produces a characteristic call, the ‘strangled thwack’, not previously known from other Dendrohyrax populations. Our data confirms that the small-eared greater galago subspecies living in the Taita Hills is Otolemur garnettii lasiotis. The loud calls of the elusive Taita Hills dwarf galago closely resemble those of the Kenya coast dwarf galago (Paragalago cocos). Thus, the population in the Taita Hills probably belongs to this species. The Taita Hills dwarf galagos are geographically isolated from other dwarf galago populations, and live in montane cloud forest, which is an unusual habitat for P. cocos. Intriguingly, two dwarf galago subpopulations living in separate forest patches in the Taita Hills, Ngangao and Mbololo, have clearly different contact calls. The Paragalagos in Mbololo Forest may represent a population of P. cocos with a derived call repertoire, or, alternatively, they may actually be mountain dwarf galagos (P. orinus). Hence, differences in habitat, behaviour, and contact call structure suggest that there may be two different Paragalago species in the montane forests of the Taita Hills.
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14
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Weissman YA, Demartsev V, Ilany A, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Koren L, Geffen E. A crescendo in the inner structure of snorts: a reflection of increasing arousal in rock hyrax songs? Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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15
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Charlton BD, Owen MA, Zhou X, Zhang H, Swaisgood RR. Influence of season and social context on male giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) vocal behaviour. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225772. [PMID: 31770420 PMCID: PMC6879133 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Documenting the different social and behavioural contexts that vocalisations are produced in remains an important step towards understanding the functional relevance of specific call types in a given species’ vocal repertoire. In this study we investigated whether seasonal differences and the presence or absence of male and female conspecifics influence the production of male giant panda vocal signals. To this end, captive male giant pandas were observed during and outside of the breeding season in three social contexts: only male conspecific neighbours, only female conspecific neighbours, and a context with no neighbours. We found that males were more likely to bleat, chirp, honk and moan during the breeding season, and showed a tendency to growl more outside of the reproductive period. The contextual analysis revealed that bleats were more likely to be produced by males when opposite-sexed conspecifics are in close attendance during the breeding season. Conversely, males were more likely to chirp when neighboured by males than females or no neighbours. In addition, males were more likely to honk in the absence of neighbouring conspecifics during the breeding season, raising the possibility that these calls function to signal location and gain the attention of potential mates. Moans were produced more often when male giant pandas had male than female neighbours during the breeding season, which may reflect mild aggression towards these same-sexed rivals, whereas the production of barks and growls did not vary according to season or the sex of conspecific neighbours. Our findings underscore the importance of male giant panda bleats for coordinating reproduction and promoting contact with potential mating partners in this non-gregarious species, and yield fresh insights into the function of male honks that warrant further investigation. They also provide a basis for comparison with free-ranging giant panda vocal behaviour that could potentially inform conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D. Charlton
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Megan A. Owen
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Xiaoping Zhou
- China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan, China
| | - Hemin Zhang
- China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan, China
| | - Ronald R. Swaisgood
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, California, United States of America
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16
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Demartsev V, Gordon N, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Ilany T, Goll Y, Ilany A, Geffen E. The "Law of Brevity" in animal communication: Sex-specific signaling optimization is determined by call amplitude rather than duration. Evol Lett 2019; 3:623-634. [PMID: 31867122 PMCID: PMC6906988 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficiency of informational transfer is one of the key aspects of any communication system. The informational coding economy of human languages is often demonstrated by their almost universal fit to Zipf's “Law of Brevity,” expressing negative relationship between word length and its usage frequency. Animal vocal systems, however, provided mixed results in their adherence to this relationship, potentially due to conflicting evolutionary pressures related to differences in signaling range and communicational needs. To examine this potential parallel between human and animal vocal communication, and also to explore how divergent, sex‐specific, communicational settings affect signaling efficiency within a species, we examined the complete vocal repertoire of rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis). As male and female hyraxes differ in their sociality levels and male hyraxes vocal repertoire is dominated by sexual advertisement songs, we hypothesized that sex‐specific vocal repertoires could be subjected to different signaling optimization pressures. Our results show that the sexes differ in repertoire size, call usage, and adherence to coding efficiency principles. Interestingly, the classic call length/call usage relationship is not consistently found in rock hyraxes. Rather, a negative relationship between call amplitude and call usage is found, suggesting that the efficiency of the vocal repertoire is driven by call amplitude rather than duration. We hypothesize that, in contrast to human speech that is mainly intended for short distance, the need for frequent long‐range signaling shapes an animal's vocal repertoire efficiency according to the cost of call amplitude rather than call length. However, call duration may be a secondary factor affecting signaling efficiency, in cases where amplitude is under specific selection pressures, such as sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz 78464 Germany.,School of Zoology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv 6997801 Israel
| | - Naomi Gordon
- School of Zoology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv 6997801 Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research Escondido California 92027.,Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Abingdon OX13 5QL United Kingdom
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology Ben-Gurion University Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000 Israel
| | | | - Yael Goll
- School of Zoology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv 6997801 Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- Faculty of Life Sciences Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan 5290002 Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv 6997801 Israel
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17
