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Gladman NW, Elemans CPH. Male and female syringeal muscles exhibit superfast shortening velocities in zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246330. [PMID: 38563308 PMCID: PMC11058336 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246330] [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: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Vocalisations play a key role in the communication behaviour of many vertebrates. Vocal production requires extremely precise motor control, which is executed by superfast vocal muscles that can operate at cycle frequencies over 100 Hz and up to 250 Hz. The mechanical performance of these muscles has been quantified with isometric performance and the workloop technique, but owing to methodological limitations we lack a key muscle property characterising muscle performance, the force-velocity relationship. Here, we quantified the force-velocity relationship in zebra finch superfast syringeal muscles using the isovelocity technique and tested whether the maximal shortening velocity is different between males and females. We show that syringeal muscles exhibit high maximal shortening velocities of 25L0 s-1 at 30°C. Using Q10-based extrapolation, we estimate they can reach 37-42L0 s-1 on average at body temperature, exceeding other vocal and non-avian skeletal muscles. The increased speed does not adequately compensate for reduced force, which results in low power output. This further highlights the importance of high-frequency operation in these muscles. Furthermore, we show that isometric properties positively correlate with maximal shortening velocities. Although male and female muscles differ in isometric force development rates, maximal shortening velocity is not sex dependent. We also show that cyclical methods to measure force-length properties used in laryngeal studies give the same result as conventional stepwise methodologies, suggesting either approach is appropriate. We argue that vocal behaviour may be affected by the high thermal dependence of superfast vocal muscle performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W. Gladman
- Vocal Neuromechanics Lab, Sound Communication and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Coen P. H. Elemans
- Vocal Neuromechanics Lab, Sound Communication and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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2
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Adam I, Riebel K, Stål P, Wood N, Previs MJ, Elemans CPH. Daily vocal exercise is necessary for peak performance singing in a songbird. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7787. [PMID: 38086817 PMCID: PMC10716414 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43592-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal signals, including human speech and birdsong, are produced by complicated, precisely coordinated body movements, whose execution is fitness-determining in resource competition and mate choice. While the acquisition and maintenance of motor skills generally requires practice to develop and maintain both motor circuitry and muscle performance, it is unknown whether vocal muscles, like limb muscles, exhibit exercise-induced plasticity. Here, we show that juvenile and adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) require daily vocal exercise to first gain and subsequently maintain peak vocal muscle performance. Experimentally preventing male birds from singing alters both vocal muscle physiology and vocal performance within days. Furthermore, we find females prefer song of vocally exercised males in choice experiments. Vocal output thus contains information on recent exercise status, and acts as an honest indicator of past exercise investment in songbirds, and possibly in all vocalising vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Adam
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Institute of Biology, Animal Sciences & Health, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Per Stål
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umea University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Neil Wood
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, NJ, USA
| | - Michael J Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, NJ, USA
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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3
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Han SM, Land BR, Bass AH, Rice AN. Sound production biomechanics in three-spined toadfish and potential functional consequences of swim bladder morphology in the Batrachoididaea). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:3466-3478. [PMID: 38019096 DOI: 10.1121/10.0022386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between sound complexity and the underlying morphology and physiology of the vocal organ anatomy is a fundamental component in the evolution of acoustic communication, particularly for fishes. Among vertebrates, the mammalian larynx and avian syrinx are the best-studied vocal organs, and their ability to produce complex vocalizations has been modeled. The range and complexity of the sounds in mammalian lineages have been attributed, in part, to the bilateral nature of the vocal anatomy. Similarly, we hypothesize that the bipartite swim bladder of some species of toadfish (family Batrachoididae) is responsible for complex nonlinear characters of the multiple call types that they can produce, supported by nerve transection experiments. Here, we develop a low-dimensional coupled-oscillator model of the mechanics underlying sound production by the two halves of the swim bladder of the three-spined toadfish, Batrachomoeus trispinosus. Our model was able to replicate the nonlinear structure of both courtship and agonistic sounds. The results provide essential support for the hypothesis that fishes and tetrapods have converged in an evolutionary innovation for complex acoustic signaling, namely, a relatively simple bipartite mechanism dependent on sonic muscles contracting around a gas filled structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Min Han
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Bruce R Land
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Aaron N Rice
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
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4
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Adam I, Riebel K, St L P, Wood NB, Previs MJ, Elemans CPH. Peak performance singing requires daily vocal exercise in songbirds. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.23.529633. [PMID: 36865130 PMCID: PMC9980080 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.23.529633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Vocal signals mediate much of human and non-human communication. Key performance traits - such as repertoire size, speed and accuracy of delivery - affect communication efficacy in fitness-decisive contexts such as mate choice and resource competition 1 . Specialized fast vocal muscles 2,3 are central to accurate sound production 4 , but it is unknown whether vocal, like limb muscles 5,6 , need exercise to gain and maintain peak performance 7,8 . Here, we show that for song development in juvenile songbirds, the closest analogue to human speech acquisition 9 , regular vocal muscle exercise is crucial to achieve adult peak muscle performance. Furthermore, adult vocal muscle performance reduces within two days of abolishing exercise, leading to downregulation of critical proteins transforming fast to slower muscle fibre types. Daily vocal exercise is thus required to both gain and maintain peak vocal muscle performance, and if absent changes vocal output. We show that conspecifics can detect these acoustic changes and females prefer the song of exercised males. Song thus contains information on recent exercise status of the sender. Daily investment in vocal exercise to maintain peak performance is an unrecognized cost of singing and could explain why many birds sing daily even under adverse conditions 10 . Because neural regulation of syringeal and laryngeal muscle plasticity is equivalent, vocal output may reflect recent exercise status in all vocalizing vertebrates.
