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Favaro L, Zanoli A, Ludynia K, Snyman A, Carugati F, Friard O, Scaglione FE, Manassero L, Valazza A, Mathevon N, Gamba M, Reby D. Vocal tract shape variation contributes to individual vocal identity in African penguins. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231029. [PMID: 37817600 PMCID: PMC10565386 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1029] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in formant frequencies has been shown to affect social interactions and sexual competition in a range of avian species. Yet, the anatomical bases of this variation are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the morphological correlates of formants production in the vocal apparatus of African penguins. We modelled the geometry of the supra-syringeal vocal tract of 20 specimens to generate a population of virtual vocal tracts with varying dimensions. We then estimated the acoustic response of these virtual vocal tracts and extracted the centre frequency of the first four predicted formants. We demonstrate that: (i) variation in length and cross-sectional area of vocal tracts strongly affects the formant pattern, (ii) the tracheal region determines most of this variation, and (iii) the skeletal size of penguins does not correlate with the trachea length and consequently has relatively little effect on formants. We conclude that in African penguins, while the variation in vocal tract geometry generates variation in resonant frequencies supporting the discrimination of conspecifics, such variation does not provide information on the emitter's body size. Overall, our findings advance our understanding of the role of formant frequencies in bird vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Favaro
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne, France
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Anna Zanoli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Katrin Ludynia
- Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Albert Snyman
- Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Filippo Carugati
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Olivier Friard
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Luca Manassero
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Alberto Valazza
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - David Reby
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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2
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Robotka H, Thomas L, Yu K, Wood W, Elie JE, Gahr M, Theunissen FE. Sparse ensemble neural code for a complete vocal repertoire. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112034. [PMID: 36696266 PMCID: PMC10363576 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112034] [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: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The categorization of animal vocalizations into distinct behaviorally relevant groups for communication is an essential operation that must be performed by the auditory system. This auditory object recognition is a difficult task that requires selectivity to the group identifying acoustic features and invariance to renditions within each group. We find that small ensembles of auditory neurons in the forebrain of a social songbird can code the bird's entire vocal repertoire (∼10 call types). Ensemble neural discrimination is not, however, correlated with single unit selectivity, but instead with how well the joint single unit tunings to characteristic spectro-temporal modulations span the acoustic subspace optimized for the discrimination of call types. Thus, akin to face recognition in the visual system, call type recognition in the auditory system is based on a sparse code representing a small number of high-level features and not on highly selective grandmother neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Robotka
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - L Thomas
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - K Yu
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - W Wood
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - J E Elie
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - M Gahr
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - F E Theunissen
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Psychology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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3
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Kazemi A, Kesba M, Provini P. Realistic three-dimensional avian vocal tract model demonstrates how shape affects sound filtering ( Passer domesticus). J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220728. [PMID: 36695126 PMCID: PMC9874979 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the complex geometry of songbird's vocal system, it was typically modelled as a tube or with simple mathematical parameters to investigate sound filtering. Here, we developed an adjustable computational acoustic model of a sparrow's upper vocal tract (Passer domesticus), derived from micro-CT scans. We discovered that a 20% tracheal shortening or a 20° beak gape increase caused the vocal tract harmonic resonance to shift toward higher pitch (11.7% or 8.8%, respectively), predominantly in the mid-range frequencies (3-6 kHz). The oropharyngeal-oesophageal cavity (OEC), known for its role in sound filtering, was modelled as an adjustable three-dimensional cylinder. For a constant OEC volume, an elongated cylinder induced a higher frequency shift than a wide cylinder (70% versus 37%). We found that the OEC volume adjustments can modify the OEC first harmonic resonance at low frequencies (1.5-3 kHz) and the OEC third harmonic resonance at higher frequencies (6-8 kHz). This work demonstrates the need to consider the realistic geometry of the vocal system to accurately quantify its effect on sound filtering and show that sparrows can tune the entire range of produced sound frequencies to their vocal system resonances, by controlling the vocal tract shape, especially through complex OEC volume adjustments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Kazemi
- Inserm, System Engineering and Evolution Dynamics, Université Paris Cité, 75004 Paris, France,Learning Planet Institute, 75004 Paris, France
| | - Mariam Kesba
- Inserm, System Engineering and Evolution Dynamics, Université Paris Cité, 75004 Paris, France,Learning Planet Institute, 75004 Paris, France
| | - Pauline Provini
- Inserm, System Engineering and Evolution Dynamics, Université Paris Cité, 75004 Paris, France,Learning Planet Institute, 75004 Paris, France,Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR MECADEV 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
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4