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Weissman YA, Demartsev V, Ilany A, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Geffen E, Koren L. Social context mediates testosterone's effect on snort acoustics in male hyrax songs. Horm Behav 2019; 114:104535. [PMID: 31129283 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone affects physical and motivational states, both of which may strongly influence vocalization structure and acoustics. The loud complex calls (i.e., songs) of male rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) are used as honest signals for advertising physical and social states. The snort, a low frequency, noisy element of the song, encodes information on the singer's age and social rank via harshness, as measured by jitter (i.e., acoustic frequency stability) and duration; suggesting that the snort concomitantly advertises both vocal stability and aggression. Our past findings revealed that testosterone levels are related to both vocal elements and social status of male hyraxes, suggesting that hormonal mechanisms mediate the motivation for aggressive and courtship behaviors. Here we examined whether long-term androgen levels are related to snort acoustics and song structure by comparing levels of testosterone in hair with acoustic and structural parameters. We found that songs performed by individuals with higher testosterone levels include more singing bouts and longer, smoother snorts, but only in those songs induced by external triggers. It is possible that hyraxes with higher levels of testosterone possess the ability to perform higher-quality singing, but only invest in situations of high social arousal and potential benefit. Surprisingly, in spontaneous songs, hyraxes with high testosterone were found to snort more harshly than low-testosterone males. The context dependent effects of high testosterone on snort acoustics suggest that the aggressive emotional arousal associated with testosterone is naturally reflected in the jittery hyrax snort, but that it can be masked by high-quality performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yishai A Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Vlad Demartsev
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA 92027, USA; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Mitrani Dept. of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
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18
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Koren L, Weissman Y, Schnitzer I, Beukeboom R, Bar Ziv E, Demartsev V, Barocas A, Ilany A, Geffen E. Sexually opposite effects of testosterone on mating success in wild rock hyrax. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Although males and females share traits, their motivations and needs may be different, due to life-history disparities that lead to divergent selection pressures. Proximate mechanisms underlying differences between the sexes include hormones that mediate the development and activation of suites of traits. Testosterone is associated with morphological features, physiological processes, and social behaviors in both sexes. However, even if present in similar concentrations in the circulation, testosterone often affects males and females differently. We combined behavioral mating observations of the wild polygynandrous rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) with hair testosterone that represents long-term integrated levels. We found that whereas copulation success increases with the rise in testosterone in males it decreases in females. We did not find an association between testosterone and choosiness in either sex. However, we found that males with higher testosterone mate-guarded females with lower testosterone. Our findings show disassortative mating and mate-guarding in respect to testosterone and provide clues to the cost of testosterone for females, in terms of copulation success. These results open up intriguing questions relating to the role of testosterone in mediating a similar trade-off in male and female reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yishai Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Inbar Schnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Rosanne Beukeboom
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Einat Bar Ziv
- Mitarani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker, Israel
| | - Vlad Demartsev
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Biology Department, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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19
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Demartsev V, Kershenbaum A, Ilany A, Barocas A, Weissman Y, Koren L, Geffen E. Lifetime changes in vocal syntactic complexity of rock hyrax males are determined by social class. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Sehrsweeney M, Wilson DR, Bain M, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. The effects of stress and glucocorticoids on vocalizations: a test in North American red squirrels. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractAcoustic signaling is an important means by which animals communicate both stable and labile characteristics. Although it is widely appreciated that vocalizations can convey information on labile state, such as fear and aggression, fewer studies have experimentally examined the acoustic expression of stress state. The transmission of such public information about physiological state could have broad implications, potentially influencing the behavior and life-history traits of neighbors. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) produce vocalizations known as rattles that advertise territorial ownership. We examined the influence of changes in physiological stress state on rattle acoustic structure through the application of a stressor (trapping and handling the squirrels) and by provisioning squirrels with exogenous glucocorticoids (GCs). We characterized the acoustic structure of rattles emitted by these squirrels by measuring rattle duration, mean frequency, and entropy. We found evidence that rattles do indeed exhibit a “stress signature.” When squirrels were trapped and handled, they produced rattles that were longer in duration with a higher frequency and increased entropy. However, squirrels that were administered exogenous GCs had similar rattle duration, frequency, and entropy as squirrels that were fed control treatments and unfed squirrels. Our results indicate that short-term stress does affect the acoustic structure of vocalizations, but elevated circulating GC levels do not mediate such changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Sehrsweeney
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David R Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Maggie Bain
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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21
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Weissman YA, Demartsev V, Ilany A, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Shnitzer I, Geffen E, Koren L. Acoustic stability in hyrax snorts: vocal tightrope-walkers or wrathful verbal assailants? Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yishai A Weissman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Vlad Demartsev
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA, USA
- Department of Zoology, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
| | - Inbar Shnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
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22