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5
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Simon R, Varkevisser J, Mendoza E, Hochradel K, Elsinga R, Wiersma PG, Middelburg E, Zoeter E, Scharff C, Riebel K, Halfwerk W. RoboFinch: A versatile audio‐visual synchronised robotic bird model for laboratory and field research on songbirds. Methods Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.14063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Simon
- Department of Ecological Science VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Lab Nuremberg Zoo Nuremberg Germany
| | | | - Ezequiel Mendoza
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Klaus Hochradel
- Institute of Measurement and Sensor Technology UMIT‐Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology GmbH Hall in Tirol Austria
| | - Rogier Elsinga
- Department of Ecological Science VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Peter G. Wiersma
- Department of Ecological Science VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Esmee Middelburg
- Institute of Biology Leiden Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Eva Zoeter
- Institute of Biology Leiden Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Institute of Biology Leiden Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Science VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
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6
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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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7
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Méndez JM, Dukes J, Cooper BG. Preparing to sing: respiratory patterns underlying motor readiness for song. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1646-1662. [PMID: 36416416 PMCID: PMC9762977 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00551.2021] [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: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence for motor preparation and planning comes from neural activity preceding neural commands to activate the effectors; such preparatory activity is observed in pallial areas controlling learned motor behaviors. Vocal learning in songbirds is an example of a learned, sequential motor behavior that is a respiratory motor act and where there is evidence for neuromuscular planning. Respiration is the foundation of vocalization, elucidating the neural control of song motor planning requires studying respiratory antecedents of song initiation. Despite the importance of respiration in song production, few studies have investigated respiratory antecedents of impending vocalizations. Therefore, we investigated respiratory patterns in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) prior to, during, and following song bouts. In both species, compared with quiet respiration, song respiratory patterns were generated with higher amplitude, faster tempo, and ∼70% of the respiratory cycle is in the expiratory phase. In female-directed and isolation song, both species show a change in the respiratory tempo and the proportion of time spent inhaling prior to song. Following song, only zebra finches show systematic changes in respiratory patterns; they spend a greater proportion of the respiratory cycle in the expiratory phase for 1 s after song, which is likely due to hyperventilation during song. Accelerated respiratory rhythms before song may reflect the motor preparation for the upcoming song production; species differences in preparatory motor activity could be related to the degree to which motor planning is required; finally, song termination may be dictated by respiratory demands.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor planning for vocal production in birdsong manifests as an adaptation of respiratory characteristics prior to song. The songbird's respiratory system anticipates the upcoming song production by accelerating the respiratory tempo and increasing the proportion of time spent inhaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Méndez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
| | - Jacqueline Dukes
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - Brenton G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
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8
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Gomes L, Solé M, Sousa-Lima RS, Baumgarten JE. Influence of Anthropogenic Sounds on Insect, Anuran and Bird Acoustic Signals: A Meta-Analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.827440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic communication is a way of information exchange between individuals, and it is used by several animal species. Therefore, the detection, recognition and correct understanding of acoustic signals are key factors in effective communication. The priority of acoustic communication is effectiveness rather than perfection, being effective avoids affecting the sound-based communication system of the species. One of the factors that can affect effective communication is the overlap in time and frequency during signal transmission, known as signal masking. One type of sound that can cause masking is anthropogenic noise, which is currently increasing due to urban growth and consequently motorized transportation and machinery. When exposed to anthropogenic noise, animals can use compensatory mechanisms to deal with sound masking, such as the modification of acoustic parameters of their acoustic signal. Here, we performed a meta-analysis investigating whether different taxa have a general tendency for changes in acoustic parameters due to anthropogenic noise, we used taxa and acoustic parameters available in the literature that met the minimum criteria to perform a meta-analysis. We hypothesized that animals exposed to anthropogenic noise use compensation mechanisms, such as changes in dominant, maximum or minimum frequencies, call duration, note duration and call rate to deal with masking. We performed a meta-analysis, which synthesized information from 73 studies comprising 82 species of three taxa: insects, anurans and birds. Our results showed that in the presence of anthropogenic noise, insects did not change the acoustic parameters, while anurans increased call amplitude and birds increased dominant frequency, minimum and maximum frequencies, note duration and amplitude of their songs. The different responses of the groups to anthropogenic noise may be related to their particularities in the production and reception of sound or to the differences in the acoustic parameters considered between the taxa and also the lack of studies in some taxa.
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9
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10
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Boari S, Mindlin GB, Amador A. Neural oscillations are locked to birdsong rhythms in canaries. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:549-565. [PMID: 34852183 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
How vocal communication signals are represented in the cortex is a major challenge for behavioural neuroscience. Beyond a descriptive code, it is relevant to unveil the dynamical mechanism responsible for the neural representation of auditory stimuli. In this work, we report evidence of synchronous neural activity in nucleus HVC, a telencephalic area of canaries (Serinus canaria), in response to auditory playback of the bird's own song. The rhythmic features of canary song allowed us to show that this large-scale synchronization was locked to defined features of the behaviour. We recorded neural activity in a brain region where sensorimotor integration occurs, showing the presence of well-defined oscillations in the local field potentials, which are locked to song rhythm. We also show a correspondence between local field potentials, multiunit activity and single unit activity within the same brain region. Overall, our results show that the rhythmic features of the vocal behaviour are represented in a telencephalic region of canaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Boari
- Physics Department, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Physics Department, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Amador
- Physics Department, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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11
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James LS, Mori C, Wada K, Sakata JT. Phylogeny and mechanisms of shared hierarchical patterns in birdsong. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2796-2808.e9. [PMID: 33989526 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Organizational patterns can be shared across biological systems, and revealing the factors shaping common patterns can provide insight into fundamental biological mechanisms. The behavioral pattern that elements with more constituents tend to consist of shorter constituents (Menzerath's law [ML]) was described first in speech and language (e.g., words with more syllables consist of shorter syllables) and subsequently in music and animal communication. Menzerath's law is hypothesized to reflect efficiency in information transfer, but biases and constraints in motor production can also lead to this pattern. We investigated the evolutionary breadth of ML and the contribution of production mechanisms to ML in the songs of 15 songbird species. Negative relationships between the number and duration of constituents (e.g., syllables in phrases) were observed in all 15 species. However, negative relationships were also observed in null models in which constituents were randomly allocated into observed element durations, and the observed negative relationship for numerous species did not differ from the null model; consequently, ML in these species could simply reflect production constraints and not communicative efficiency. By contrast, ML was significantly different from the null model for more than half the cases, suggesting additional organizational rules are imposed onto birdsongs. Production mechanisms are also underscored by the finding that canaries and zebra finches reared without auditory experiences that guide vocal development produced songs with nearly identical ML patterning as typically reared birds. These analyses highlight the breadth with which production mechanisms contribute to this prevalent organizational pattern in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada.
| | - Chihiro Mori
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan; Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada.