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Faiß M, Riede T, Goller F. Tonality over a broad frequency range is linked to vocal learning in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220792. [PMID: 36100028 PMCID: PMC9470270 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many birds emit tonal song syllables even though the sound sources generate sound with rich upper harmonic energy content. This tonality is thought to arise in part from dynamically adjusted filtering of harmonic content. Here, we compare tonality of song syllables between vocal learners and non-learners to assess whether this characteristic is linked to the increased neural substrate that evolved with vocal learning. We hypothesize that vocal learning ability is correlated with enhanced ability for generating tonal sounds, because vocal production learners might also have an enhanced ability to articulate their vocal tracts and sound source for producing tonality. To test this hypothesis, we compared vocal learners and non-learners from two groups (186 passerines and 42 hummingbirds) by assessing tonality of song syllables. The data suggest that vocal learners in both clades have evolved to sing songs with higher tonality than the related, non-vocal learning clades, which is consistent with stronger roles for broadband dynamic filtering and adjustments to the sound source. In addition, oscine songs display higher tonality than those of hummingbirds. A complex interplay of vocal tract biomechanics, anatomical differences of the sound source as well as increased motor control through vocal learning facilitates generation of broad tonality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Faiß
- Institute for Zoophysiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Tobias Riede
- Department of Physiology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - Franz Goller
- Institute for Zoophysiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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5
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6
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Arneodo EM, Chen S, Brown DE, Gilja V, Gentner TQ. Neurally driven synthesis of learned, complex vocalizations. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3419-3425.e5. [PMID: 34139192 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Brain machine interfaces (BMIs) hold promise to restore impaired motor function and serve as powerful tools to study learned motor skill. While limb-based motor prosthetic systems have leveraged nonhuman primates as an important animal model,1-4 speech prostheses lack a similar animal model and are more limited in terms of neural interface technology, brain coverage, and behavioral study design.5-7 Songbirds are an attractive model for learned complex vocal behavior. Birdsong shares a number of unique similarities with human speech,8-10 and its study has yielded general insight into multiple mechanisms and circuits behind learning, execution, and maintenance of vocal motor skill.11-18 In addition, the biomechanics of song production bear similarity to those of humans and some nonhuman primates.19-23 Here, we demonstrate a vocal synthesizer for birdsong, realized by mapping neural population activity recorded from electrode arrays implanted in the premotor nucleus HVC onto low-dimensional compressed representations of song, using simple computational methods that are implementable in real time. Using a generative biomechanical model of the vocal organ (syrinx) as the low-dimensional target for these mappings allows for the synthesis of vocalizations that match the bird's own song. These results provide proof of concept that high-dimensional, complex natural behaviors can be directly synthesized from ongoing neural activity. This may inspire similar approaches to prosthetics in other species by exploiting knowledge of the peripheral systems and the temporal structure of their output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezequiel M Arneodo
- Biocircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; IFLP-CONICET, Departamento de Física, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CC 67, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Shukai Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Daril E Brown
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Vikash Gilja
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Timothy Q Gentner
- Biocircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurobiology Section, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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7
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Yuan RC, Bottjer SW. Multidimensional Tuning in Motor Cortical Neurons during Active Behavior. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0109-20.2020. [PMID: 32661067 PMCID: PMC7396810 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0109-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A region within songbird cortex, dorsal intermediate arcopallium (AId), is functionally analogous to motor cortex in mammals and has been implicated in song learning during development. Non-vocal factors such as visual and social cues are known to mediate song learning and performance, yet previous chronic-recording studies of regions important for song behavior have focused exclusively on neural activity in relation to song production. Thus, we have little understanding of the range of non-vocal information that single neurons may encode. We made chronic recordings in AId of freely behaving juvenile zebra finches and evaluated neural activity during diverse motor behaviors throughout entire recording sessions, including song production as well as hopping, pecking, preening, fluff-ups, beak interactions, scratching, and stretching. These movements are part of natural behavioral repertoires and are important components of both song learning and courtship behavior. A large population of AId neurons showed significant modulation of activity during singing. In addition, single neurons demonstrated heterogeneous response patterns during multiple movements (including excitation during one movement type and suppression during another), and some neurons showed differential activity depending on the context in which movements occurred. Moreover, we found evidence of neurons that did not respond during discrete movements but were nonetheless modulated during active behavioral states compared with quiescence. Our results suggest that AId neurons process both vocal and non-vocal information, highlighting the importance of considering the variety of multimodal factors that can contribute to vocal motor learning during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Yuan
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Sarah W Bottjer
- Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
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8