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Chaverri G, Ancillotto L, Russo D. Social communication in bats. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1938-1954. [PMID: 29766650 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bats represent one of the most diverse mammalian orders, not only in terms of species numbers, but also in their ecology and life histories. Many species are known to use ephemeral and/or unpredictable resources that require substantial investment to find and defend, and also engage in social interactions, thus requiring significant levels of social coordination. To accomplish these tasks, bats must be able to communicate; there is now substantial evidence that demonstrates the complexity of bat communication and the varied ways in which bats solve some of the problems associated with their unique life histories. However, while the study of communication in bats is rapidly growing, it still lags behind other taxa. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of communication in bats, from the reasons why they communicate to the diversity and application of different signal modalities. The most widespread form of communication is the transmission of a signaller's characteristics, such as species identity, sex, individual identity, group membership, social status and body condition, and because many species of bats can rely little on vision due to their nocturnal lifestyles, it is assumed that sound and olfaction are particularly important signalling modes. For example, research suggests that secretions from specialized glands, often in combination with urine and saliva, are responsible for species recognition in several species. These olfactory signals may also convey information about sex and colony membership. Olfaction may be used in combination with sound, particularly in species that emit constant frequency (CF) echolocation calls, to recognize conspecifics from heterospecifics, yet their simple structure and high frequency do not allow much information of individual identity to be conveyed over long distances. By contrast, social calls may encode a larger number of cues of individual identity, and their lower frequencies increase their range of detection. Social calls are also known to deter predators, repel competitors from foraging patches, attract group mates to roost sites, coordinate foraging activities, and are used during courtship. In addition to sound, visual displays such as wing flapping or hovering may be used during courtship, and swarming around roost sites may serve as a visual cue of roost location. However, visual communication in bats still remains a poorly studied signal modality. Finally, the most common form of tactile communication known in bats is social grooming, which may be used to signal reproductive condition, but also to facilitate and strengthen cooperative interactions. Overall, this review demonstrates the rapid advances made in the study of bat social communication during recent years, and also identifies topics that require further study, particularly those that may allow us to understand adaptation to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloriana Chaverri
- Recinto de Golfito, Universidad de Costa Rica, Golfito, 60701, Costa Rica
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, Portici NA 80055, Italy
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, Portici NA 80055, Italy.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
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23
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Goll Y, Demartsev V, Koren L, Geffen E. Male hyraxes increase countersinging as strangers become ‘nasty neighbours’. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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24
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Fedurek P, Zuberbühler K, Semple S. Trade-offs in the production of animal vocal sequences: insights from the structure of wild chimpanzee pant hoots. Front Zool 2017; 14:50. [PMID: 29142585 PMCID: PMC5674848 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0235-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vocal sequences - utterances consisting of calls produced in close succession - are common phenomena in animal communication. While many studies have explored the adaptive benefits of producing such sequences, very little is known about how the costs and constraints involved in their production affect their form. Here, we investigated this issue in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) pant hoot, a long and structurally complex vocal sequence comprising four acoustically distinct phases – introduction, build-up, climax and let-down. Results We found that in each of these phases, and for the sequence as a whole, there was a negative relationship between the number of calls produced and their average duration. There was also a negative relationship between the total duration of some adjacent phases. Significant relationships between the fundamental frequency of calls and their number or duration were found for some phases of the sequence, but the direction of these relationships differed between particular phases. Conclusions These results indicate that there are trade-offs in terms of signal duration at two levels in pant-hoot production: between call number and duration, and between the relative durations of successive phases. These trade-offs are likely to reflect biomechanical constraints on vocal sequence production. Phase-specific trade-offs also appear to occur between fundamental frequency and call number or duration, potentially reflecting that different phases of the sequence are associated with distinct types of information, linked in different ways to call pitch. Overall, this study highlights the important role of costs and constraints in shaping the temporal and acoustic structure of animal vocal sequences. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12983-017-0235-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Fedurek
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | - Stuart Semple
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Interdisciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
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25
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Leliveld LMC, Düpjan S, Tuchscherer A, Puppe B. Vocal correlates of emotional reactivity within and across contexts in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa). Physiol Behav 2017; 181:117-126. [PMID: 28912089 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Vocalizations have long been recognized to encode information about an individual's emotional state and, as such, have contributed to the study of emotions in animals. However, the potential of vocalizations to also encode information about an individual's emotional reactivity has received much less attention. In this study, we aimed to test whether the vocalizations of domestic pigs contain correlates of emotional reactivity that are consistent between different contexts. We recorded vocalizations of 120 young female pigs in an experimental arena in two consecutive recording contexts, social isolation and an encounter with a familiar human. Simultaneously, we measured their heart rate and behaviour to determine their emotional reactivity in the same context (within-context). In addition, we aimed to determine the subjects' emotional reactivity in other contexts (across-context) by measuring their behaviour in four common tests of emotional reactivity, the human approach test, the open door test, the open field test and the novel object test. Using a cluster analysis, we identified four different call types. Significant inter-context correlations were found for all call types, suggesting that pig vocalizations are consistent within an individual across contexts. The call rate and the proportions of the individual call types were found to correlate significantly with indices of emotional reactivity both within and across contexts. Thereby, we found more significant correlations to indices of emotional reactivity within context (behavioural and physiological response during recording) compared to across context (behavioural response in the four emotional reactivity tests). The consistency of the vocal correlates to emotional reactivity between the different contexts depended on the call type. While we found moderate evidence that the high grunt is indicative of more active, more explorative and less fearful individuals both within as well as across contexts, the other call types provided less consistent results. Thus, it seems that some call types are better suited to provide information on a caller's emotional reactivity than others, and further research is needed to clarify the underlying influential factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisette M C Leliveld