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12
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Amador A, Mindlin GB. Synthetic Birdsongs as a Tool to Induce, and Iisten to, Replay Activity in Sleeping Birds. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:647978. [PMID: 34290576 PMCID: PMC8287859 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.647978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is a complex vocal behavior, which emerges out of the interaction between a nervous system and a highly nonlinear vocal device, the syrinx. In this work we discuss how low dimensional dynamical systems, interpretable in terms of the biomechanics involved, are capable of synthesizing realistic songs. We review the experimental and conceptual steps that lead to the formulation of low dimensional dynamical systems for the song system and describe the tests that quantify their success. In particular, we show how to evaluate computational models by comparing the responses of highly selective neurons to the bird's own song and to synthetic copies generated mathematically. Beyond testing the hypothesis behind the model's construction, these low dimensional models allow designing precise stimuli in order to explore the sensorimotor integration of acoustic signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Amador
- Department of Physics, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B. Mindlin
- Department of Physics, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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13
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Goller F, Love J, Mindlin G. Different frequency control mechanisms and the exploitation of frequency space in passerines. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:6569-6578. [PMID: 34141241 PMCID: PMC8207358 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is used in reproductive context and, consequently, has been shaped by strong natural and sexual selection. The acoustic performance includes a multitude of acoustic and temporal characteristics that are thought to honestly reveal the quality of the singing individual.One major song feature is frequency and its modulation. Sound frequency can be actively controlled, but the control mechanisms differ between different groups. Two described mechanisms are pressure-driven frequency changes in suboscines and control by syringeal muscles in oscines.To test to what degree these different control mechanisms enhance or limit the exploitation of frequency space by individual species and families, we compared the use of frequency space by tyrannid suboscines and emberizid/passerellid oscines.We find that despite the different control mechanisms, the songs of species in both groups can contain broad frequency ranges and rapid and sustained frequency modulation (FM). The maximal values for these parameters are slightly higher in oscines.Furthermore, the mean frequency range of song syllables is substantially larger in oscines than suboscines. Species within each family group collectively exploit equally broadly the available frequency space.The narrower individual frequency ranges of suboscines likely indicate morphological specialization for particular frequencies, whereas muscular control of frequency facilitated broader exploitation of frequency space by individual oscine species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Goller
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
- Institute for ZoophysiologyUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - Jay Love
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
| | - Gabriel Mindlin
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
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14
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Syringeal vocal folds do not have a voice in zebra finch vocal development. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6469. [PMID: 33742101 PMCID: PMC7979720 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85929-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal behavior can be dramatically changed by both neural circuit development and postnatal maturation of the body. During song learning in songbirds, both the song system and syringeal muscles are functionally changing, but it is unknown if maturation of sound generators within the syrinx contributes to vocal development. Here we densely sample the respiratory pressure control space of the zebra finch syrinx in vitro. We show that the syrinx produces sound very efficiently and that key acoustic parameters, minimal fundamental frequency, entropy and source level, do not change over development in both sexes. Thus, our data suggest that the observed acoustic changes in vocal development must be attributed to changes in the motor control pathway, from song system circuitry to muscle force, and not by material property changes in the avian analog of the vocal folds. We propose that in songbirds, muscle use and training driven by the sexually dimorphic song system are the crucial drivers that lead to sexual dimorphism of the syringeal skeleton and musculature. The size and properties of the instrument are thus not changing, while its player is.
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15
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Mann DC, Fitch WT, Tu HW, Hoeschele M. Universal principles underlying segmental structures in parrot song and human speech. Sci Rep 2021; 11:776. [PMID: 33436874 PMCID: PMC7804275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80340-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the diversity of human languages, certain linguistic patterns are remarkably consistent across human populations. While syntactic universals receive more attention, there is stronger evidence for universal patterns in the inventory and organization of segments: units that are separated by rapid acoustic transitions which are used to build syllables, words, and phrases. Crucially, if an alien researcher investigated spoken human language how we analyze non-human communication systems, many of the phonological regularities would be overlooked, as the majority of analyses in non-humans treat breath groups, or "syllables" (units divided by silent inhalations), as the smallest unit. Here, we introduce a novel segment-based analysis that reveals patterns in the acoustic output of budgerigars, a vocal learning parrot species, that match universal phonological patterns well-documented in humans. We show that song in four independent budgerigar populations is comprised of consonant- and vowel-like segments. Furthermore, the organization of segments within syllables is not random. As in spoken human language, segments at the start of a vocalization are more likely to be consonant-like and segments at the end are more likely to be longer, quieter, and lower in fundamental frequency. These results provide a new foundation for empirical investigation of language-like abilities in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan C Mann
- Linguistics Program, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York City, USA.