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The Neuroethology of Vocal Communication in Songbirds: Production and Perception of a Call Repertoire. THE NEUROETHOLOGY OF BIRDSONG 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34683-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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9
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Elie JE, Theunissen FE. Zebra finches identify individuals using vocal signatures unique to each call type. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4026. [PMID: 30279497 PMCID: PMC6168511 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06394-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual recognition is critical in social animal communication, but it has not been demonstrated for a complete vocal repertoire. Deciphering the nature of individual signatures across call types is necessary to understand how animals solve the problem of combining, in the same signal, information about identity and behavioral state. We show that distinct signatures differentiate zebra finch individuals for each call type. The distinctiveness of these signatures varies: contact calls bear strong individual signatures while calls used during aggressive encounters are less individualized. We propose that the costly solution of using multiple signatures evolved because of the limitations of the passive filtering properties of the birds' vocal organ for generating sufficiently individualized features. Thus, individual recognition requires the memorization of multiple signatures for the entire repertoire of conspecifics of interests. We show that zebra finches excel at these tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Elie
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Frédéric E Theunissen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
- Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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10
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Baran NM, Peck SC, Kim TH, Goldstein MH, Adkins-Regan E. Early life manipulations of vasopressin-family peptides alter vocal learning. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1114. [PMID: 28724738 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning from social partners is crucial for the successful development of communication in a wide range of species. Social interactions organize attention and enhance motivation to learn species-typical behaviour. However, the neurobiological mechanisms connecting social motivation and vocal learning are unknown. Using zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a ubiquitous model for vocal learning, we show that manipulations of nonapeptide hormones in the vasopressin family (arginine vasotocin, AVT) early in development can promote or disrupt both song and social motivation. Young male zebra finches, like human infants, are socially gregarious and require interactive feedback from adult tutors to learn mature vocal forms. To investigate the role of social motivational mechanisms in song learning, in two studies, we injected hatchling males with AVT or Manning compound (MC, a nonapeptide receptor antagonist) on days 2-8 post-hatching and recorded song at maturity. In both studies, MC males produced a worse match to tutor song than controls. In study 2, which experimentally controlled for tutor and genetic factors, AVT males also learned song significantly better compared with controls. Furthermore, song similarity correlated with several measures of social motivation throughout development. These findings provide the first evidence that nonapeptides are critical to the development of vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Baran
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA .,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Samantha C Peck
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tabitha H Kim
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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11
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Schmidt MF, Goller F. Breathtaking Songs: Coordinating the Neural Circuits for Breathing and Singing. Physiology (Bethesda) 2017; 31:442-451. [PMID: 27708050 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00004.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The vocal behavior of birds is remarkable for its diversity, and songs can feature elaborate characteristics such as long duration, rapid temporal pattern, and broad frequency range. The respiratory system plays a central role in generating the complex song patterns that must be integrated with its life-sustaining functions. Here, we explore how precise coordination between the neural circuits for breathing and singing is fundamental to production of these remarkable behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc F Schmidt
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
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12
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Faunes M, Wild JM. The ascending projections of the nuclei of the descending trigeminal tract (nTTD) in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2832-2846. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Faunes
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences; University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
| | - J. Martin Wild
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences; University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
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13
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Riede T, Eliason CM, Miller EH, Goller F, Clarke JA. Coos, booms, and hoots: The evolution of closed‐mouth vocal behavior in birds. Evolution 2016; 70:1734-46. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Riede
- Department of Physiology Midwestern University Glendale Arizona 85308
| | - Chad M. Eliason
- Department of Geological Sciences The University of Texas at Austin Texas 78712
| | - Edward H. Miller
- Department of Biology, Memorial University St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology University of Utah Salt Lake City 84112 Utah
| | - Julia A. Clarke
- Department of Geological Sciences The University of Texas at Austin Texas 78712
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14