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Sandra Düpjan
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Armin Tuchscherer
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6B, D-18059 Rostock, Germany
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26
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Demartsev V, Ilany A, Kershenbaum A, Geva Y, Margalit O, Schnitzer I, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Koren L, Geffen E. The progression pattern of male hyrax songs and the role of climactic ending. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2794. [PMID: 28584250 PMCID: PMC5459900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03035-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of animal vocal signals can either focus on the properties of distinct vocal elements or address the signal as a whole. Although some attention has been given to the continuous progression patterns of bird songs, such patterns in mammalian vocalisations have been largely overlooked. We examined temporal changes in structural and acoustic parameters in male rock hyrax songs. We found a gradual increase in call frequency and amplitude towards the song ending, as well as an abrupt increase in bout syntactic complexity, peaking in the last quintile of a song. In musical terms, such a pattern can be described as a crescendo (amplitude increase) with a terminal climax. In Western music, crescendos are used to maintain attention and direct the listeners towards a memorable highpoint of the musical piece. This structure may have an analogous function in animal communication, recruiting audience attention towards the climactic and potentially most informative part of the signal. Our playback experiments revealed that hyrax males tend to reply more to songs with a climactic ending, indicating that this progression pattern is important for hyrax communication. We suggest that animal vocal communication research can benefit from adding musical concepts to the analysis toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel. .,Dept. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | | | - Yair Geva
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Ori Margalit
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Inbar Schnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- Dept. of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- Mitrani Dept. of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, 8499000, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
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27
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Discrimination of male black-capped chickadee songs: relationship between acoustic preference and performance accuracy. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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28
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Fedurek P, Zuberbühler K, Dahl CD. Sequential information in a great ape utterance. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38226. [PMID: 27910886 PMCID: PMC5133612 DOI: 10.1038/srep38226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is a prime example of acoustically sophisticated vocal behaviour, but its complexity has evolved mainly through sexual selection to attract mates and repel sexual rivals. In contrast, non-human primate calls often mediate complex social interactions, but are generally regarded as acoustically simple. Here, we examine arguably the most complex call in great ape vocal communication, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) 'pant hoot'. This signal consists of four acoustically distinct phases: introduction, build-up, climax and let-down. We applied state-of-the-art Support Vector Machines (SVM) methodology to pant hoots produced by wild male chimpanzees of Budongo Forest, Uganda. We found that caller identity was apparent in all four phases, but most strongly in the low-amplitude introduction and high-amplitude climax phases. Age was mainly correlated with the low-amplitude introduction and build-up phases, dominance rank (i.e. social status) with the high-amplitude climax phase, and context (reflecting activity of the caller) with the low-amplitude let-down phase. We conclude that the complex acoustic structure of chimpanzee pant hoots is linked to a range of socially relevant information in the different phases of the call, reflecting the complex nature of chimpanzee social lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Fedurek
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | - Christoph D. Dahl
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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29
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A mixed strategy of counter-singing behavior in male rock hyrax vocal competitions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2222-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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30
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Déaux EC, Allen AP, Clarke JA, Charrier I. Concatenation of 'alert' and 'identity' segments in dingoes' alarm calls. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30556. [PMID: 27460289 PMCID: PMC4962046 DOI: 10.1038/srep30556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicomponent signals can be formed by the uninterrupted concatenation of multiple call types. One such signal is found in dingoes, Canis familiaris dingo. This stereotyped, multicomponent ‘bark-howl’ vocalisation is formed by the concatenation of a noisy bark segment and a tonal howl segment. Both segments are structurally similar to bark and howl vocalisations produced independently in other contexts (e.g. intra- and inter-pack communication). Bark-howls are mainly uttered in response to human presence and were hypothesized to serve as alarm calls. We investigated the function of bark-howls and the respective roles of the bark and howl segments. We found that dingoes could discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar howl segments, after having only heard familiar howl vocalisations (i.e. different calls). We propose that howl segments could function as ‘identity signals’ and allow receivers to modulate their responses according to the caller’s characteristics. The bark segment increased receivers’ attention levels, providing support for earlier observational claims that barks have an ‘alerting’ function. Lastly, dingoes were more likely to display vigilance behaviours upon hearing bark-howl vocalisations, lending support to the alarm function hypothesis. Canid vocalisations, such as the dingo bark-howl, may provide a model system to investigate the selective pressures shaping complex communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloïse C Déaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia