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hsiao-Wei Tu
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
| | - Marisa Hoeschele
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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16
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Méndez JM, Goller F. Multifunctional bilateral muscle control of vocal output in the songbird syrinx. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:1857-1874. [PMID: 33026896 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00332.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Songbirds produce complex vocalizations by coordinating neuromuscular control of syrinx, respiratory system, and upper vocal tract. The functional roles of syringeal muscles have been documented mainly with correlative data, which have suggested that synergistic activation plays a role in the fine control of vocal features. However, the specific involvement of individual muscles in achieving this fine control is still largely unknown. Here we investigate the contributions of the two main airflow controlling muscles, the dorsal and ventral tracheobronchial muscles in the zebra finch, through a new approach. Ablation of the muscle insertion on the cartilage framework reveals detailed insights into their respective roles in the fine control of song features. Unilateral ablation of a tracheobronchial muscle resulted in mostly subtle changes of the air sac pressure pattern and song features. Effects of ablation varied with the acoustic elements, thus indicating a context-dependent specific synergistic activation of muscles. High-frequency notes were most affected by the ablation, highlighting the importance of coordinated bilateral control. More pronounced effects on song features and air sac pressure were observed after bilateral ablation of the dorsal tracheobronchial muscles. The results illustrate that the gating muscles serve multiple functions in control of acoustic features and that each feature arises through context-dependent, synergistic activation patterns of syringeal muscles. Although many changes after the ablation are subtle, they fall within the perceptual range and thus may control behaviorally relevant features of sound. These data therefore provide important specific details about the underlying motor code for song production.NEW & NOTEWORTHY A new experimental approach was used to analyze the involvement of individual muscles in birdsong vocal control. Ablation of tracheobronchial muscles showed how these muscles contribute in manner specific to the acoustic structure of sound segments and how disruption of airflow regulation affects bilateral coordination. The results of this study illustrate that the gating muscles serve multiple functions in control of acoustic features and give further insight into the complex motor control of birdsong.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Méndez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Mankato, Minnesota
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.,Institute of Zoophysiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Roeske TC, Tchernichovski O, Poeppel D, Jacoby N. Categorical Rhythms Are Shared between Songbirds and Humans. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3544-3555.e6. [PMID: 32707062 PMCID: PMC7511425 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Rhythm is a prominent feature of music. Of the infinite possible ways of organizing events in time, musical rhythms are almost always distributed categorically. Such categories can facilitate the transmission of culture-a feature that songbirds and humans share. We compared rhythms of live performances of music to rhythms of wild thrush nightingale and domestic zebra finch songs. In nightingales, but not in zebra finches, we found universal rhythm categories, with patterns that were surprisingly similar to those of music. Isochronous 1:1 rhythms were similarly common. Interestingly, a bias toward small ratios (around 1:2 to 1:3), which is highly abundant in music, was observed also in thrush nightingale songs. Within that range, however, there was no statistically significant bias toward exact integer ratios (1:2 or 1:3) in the birds. High-ratio rhythms were abundant in the nightingale song and are structurally similar to fusion rhythms (ornaments) in music. In both species, preferred rhythms remained invariant over extended ranges of tempos, indicating natural categories. The number of rhythm categories decreased at higher tempos, with a threshold above which rhythm became highly stereotyped. In thrush nightingales, this threshold occurred at a tempo twice faster than in humans, indicating weaker structural constraints and a remarkable motor proficiency. Together, the results suggest that categorical rhythms reflect similar constraints on learning motor skills across species. The saliency of categorical rhythms across humans and thrush nightingales suggests that they promote, or emerge from, the cultural transmission of learned vocalizations. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina C Roeske
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Grueneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Psychology, Hunter College, Hunter North 642, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Ofer Tchernichovski
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, Hunter North 642, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - David Poeppel
- Neuroscience Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Grueneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Nori Jacoby
- Research Group Computational Auditory Perception, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Grueneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt, Germany; The Center for Science and Society, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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18
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Adam I, Elemans CPH. Increasing Muscle Speed Drives Changes in the Neuromuscular Transform of Motor Commands during Postnatal Development in Songbirds. J Neurosci 2020; 40:6722-6731. [PMID: 32487696 PMCID: PMC7455216 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0111-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Progressive changes in vocal behavior over the course of vocal imitation leaning are often attributed exclusively to developing neural circuits, but the effects of postnatal body changes remain unknown. In songbirds, the syrinx transforms song system motor commands into sound and exhibits changes during song learning. Here we test the hypothesis that the transformation from motor commands to force trajectories by syringeal muscles functionally changes over vocal development in zebra finches. Our data collected in both sexes show that, only in males, muscle speed significantly increases and that supralinear summation occurs and increases with muscle contraction speed. Furthermore, we show that previously reported submillisecond spike timing in the avian cortex can be resolved by superfast syringeal muscles and that the sensitivity to spike timing increases with speed. Because motor neuron and muscle properties are tightly linked, we make predictions on the boundaries of the yet unknown motor code that correspond well with cortical activity. Together, we show that syringeal muscles undergo essential transformations during song learning that drastically change how neural commands are translated into force profiles and thereby acoustic features. We propose that the song system motor code must compensate for these changes to achieve its acoustic targets. Our data thus support the hypothesis that the neuromuscular transformation changes over vocal development and emphasizes the need for an embodied view of song motor learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Fine motor skill learning typically occurs in a postnatal period when the brain is learning to control a body that is changing dramatically due to growth and development. How the developing body influences motor code formation and vice versa remains largely unknown. Here we show that vocal muscles in songbirds undergo critical transformations during song learning that drastically change how neural commands are translated into force profiles and thereby acoustic features. We propose that the motor code must compensate for these changes to achieve its acoustic targets. Our data thus support the hypothesis that the neuromuscular transformation changes over vocal development and emphasizes the need for an embodied view of song motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Adam
- University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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19