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Elie JE, Theunissen FE. The vocal repertoire of the domesticated zebra finch: a data-driven approach to decipher the information-bearing acoustic features of communication signals. Anim Cogn 2016; 19:285-315. [PMID: 26581377 PMCID: PMC5973879 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-015-0933-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Although a universal code for the acoustic features of animal vocal communication calls may not exist, the thorough analysis of the distinctive acoustical features of vocalization categories is important not only to decipher the acoustical code for a specific species but also to understand the evolution of communication signals and the mechanisms used to produce and understand them. Here, we recorded more than 8000 examples of almost all the vocalizations of the domesticated zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata: vocalizations produced to establish contact, to form and maintain pair bonds, to sound an alarm, to communicate distress or to advertise hunger or aggressive intents. We characterized each vocalization type using complete representations that avoided any a priori assumptions on the acoustic code, as well as classical bioacoustics measures that could provide more intuitive interpretations. We then used these acoustical features to rigorously determine the potential information-bearing acoustical features for each vocalization type using both a novel regularized classifier and an unsupervised clustering algorithm. Vocalization categories are discriminated by the shape of their frequency spectrum and by their pitch saliency (noisy to tonal vocalizations) but not particularly by their fundamental frequency. Notably, the spectral shape of zebra finch vocalizations contains peaks or formants that vary systematically across categories and that would be generated by active control of both the vocal organ (source) and the upper vocal tract (filter).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Elie
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Frédéric E Theunissen
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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15
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Embodied Motor Control of Avian Vocal Production. VERTEBRATE SOUND PRODUCTION AND ACOUSTIC COMMUNICATION 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-27721-9_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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16
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Suthers RA, Rothgerber JR, Jensen KK. Lingual articulation in songbirds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 219:491-500. [PMID: 26685174 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Lingual articulation in humans is one of the primary means of vocal tract resonance filtering that produces the characteristic vowel formants of speech. In songbirds, the function of the tongue in song has not been thoroughly examined, although recent research has identified the oropharyngeal-esophageal cavity as a resonance filter that is actively tuned to the frequency of the song. In northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), the volume of this cavity is inversely proportional to the frequency of the song above 2 kHz. However, cardinal song extends below this range, leaving the question of whether and how the vocal tract is tracking these low frequencies. We investigated the possible role of the tongue in vocal tract filtering using X-ray cineradiography of northern cardinals. Below 2 kHz, there was prominent tongue elevation in which the tip of the tongue was raised until it seemed to touch the palate. These results suggest that tongue elevation lowers the resonance frequency below 2 kHz by reducing the area of the passage from the oral cavity into the beak. This is consistent with a computational model of the songbird vocal tract in which resonance frequencies are actively adjusted by both changing the volume of the oropharyngeal-esophageal cavity and constricting the opening into the beak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roderick A Suthers
- Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jordan Hall, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - John R Rothgerber
- Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Jordan Hall, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kenneth Kragh Jensen
- Starkey Hearing Technologies, 6600 Washington Avenue S., Eden Prairie, MN 55344, USA
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17
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Elemans CPH. The singer and the song: the neuromechanics of avian sound production. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2014; 28:172-8. [PMID: 25171107 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Song is crucial to songbirds for establishing territories and signaling genetic quality and an important driver in speciation. Songbirds also have become a widely used experimental model system to study the neural basis of vocal learning, a form of imitation learning with strong parallels to human speech learning. While there is a strong focus on central processing of song production, we still have limited insights into the functional output of the motor neural circuits. This review focuses on recent developments in motor control, biomechanics and feedback mechanisms of sound production in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense DK-5230, Denmark.
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18
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Schmidt MF, Martin Wild J. The respiratory-vocal system of songbirds: anatomy, physiology, and neural control. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2014; 212:297-335. [PMID: 25194204 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63488-7.00015-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
This wide-ranging review presents an overview of the respiratory-vocal system in songbirds, which are the only other vertebrate group known to display a degree of respiratory control during song rivalling that of humans during speech; this despite the fact that the peripheral components of both the respiratory and vocal systems differ substantially in the two groups. We first provide a brief description of these peripheral components in songbirds (lungs, air sacs and respiratory muscles, vocal organ (syrinx), upper vocal tract) and then proceed to a review of the organization of central respiratory-related neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, the latter having an organization fundamentally similar to that of the ventral respiratory group of mammals. The second half of the review describes the nature of the motor commands generated in a specialized "cortical" song control circuit and how these might engage brainstem respiratory networks to shape the temporal structure of song. We also discuss a bilaterally projecting "respiratory-thalamic" pathway that links the respiratory system to "cortical" song control nuclei. This necessary pathway for song originates in the brainstem's primary inspiratory center and is hypothesized to play a vital role in synchronizing song motor commands both within and across hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc F Schmidt
- Department of Biology and Neuroscience Program, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - J Martin Wild
- Department of Anatomy with Radiology, School of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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