| | - Andrew P Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia
| | - Jennifer A Clarke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia
| | - Isabelle Charrier
- Université Paris Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, UMR 9197, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Orsay, 91405, France
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31
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Déaux ÉC, Charrier I, Clarke JA. The bark, the howl and the bark-howl: Identity cues in dingoes' multicomponent calls. Behav Processes 2016; 129:94-100. [PMID: 27343622 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Dingoes (genus Canis) produce a stereotyped bark-howl vocalisation, which is a unimodal complex signal formed by the concatenation of two call types (a bark and a howl). Bark-howls may function as alarm signals, although there has been no empirical investigation of this vocalisation's structure or function. We quantified the content and efficacy of the bark and howl segments separately and when combined, using 140 calls from 10 individuals. We found that both segments are individually distinctive, although howl segments are more accurately classified, suggesting a higher level of individuality. Furthermore, howls convey signature characteristics that are conserved across different contexts of production, and thus may act as 'identity signals'. The individual distinctiveness of full bark-howls increases above that of isolated segments, which may be a result of selection on improved signal discriminability. Propagation tests revealed that bark-howls are best described as medium-range signals, with both segments potentially allowing for individual discrimination up to 200m regardless of environmental conditions. We discuss our findings regarding the fitness benefits of encoding identity cues in a potential alarm call and propose additional hypotheses for the function(s) of bark and howl segments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éloïse C Déaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Isabelle Charrier
- Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, UMR 9197, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
| | - Jennifer A Clarke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
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32
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Garcia M, Wondrak M, Huber L, Fitch WT. Honest signaling in domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus): vocal allometry and the information content of grunt calls. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:1913-21. [PMID: 27059064 PMCID: PMC4920241 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.138255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The information conveyed in acoustic signals is a central topic in mammal vocal communication research. Body size is one form of information that can be encoded in calls. Acoustic allometry aims to identify the specific acoustic correlates of body size within the vocalizations of a given species, and formants are often a useful acoustic cue in this context. We conducted a longitudinal investigation of acoustic allometry in domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus), asking whether formants of grunt vocalizations provide information concerning the caller's body size over time. On four occasions, we recorded grunts from 20 kunekune piglets, measured their vocal tract length by means of radiographs (X-rays) and weighed them. Controlling for effects of age and sex, we found that body weight strongly predicts vocal tract length, which in turn determines formant frequencies. We conclude that grunt formant frequencies could allow domestic pigs to assess a signaler's body size as it grows. Further research using playback experiments is needed to determine the perceptual role of formants in domestic pig communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Garcia
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Marianne Wondrak
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria Haidlhof Research Station, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria Haidlhof Research Station, 2540 Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna 1090, Austria
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33
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Matas D, Keren-Rotem T, Koren L. A method to determine integrated steroid levels in wildlife claws. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 230-231:26-8. [PMID: 26993343 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids act throughout life to regulate numerous physiological and behavioral processes. Their levels are therefore highly labile, reacting to varying conditions and stressors. Hence, measuring glucocorticoids (and other steroids) in wildlife is challenging, and devising methods that are unaffected by the stress of capture and handling should be explored. Here we use the tip of free-ranging chameleons' claws that were cut to allow individual identification, and report a steroids extraction and quantification method. Claw steroids present an integrated level representing the period of claw growth. We found that we could measure corticosterone in small amounts of chameleon claw matrix using commercial EIA kits. Using this method, we learned that in wild male chameleons, claw corticosterone levels were associated with body size. We suggest that claw-testing can potentially provide an ideal matrix for wildlife biomonitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devorah Matas
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | | | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
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34
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Demartsev V, Bar Ziv E, Shani U, Goll Y, Koren L, Geffen E. Harsh vocal elements affect counter-singing dynamics in male rock hyrax. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
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35
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Individual, social, and sexual niche traits affect copulation success in a polygynandrous mating system. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2112-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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36