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Barkan CL, Zornik E. Inspiring song: The role of respiratory circuitry in the evolution of vertebrate vocal behavior. Dev Neurobiol 2020; 80:31-41. [PMID: 32329162 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Vocalization is a common means of communication across vertebrates, but the evolutionary origins of the neural circuits controlling these behaviors are not clear. Peripheral mechanisms of sound production vary widely: fish produce sounds with a swimbladder or pectoral fins; amphibians, reptiles, and mammalians vocalize using a larynx; birds vocalize with a syrinx. Despite the diversity of vocal effectors across taxa, there are many similarities in the neural circuits underlying the control of these organs. Do similarities in vocal circuit structure and function indicate that vocal behaviors first arose in a single common ancestor, or have similar neural circuits arisen independently multiple times during evolution? In this review, we describe the hindbrain circuits that are involved in vocal production across vertebrates. Given that vocalization depends on respiration in most tetrapods, it is not surprising that vocal and respiratory hindbrain circuits across distantly related species are anatomically intermingled and functionally linked. Such vocal-respiratory circuit integration supports the hypothesis that vocal evolution involved the expansion and functional diversification of breathing circuits. Recent phylogenetic analyses, however, suggest vocal behaviors arose independently in all major tetrapod clades, indicating that similarities in vocal control circuits are the result of repeated co-options of respiratory circuits in each lineage. It is currently unknown whether vocal circuits across taxa are made up of homologous neurons, or whether vocal neurons in each lineage arose from developmentally and evolutionarily distinct progenitors. Integrative comparative studies of vocal neurons across brain regions and taxa will be required to distinguish between these two scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erik Zornik
- Biology Department, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
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20
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Abdel-Kafy ESM, Ibraheim SE, Finzi A, Youssef SF, Behiry FM, Provolo G. Sound Analysis to Predict the Growth of Turkeys. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E866. [PMID: 32429525 PMCID: PMC7278447 DOI: 10.3390/ani10050866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Protocols for manual weighing of turkeys are not practical on turkey farms because of the large body sizes, heavy weights and flighty nature of turkeys. The sounds turkeys make may be a proxy for bird weights, but the relationship between turkey sounds and bird weights has not been studied. The aim of this study was to correlate peak frequency (PF) of vocalization with the age and weight of the bird and examine the possibility using PF to predict the weight of turkeys. The study consisted of four trials in Egypt. Sounds of birds and their weights were recorded for 11 days during the growth period in each trial. A total 2200 sounds were manually analyzed and labelled by extracting individual and general sounds on the basis of the amplitude and frequency of the sound signal. The PF of vocalizations in each trial, as well as in pooled trails, were evaluated to determine the relationship between PF and the age and weight of the turkey. PF exhibited a highly significant negative correlation with the weight and age of the turkeys showing that PF of vocalizations can be used for predicting the weight of turkeys. Further studies are necessary to refine the procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- El-Sayed M. Abdel-Kafy
- Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12651, Egypt; (S.E.I.); (S.F.Y.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Samya E. Ibraheim
- Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12651, Egypt; (S.E.I.); (S.F.Y.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Alberto Finzi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Sabbah F. Youssef
- Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12651, Egypt; (S.E.I.); (S.F.Y.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Fatma M. Behiry
- Animal Production Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza 12651, Egypt; (S.E.I.); (S.F.Y.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Giorgio Provolo
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy;
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21
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High-fidelity continuum modeling predicts avian voiced sound production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:4718-4723. [PMID: 32054784 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922147117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Voiced sound production is the primary form of acoustic communication in terrestrial vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals, including humans. Developing a causal physics-based model that ultimately links descending vocal motor control to tissue vibration and sound requires embodied approaches that include realistic representations of voice physiology. Here, we first implement and then experimentally test a high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) continuum model for voiced sound production in birds. Driven by individual-based physiologically quantifiable inputs, combined with noninvasive inverse methods for tissue material parameterization, our model accurately predicts observed key vibratory and acoustic performance traits. These results demonstrate that realistic models lead to accurate predictions and support the continuum model approach as a critical tool toward a causal model of voiced sound production.
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22
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Mooney R. The neurobiology of innate and learned vocalizations in rodents and songbirds. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 64:24-31. [PMID: 32086177 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Vocalizations are an important medium for sexual and social signaling in mammals and birds. In most mammals other than humans, vocalizations are specified by innate mechanisms and develop normally in the absence of auditory experience. By contrast, juvenile songbirds memorize and copy the songs of adult tutors, a process with many parallels to human speech learning. Despite the centrality of vocal learning to human speech, vocal production in humans as well as in songbirds exploits ancestral circuitry for innate vocalizations, and effective vocal communication depends on the fluent blending of innate and learned elements. This review covers recent advances in our understanding of central mechanisms for learned and innate vocalizations in birds and mice, including brainstem mechanisms that help to 'gate' vocalizations on or off, cortical involvement in learned and innate vocalizations, and the delineation of circuits that evaluate and reinforce song performance to facilitate vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27705, United States.
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23
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Riede T, Olson CR. The vocal organ of hummingbirds shows convergence with songbirds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2007. [PMID: 32029812 PMCID: PMC7005288 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58843-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
How sound is generated in the hummingbird syrinx is largely unknown despite their complex vocal behavior. To fill this gap, syrinx anatomy of four North American hummingbird species were investigated by histological dissection and contrast-enhanced microCT imaging, as well as measurement of vocalizations in a heliox atmosphere. The placement of the hummingbird syrinx is uniquely located in the neck rather than inside the thorax as in other birds, while the internal structure is bipartite with songbird-like anatomical features, including multiple pairs of intrinsic muscles, a robust tympanum and several accessory cartilages. Lateral labia and medial tympaniform membranes consist of an extracellular matrix containing hyaluronic acid, collagen fibers, but few elastic fibers. Their upper vocal tract, including the trachea, is shorter than predicted for their body size. There are between-species differences in syrinx measurements, despite similar overall morphology. In heliox, fundamental frequency is unchanged while upper-harmonic spectral content decrease in amplitude, indicating that syringeal sounds are produced by airflow-induced labia and membrane vibration. Our findings predict that hummingbirds have fine control of labia and membrane position in the syrinx; adaptations that set them apart from closely related swifts, yet shows convergence in their vocal organs with those of oscines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Riede
- Department of Physiology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, 19555 N 59th Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85308, United States
| | - Christopher R Olson
- Department of Physiology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, 19555 N 59th Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85308, United States.