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Kershenbaum A, Blumstein DT, Roch MA, Akçay Ç, Backus G, Bee MA, Bohn K, Cao Y, Carter G, Cäsar C, Coen M, DeRuiter SL, Doyle L, Edelman S, Ferrer-i-Cancho R, Freeberg TM, Garland EC, Gustison M, Harley HE, Huetz C, Hughes M, Bruno JH, Ilany A, Jin DZ, Johnson M, Ju C, Karnowski J, Lohr B, Manser MB, McCowan B, Mercado E, Narins PM, Piel A, Rice M, Salmi R, Sasahara K, Sayigh L, Shiu Y, Taylor C, Vallejo EE, Waller S, Zamora-Gutierrez V. Acoustic sequences in non-human animals: a tutorial review and prospectus. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 91:13-52. [PMID: 25428267 PMCID: PMC4444413 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Revised: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal acoustic communication often takes the form of complex sequences, made up of multiple distinct acoustic units. Apart from the well-known example of birdsong, other animals such as insects, amphibians, and mammals (including bats, rodents, primates, and cetaceans) also generate complex acoustic sequences. Occasionally, such as with birdsong, the adaptive role of these sequences seems clear (e.g. mate attraction and territorial defence). More often however, researchers have only begun to characterise - let alone understand - the significance and meaning of acoustic sequences. Hypotheses abound, but there is little agreement as to how sequences should be defined and analysed. Our review aims to outline suitable methods for testing these hypotheses, and to describe the major limitations to our current and near-future knowledge on questions of acoustic sequences. This review and prospectus is the result of a collaborative effort between 43 scientists from the fields of animal behaviour, ecology and evolution, signal processing, machine learning, quantitative linguistics, and information theory, who gathered for a 2013 workshop entitled, 'Analysing vocal sequences in animals'. Our goal is to present not just a review of the state of the art, but to propose a methodological framework that summarises what we suggest are the best practices for research in this field, across taxa and across disciplines. We also provide a tutorial-style introduction to some of the most promising algorithmic approaches for analysing sequences. We divide our review into three sections: identifying the distinct units of an acoustic sequence, describing the different ways that information can be contained within a sequence, and analysing the structure of that sequence. Each of these sections is further subdivided to address the key questions and approaches in that area. We propose a uniform, systematic, and comprehensive approach to studying sequences, with the goal of clarifying research terms used in different fields, and facilitating collaboration and comparative studies. Allowing greater interdisciplinary collaboration will facilitate the investigation of many important questions in the evolution of communication and sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arik Kershenbaum
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, 1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-3410, USA
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Marie A. Roch
- Department of Computer Science, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Çağlar Akçay
- Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Gregory Backus
- Department of Biomathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Mark A. Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Cir, Falcon Heights, MN 55108, USA
| | - Kirsten Bohn
- Integrated Science, Florida International University, Modesto Maidique Campus, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC-4, 351, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Yan Cao
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Gerald Carter
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Cristiane Cäsar
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St Mary’s Quad South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Michael Coen
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin, K6/446 Clinical Sciences Center, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-4675, USA
| | - Stacy L. DeRuiter
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
| | - Laurance Doyle
- Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Ave, Suite 100, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - Shimon Edelman
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 211 Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-7601, USA
| | - Ramon Ferrer-i-Cancho
- Department of Computer Science, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, (Catalonia), Calle Jordi Girona, 31, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Todd M. Freeberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Austin Peay Building, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Ellen C. Garland
- National Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Morgan Gustison
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Heidi E. Harley
- Division of Social Sciences, New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA
| | - Chloé Huetz
- CNPS, CNRS UMR 8195, Université Paris-Sud, UMR 8195, Batiments 440-447, Rue Claude Bernard, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Melissa Hughes
- Department of Biology, College of Charleston, 66 George St, Charleston, SC 29424, USA
| | - Julia Hyland Bruno
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, 1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-3410, USA
| | - Dezhe Z. Jin
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, 104 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802-6300, USA
| | - Michael Johnson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Marquette University, 1515 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
| | - Chenghui Ju
- Department of Biology, Queen College, The City Univ. of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, New York 11367, USA
| | - Jeremy Karnowski
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0515, USA
| | - Bernard Lohr
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Brenda McCowan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, 1 Peter J Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology; Evolution, Ecology, & Behavior, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Park Hall Room 204, Buffalo, NY 14260-4110, USA
| | - Peter M. Narins
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 612 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7246, USA
| | - Alex Piel
- Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street Cambridge, CB2 3QG, UK
| | - Megan Rice
- Department of Psychology, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd., San Marcos, CA 92096-0001, USA
| | - Roberta Salmi
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia at Athens, 355 S Jackson St, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Kazutoshi Sasahara
- Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Laela Sayigh
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 86 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Yu Shiu
- Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Charles Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Edgar E. Vallejo
- Department of Computer Science, Monterrey Institute of Technology, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur Col. Tecnológico C.P. 64849, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Sara Waller
- Department of Philosophy, Montana State University, 2-155 Wilson Hall, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Veronica Zamora-Gutierrez
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, University College London, London WC1H 0AG, UK
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37
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Limacher-Burrell AM, Bhagwandin A, Gravett N, Maseko BC, Manger PR. Nuclear organization of the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) amygdaloid complex. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:3171-91. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1094-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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38
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Kershenbaum A, Garland EC. Quantifying similarity in animal vocal sequences: which metric performs best? Methods Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ellen C. Garland
- School of Biology University of St. Andrews St. Andrews Fife KY16 9TH UK
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39