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24
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Kriesell HJ, Le Bohec C, Cerwenka AF, Hertel M, Robin JP, Ruthensteiner B, Gahr M, Aubin T, Düring DN. Vocal tract anatomy of king penguins: morphological traits of two-voiced sound production. Front Zool 2020; 17:5. [PMID: 32021638 PMCID: PMC6993382 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-020-0351-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The astonishing variety of sounds that birds can produce has been the subject of many studies aiming to identify the underlying anatomical and physical mechanisms of sound production. An interesting feature of some bird vocalisations is the simultaneous production of two different frequencies. While most work has been focusing on songbirds, much less is known about dual-sound production in non-passerines, although their sound production organ, the syrinx, would technically allow many of them to produce "two voices". Here, we focus on the king penguin, a colonial seabird whose calls consist of two fundamental frequency bands and their respective harmonics. The calls are produced during courtship and for partner and offspring reunions and encode the birds' identity. We dissected, μCT-scanned and analysed the vocal tracts of six adult king penguins from Possession Island, Crozet Archipelago. RESULTS King penguins possess a bronchial type syrinx that, similarly to the songbird's tracheobronchial syrinx, has two sets of vibratory tissues, and thus two separate sound sources. Left and right medial labium differ consistently in diameter between 0.5 and 3.2%, with no laterality between left and right side. The trachea has a conical shape, increasing in diameter from caudal to cranial by 16%. About 80% of the king penguins' trachea is medially divided by a septum consisting of soft elastic tissue (septum trachealis medialis). CONCLUSIONS The king penguins' vocal tract appears to be mainly adapted to the life in a noisy colony of a species that relies on individual vocal recognition. The extent between the two voices encoding for individuality seems morphologically dictated by the length difference between left and right medial labium. The septum trachealis medialis might support this extent and could therefore be an important anatomical feature that aids in the individual recognition process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Joy Kriesell
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, 98000 Monte Carlo, MC Monaco
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut des NeuroSciences Paris-Saclay (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197 (CNRS, Université Paris XI), Orsay, France
- Department of Electronic Systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Céline Le Bohec
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Département de Biologie Polaire, 98000 Monte Carlo, MC Monaco
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alexander F. Cerwenka
- SNSB-ZSM Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Section Evertebrata varia, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz Hertel
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jean-Patrice Robin
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Bernhard Ruthensteiner
- SNSB-ZSM Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Section Evertebrata varia, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 Munich, Germany
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Thierry Aubin
- Institut des NeuroSciences Paris-Saclay (Neuro-PSI), UMR 9197 (CNRS, Université Paris XI), Orsay, France
| | - Daniel Normen Düring
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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25
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Nieder A, Mooney R. The neurobiology of innate, volitional and learned vocalizations in mammals and birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190054. [PMID: 31735150 PMCID: PMC6895551 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalization is an ancient vertebrate trait essential to many forms of communication, ranging from courtship calls to free verse. Vocalizations may be entirely innate and evoked by sexual cues or emotional state, as with many types of calls made in primates, rodents and birds; volitional, as with innate calls that, following extensive training, can be evoked by arbitrary sensory cues in non-human primates and corvid songbirds; or learned, acoustically flexible and complex, as with human speech and the courtship songs of oscine songbirds. This review compares and contrasts the neural mechanisms underlying innate, volitional and learned vocalizations, with an emphasis on functional studies in primates, rodents and songbirds. This comparison reveals both highly conserved and convergent mechanisms of vocal production in these different groups, despite their often vast phylogenetic separation. This similarity of central mechanisms for different forms of vocal production presents experimentalists with useful avenues for gaining detailed mechanistic insight into how vocalizations are employed for social and sexual signalling, and how they can be modified through experience to yield new vocal repertoires customized to the individual's social group. This article is part of the theme issue 'What can animal communication teach us about human language?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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26
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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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27
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Auditory Selectivity for Spectral Contrast in Cortical Neurons and Behavior. J Neurosci 2019; 40:1015-1027. [PMID: 31826944 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1200-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication relies on the ability of listeners to identify, process, and respond to vocal sounds produced by others in complex environments. To accurately recognize these signals, animals' auditory systems must robustly represent acoustic features that distinguish vocal sounds from other environmental sounds. Vocalizations typically have spectral structure; power regularly fluctuates along the frequency axis, creating spectral contrast. Spectral contrast is closely related to harmonicity, which refers to spectral power peaks occurring at integer multiples of a fundamental frequency. Although both spectral contrast and harmonicity typify natural sounds, they may differ in salience for communication behavior and engage distinct neural mechanisms. Therefore, it is important to understand which of these properties of vocal sounds underlie the neural processing and perception of vocalizations.Here, we test the importance of vocalization-typical spectral features in behavioral recognition and neural processing of vocal sounds, using male zebra finches. We show that behavioral responses to natural and synthesized vocalizations rely on the presence of discrete frequency components, but not on harmonic ratios between frequencies. We identify a specific population of neurons in primary auditory cortex that are sensitive to the spectral resolution of vocal sounds. We find that behavioral and neural response selectivity is explained by sensitivity to spectral contrast rather than harmonicity. This selectivity emerges within the cortex; it is absent in the thalamorecipient region and present in the deep output region. Further, deep-region neurons that are contrast-sensitive show distinct temporal responses and selectivity for modulation density compared with unselective neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Auditory coding and perception are critical for vocal communication. Auditory neurons must encode acoustic features that distinguish vocalizations from other sounds in the environment and generate percepts that direct behavior. The acoustic features that drive neural and behavioral selectivity for vocal sounds are unknown, however. Here, we show that vocal response behavior scales with stimulus spectral contrast but not with harmonicity, in songbirds. We identify a distinct population of auditory cortex neurons in which response selectivity parallels behavioral selectivity. This neural response selectivity is explained by sensitivity to spectral contrast rather than to harmonicity. Our findings inform the understanding of how the auditory system encodes socially-relevant signals via detection of an acoustic feature that is ubiquitous in vocalizations.