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Briefer EF, Maigrot AL, Mandel R, Freymond SB, Bachmann I, Hillmann E. Segregation of information about emotional arousal and valence in horse whinnies. Sci Rep 2015; 4:9989. [PMID: 25897781 PMCID: PMC4404681 DOI: 10.1038/srep09989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying vocal correlates of emotions is important to provide a better understanding of the evolution of emotion expression through cross-species comparisons. Emotions are composed of two main dimensions: emotional arousal (calm versus excited) and valence (negative versus positive). These two dimensions could be encoded in different vocal parameters (segregation of information) or in the same parameters, inducing a trade-off between cues indicating emotional arousal and valence. We investigated these two hypotheses in horses. We placed horses in five situations eliciting several arousal levels and positive as well as negative valence. Physiological and behavioral measures collected during the tests suggested the presence of different underlying emotions. First, using detailed vocal analyses, we discovered that all whinnies contained two fundamental frequencies (“F0” and “G0”), which were not harmonically related, suggesting biphonation. Second, we found that F0 and the energy spectrum encoded arousal, while G0 and whinny duration encoded valence. Our results show that cues to emotional arousal and valence are segregated in different, relatively independent parameters of horse whinnies. Most of the emotion-related changes to vocalizations that we observed are similar to those observed in humans and other species, suggesting that vocal expression of emotions has been conserved throughout evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie F Briefer
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Laure Maigrot
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.,Agroscope - Swiss National Stud Farm, Les Longs Prés, P.O. Box 191, 1580, Avenches, Switzerland
| | - Roi Mandel
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.,Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | | | - Iris Bachmann
- Agroscope - Swiss National Stud Farm, Les Longs Prés, P.O. Box 191, 1580, Avenches, Switzerland
| | - Edna Hillmann
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
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Bryan HM, Smits JEG, Koren L, Paquet PC, Wynne‐Edwards KE, Musiani M. Heavily hunted wolves have higher stress and reproductive steroids than wolves with lower hunting pressure. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heather M. Bryan
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary 3280 Hospital Drive NWCalgary AB Canada T2N 4Z6
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation PO Box 2429 Sidney BC Canada V8L 1Y2
- Department of Geography University of Victoria PO Box 3060 STN CSC Victoria BC Canada V8W 3R4
- Hakai Beach Institute PO Box 309 Heriot Bay BC Canada V0P 1H0
| | - Judit E. G. Smits
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary 3280 Hospital Drive NWCalgary AB Canada T2N 4Z6
| | - Lee Koren
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary 3280 Hospital Drive NWCalgary AB Canada T2N 4Z6
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences Bar‐Ilan University Ramat Gan 52900 Israel
| | - Paul C. Paquet
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation PO Box 2429 Sidney BC Canada V8L 1Y2
- Department of Geography University of Victoria PO Box 3060 STN CSC Victoria BC Canada V8W 3R4
- Faculty of Environmental Design University of Calgary 2500 University Dr NW Calgary ABCanada T2N 1N4
| | | | - Marco Musiani
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Calgary 3280 Hospital Drive NWCalgary AB Canada T2N 4Z6
- Faculty of Environmental Design University of Calgary 2500 University Dr NW Calgary ABCanada T2N 1N4
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Demartsev V, Kershenbaum A, Ilany A, Barocas A, Bar Ziv E, Koren L, Geffen E. Male hyraxes increase song complexity and duration in the presence of alert individuals. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Fernald RD. Communication about social status. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2014; 28:1-4. [PMID: 24793315 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Revised: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Dominance hierarchies are ubiquitous in social species and serve to organize social systems. Social and sexual status is communicated directly among animals via sensory systems evolved in the particular species. Such signals may be chemical, visual, auditory, postural or a combination of signals. In most species, status is initially established through physical conflict between individuals that leads to ritualized conflict or threats, reducing possibly dangerous results of fighting. Many of the status signals contain other information, as in some bird species that communicate both the size of their group and their individual rank vocally. Recent studies have shown that scent signaling among hyenas of east Africa is unique, being produced by fermentative, odor producing bacteria residing in the scent glands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D Fernald
- Biology and Neuroscience, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
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Manser MB, Jansen DA, Graw B, Hollén LI, Bousquet CA, Furrer RD, le Roux A. Vocal Complexity in Meerkats and Other Mongoose Species. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800286-5.00006-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Garcia M, Charlton BD, Wyman MT, Fitch WT, Reby D. Do red deer stags (Cervus elaphus) use roar fundamental frequency (F0) to assess rivals? PLoS One 2013; 8:e83946. [PMID: 24386312 PMCID: PMC3875517 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that in humans, male voices are disproportionately lower pitched than female voices, and recent studies suggest that this dimorphism in fundamental frequency (F0) results from both intrasexual (male competition) and intersexual (female mate choice) selection for lower pitched voices in men. However, comparative investigations indicate that sexual dimorphism in F0 is not universal in terrestrial mammals. In the highly polygynous and sexually dimorphic Scottish red deer Cervus elaphus scoticus, more successful males give sexually-selected calls (roars) with higher minimum F0s, suggesting that high, rather than low F0s advertise quality in this subspecies. While playback experiments demonstrated that oestrous females prefer higher pitched roars, the potential role of roar F0 in male competition remains untested. Here we examined the response of rutting red deer stags to playbacks of re-synthesized male roars with different median F0s. Our results show that stags’ responses (latencies and durations of attention, vocal and approach responses) were not affected by the F0 of the roar. This suggests that intrasexual selection is unlikely to strongly influence the evolution of roar F0 in Scottish red deer stags, and illustrates how the F0 of terrestrial mammal vocal sexual signals may be subject to different selection pressures across species. Further investigations on species characterized by different F0 profiles are needed to provide a comparative background for evolutionary interpretations of sex differences in mammalian vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Garcia
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Megan T. Wyman
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - David Reby
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Barelli C, Mundry R, Heistermann M, Hammerschmidt K. Cues to androgens and quality in male gibbon songs. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82748. [PMID: 24367551 PMCID: PMC3867390 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal vocal signals may provide information about senders and mediate important social interactions like sexual competition, territory maintenance and mate selection. Hence, it is important to understand whether vocal signals provide accurate information about animal attributes or status. Gibbons are non-human primates that produce loud, distinctive and melodious vocalizations resembling more those of birds than of other non-human primates. Wild gibbons are characterized by flexibility in social organization (i.e., pairs and multimale units) as well as in mating system (i.e., monogamy and polyandry). Such features make them a suitable model to investigate whether the physiology (hormonal status) and socio-demographic features find their correspondence in the structure of their songs. By combining male solo song recordings, endocrine outputs using non-invasive fecal androgen measures and behavioral observations, we studied 14 groups (10 pair-living, 4 multimale) of wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) residing at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. We collected a total of 322 fecal samples and recorded 48 songs from 18 adult animals. Our results confirmed inter-individuality in male gibbon songs, and showed a clear correlation between androgen levels and song structures. Gibbons with higher androgen levels produced calls having higher pitch, and similarly adult individuals produced longer calls than senior males. Thus, it is plausible that gibbon vocalizations provide receivers with information about singers' attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Barelli
- Sezione di Biodiversità Tropicale, MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy
- Reproductive Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail: (CB); (KH)
| | - Roger Mundry
- Department of Primatology and Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail: (CB); (KH)
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Charlton BD, Whisson DA, Reby D. Free-ranging male koalas use size-related variation in formant frequencies to assess rival males. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70279. [PMID: 23922967 PMCID: PMC3726542 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the use of formant frequencies in nonhuman animal vocal communication systems has received considerable recent interest, only a few studies have examined the importance of these acoustic cues to body size during intra-sexual competition between males. Here we used playback experiments to present free-ranging male koalas with re-synthesised bellow vocalisations in which the formants were shifted to simulate either a large or a small adult male. We found that male looking responses did not differ according to the size variant condition played back. In contrast, male koalas produced longer bellows and spent more time bellowing when they were presented with playbacks simulating larger rivals. In addition, males were significantly slower to respond to this class of playback stimuli than they were to bellows simulating small males. Our results indicate that male koalas invest more effort into their vocal responses when they are presented with bellows that have lower formants indicative of larger rivals, but also show that males are slower to engage in vocal exchanges with larger males that represent more dangerous rivals. By demonstrating that male koalas use formants to assess rivals during the breeding season we have provided evidence that male-male competition constitutes an important selection pressure for broadcasting and attending to size-related formant information in this species. Further empirical studies should investigate the extent to which the use of formants during intra-sexual competition is widespread throughout mammals.
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47
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Ilany A, Barocas A, Kam M, Ilany T, Geffen E. The energy cost of singing in wild rock hyrax males: evidence for an index signal. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Jansen DAWAM, Cant MA, Manser MB. Segmental concatenation of individual signatures and context cues in banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) close calls. BMC Biol 2012; 10:97. [PMID: 23206242 PMCID: PMC3529192 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Accepted: 12/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND All animals are anatomically constrained in the number of discrete call types they can produce. Recent studies suggest that by combining existing calls into meaningful sequences, animals can increase the information content of their vocal repertoire despite these constraints. Additionally, signalers can use vocal signatures or cues correlated to other individual traits or contexts to increase the information encoded in their vocalizations. However, encoding multiple vocal signatures or cues using the same components of vocalizations usually reduces the signals' reliability. Segregation of information could effectively circumvent this trade-off. In this study we investigate how banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) encode multiple vocal signatures or cues in their frequently emitted graded single syllable close calls. RESULTS The data for this study were collected on a wild, but habituated, population of banded mongooses. Using behavioral observations and acoustical analysis we found that close calls contain two acoustically different segments. The first being stable and individually distinct, and the second being graded and correlating with the current behavior of the individual, whether it is digging, searching or moving. This provides evidence of Marler's hypothesis on temporal segregation of information within a single syllable call type. Additionally, our work represents an example of an identity cue integrated as a discrete segment within a single call that is independent from context. This likely functions to avoid ambiguity between individuals or receivers having to keep track of several context-specific identity cues. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides the first evidence of segmental concatenation of information within a single syllable in non-human vocalizations. By reviewing descriptions of call structures in the literature, we suggest a general application of this mechanism. Our study indicates that temporal segregation and segmental concatenation of vocal signatures or cues is likely a common, but so far neglected, dimension of information coding in animal vocal communication. We argue that temporal segregation of vocal signatures and cues evolves in species where communication of multiple unambiguous signals is crucial, but is limited by the number of call types produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- David AWAM Jansen
- Animal Behaviour, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael A Cant
- Daphne du Maurier, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Marta B Manser
- Animal Behaviour, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Charlton BD, Ellis WA, Brumm J, Nilsson K, Fitch WT. Female koalas prefer bellows in which lower formants indicate larger males. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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50
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Wyman M, Mooring M, McCowan B, Penedo M, Reby D, Hart L. Acoustic cues to size and quality in the vocalizations of male North American bison, Bison bison. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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