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28
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Abstract
Although language, and therefore spoken language or speech, is often considered unique to humans, the past several decades have seen a surge in nonhuman animal studies that inform us about human spoken language. Here, I present a modern, evolution-based synthesis of these studies, from behavioral to molecular levels of analyses. Among the key concepts drawn are that components of spoken language are continuous between species, and that the vocal learning component is the most specialized and rarest and evolved by brain pathway duplication from an ancient motor learning pathway. These concepts have important implications for understanding brain mechanisms and disorders of spoken language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erich D Jarvis
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
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29
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Chi T, Liu M, Tan X, Sun K, Jin L, Feng J. Syllable merging during ontogeny in Hipposideros larvatus. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1610906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Chi
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Muxun Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiao Tan
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Keping Sun
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Longru Jin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
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30
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Riede T, Thomson SL, Titze IR, Goller F. The evolution of the syrinx: An acoustic theory. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e2006507. [PMID: 30730882 PMCID: PMC6366696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The unique avian vocal organ, the syrinx, is located at the caudal end of the trachea. Although a larynx is also present at the opposite end, birds phonate only with the syrinx. Why only birds evolved a novel sound source at this location remains unknown, and hypotheses about its origin are largely untested. Here, we test the hypothesis that the syrinx constitutes a biomechanical advantage for sound production over the larynx with combined theoretical and experimental approaches. We investigated whether the position of a sound source within the respiratory tract affects acoustic features of the vocal output, including fundamental frequency and efficiency of conversion from aerodynamic energy to sound. Theoretical data and measurements in three bird species suggest that sound frequency is influenced by the interaction between sound source and vocal tract. A physical model and a computational simulation also indicate that a sound source in a syringeal position produces sound with greater efficiency. Interestingly, the interactions between sound source and vocal tract differed between species, suggesting that the syringeal sound source is optimized for its position in the respiratory tract. These results provide compelling evidence that strong selective pressures for high vocal efficiency may have been a major driving force in the evolution of the syrinx. The longer trachea of birds compared to other tetrapods made them likely predisposed for the evolution of a syrinx. A long vocal tract downstream from the sound source improves efficiency by facilitating the tuning between fundamental frequency and the first vocal tract resonance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Riede
- Midwestern University, Department of Physiology, Glendale, Arizona, United States of America
- University of Utah, National Center for Voice and Speech, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Scott L. Thomson
- Brigham Young University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Ingo R. Titze
- University of Utah, National Center for Voice and Speech, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Franz Goller
- University of Utah, Department of Biology, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Institute for Zoophysiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Badwal A, Poertner J, Samlan RA, Miller JE. Common Terminology and Acoustic Measures for Human Voice and Birdsong. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:60-69. [PMID: 30540871 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-18-0218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The zebra finch is used as a model to study the neural circuitry of auditory-guided human vocal production. The terminology of birdsong production and acoustic analysis, however, differs from human voice production, making it difficult for voice researchers of either species to navigate the literature from the other. The purpose of this research note is to identify common terminology and measures to better compare information across species. Method Terminology used in the birdsong literature will be mapped onto terminology used in the human voice production literature. Measures typically used to quantify the percepts of pitch, loudness, and quality will be described. Measures common to the literature in both species will be made from the songs of 3 middle-age birds using Praat and Song Analysis Pro. Two measures, cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and Wiener entropy (WE), will be compared to determine if they provide similar information. Results Similarities and differences in terminology and acoustic analyses are presented. A core set of measures including frequency, frequency variability within a syllable, intensity, CPP, and WE are proposed for future studies. CPP and WE are related yet provide unique information about the syllable structure. Conclusions Using a core set of measures familiar to both human voice and birdsong researchers, along with both CPP and WE, will allow characterization of similarities and differences among birds. Standard terminology and measures will improve accessibility of the birdsong literature to human voice researchers and vice versa. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7438964.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areen Badwal
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson
| | - JoHanna Poertner
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
| | - Robin A Samlan
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
| | - Julie E Miller
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
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32
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Abstract
In its most basic conception, a novelty is simply something new. However, when many previously proposed evolutionary novelties have been illuminated by genetic, developmental, and fossil data, they have refined and narrowed our concept of biological "newness." For example, they show that these novelties can occur at one or multiple levels of biological organization. Here, we review the identity of structures in the avian vocal organ, the syrinx, and bring together developmental data on airway patterning, structural data from across tetrapods, and mathematical modeling to assess what is novel. In contrast with laryngeal cartilages that support vocal folds in other vertebrates, we find no evidence that individual cartilage rings anchoring vocal folds in the syrinx have homology with any specific elements in outgroups. Further, unlike all other vertebrate vocal organs, the syrinx is not derived from a known valve precursor, and its origin involves a transition from an evolutionary "spandrel" in the respiratory tract, the site where the trachea meets the bronchi, to a target for novel selective regimes. We find that the syrinx falls into an unusual category of novel structures: those having significant functional overlap with the structures they replace. The syrinx, along with other evolutionary novelties in sensory and signaling modalities, may more commonly involve structural changes that contribute to or modify an existing function rather than those that enable new functions.
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Abstract
Hummingbirds are a fascinating group of birds, but some aspects of their biology are poorly understood, such as their highly diverse vocal behaviors. We show here that the predominant vocalization of black jacobins (Florisuga fusca), a hummingbird prevalent in the mountains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, consists of a triplet of syllables with high fundamental frequency (mean F0 ∼11.8 kHz), rapid frequency oscillations and strong ultrasonic harmonics and no detectable elements below ∼10 kHz. These are the most common vocalizations of these birds, and their frequency range is above the known hearing range of any bird species recorded to date, including hearing specialists such as owls. These observations suggest that black jacobins either have an atypically high frequency hearing range, or alternatively their primary vocalization has a yet unknown function unrelated to vocal communication. Black jacobin vocalizations challenge current notions about vocal communication in birds.
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Zhang YS, Ghazanfar AA. Vocal development through morphological computation. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2003933. [PMID: 29462148 PMCID: PMC5834215 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The vocal behavior of infants changes dramatically during early life. Whether or not such a change results from the growth of the body during development-as opposed to solely neural changes-has rarely been investigated. In this study of vocal development in marmoset monkeys, we tested the putative causal relationship between bodily growth and vocal development. During the first two months of life, the spontaneous vocalizations of marmosets undergo (1) a gradual disappearance of context-inappropriate call types and (2) an elongation in the duration of context-appropriate contact calls. We hypothesized that both changes are the natural consequences of lung growth and do not require any changes at the neural level. To test this idea, we first present a central pattern generator model of marmoset vocal production to demonstrate that lung growth can affect the temporal and oscillatory dynamics of neural circuits via sensory feedback from the lungs. Lung growth qualitatively shifted vocal behavior in the direction observed in real marmoset monkey vocal development. We then empirically tested this hypothesis by placing the marmoset infants in a helium-oxygen (heliox) environment in which air is much lighter. This simulated a reversal in development by decreasing the effort required to respire, thus increasing the respiration rate (as though the lungs were smaller). The heliox manipulation increased the proportions of inappropriate call types and decreased the duration of contact calls, consistent with a brief reversal of vocal development. These results suggest that bodily growth alone can play a major role in shaping the development of vocal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi S. Zhang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Asif A. Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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35
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Neural coding of sound envelope structure in songbirds. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:285-294. [PMID: 29234861 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1238-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Songbirds are a well-established animal model to study the neural basis of learning, perception and production of complex vocalizations. In this system, telencephalic neurons in HVC present a state-dependent, highly selective response to auditory presentations of the bird's own song (BOS). This property provides an opportunity to study the neural code behind a complex motor behavior. In this work, we explore whether changes in the temporal structure of the sound envelope can drive changes in the neural responses of highly selective HVC units. We generated an envelope-modified BOS (MOD) by reversing each syllable's envelope but leaving the overall temporal structure of syllable spectra unchanged, which resulted in a subtle modification for each song syllable. We conducted in vivo electrophysiological recordings of HVC neurons in anaesthetized zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Units analyzed presented a high BOS selectivity and lower response to MOD, but preserved the profile response shape. These results show that the temporal evolution of the sound envelope is being sensed by the avian song system and suggest that the biomechanical properties of the vocal apparatus could play a role in enhancing subtle sound differences.
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Young BK, Mindlin GB, Arneodo E, Goller F. Adult zebra finches rehearse highly variable song patterns during sleep. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4052. [PMID: 29158983 PMCID: PMC5694654 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain activity during sleep is fairly ubiquitous and the best studied possible function is a role in memory consolidation, including motor memory. One suggested mechanism of how neural activity effects these benefits is through reactivation of neurons in patterns resembling those of the preceding experience. The specific patterns of motor activation replayed during sleep are largely unknown for any system. Brain areas devoted to song production in the songbird brain exhibit spontaneous song-like activity during sleep, but single cell neural recordings did not permit detection of the specific song patterns. We have now discovered that this sleep activation can be detected in the muscles of the vocal organ, thus providing a unique window into song-related brain activity at night. We show that male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) frequently exhibit spontaneous song-like activity during the night, but that the fictive song patterns are highly variable and uncoordinated compared to the highly stereotyped day-time song production. This substantial variability is not consistent with the idea that night-time activity replays day-time experiences for consolidation. Although the function of this frequent activation is unknown, it may represent a mechanism for exploring motor space or serve to generate internal error signals that help maintain the high stereotypy of day-time song. In any case, the described activity supports the emerging insight that brain activity during sleep may serve a variety of functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent K Young
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Physics Department, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Arneodo
- Physics Department, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
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Garcia SM, Kopuchian C, Mindlin GB, Fuxjager MJ, Tubaro PL, Goller F. Evolution of Vocal Diversity through Morphological Adaptation without Vocal Learning or Complex Neural Control. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2677-2683.e3. [PMID: 28867206 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of complex behavior is driven by the interplay of morphological specializations and neuromuscular control mechanisms [1-3], and it is often difficult to tease apart their respective contributions. Avian vocal learning and associated neural adaptations are thought to have played a major role in bird diversification [4-8], whereas functional significance of substantial morphological diversity of the vocal organ remains largely unexplored. Within the most species-rich order, Passeriformes, "tracheophones" are a suboscine group that, unlike their oscine sister taxon, does not exhibit vocal learning [9] and is thought to phonate with tracheal membranes [10, 11] instead of the two independent sources found in other passerines [12-14]. Here we show tracheophones possess three sound sources, two oscine-like labial pairs and the unique tracheal membranes, which collectively represent the largest described number of sound sources for a vocal organ. Birds with experimentally disabled tracheal membranes were still able to phonate. Instead of the main sound source, the tracheal membranes constitute a morphological specialization, which, through interaction with bronchial labia, contributes to different acoustic features such as spectral complexity, amplitude modulation, and enhanced sound amplitude. In contrast, these same features arise in oscines from neuromuscular control of two labial sources [15-17]. These findings are supported by a modeling approach and provide a clear example for how a morphological adaptation of the tracheophone vocal organ can generate specific, complex sound features. Morphological specialization therefore constitutes an alternative path in the evolution of acoustic diversity to that of oscine vocal learning and complex neural control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Garcia
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
| | - Cecilia Kopuchian
- CECOAL (Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral) CONICET, Corrientes, Argentina; División Ornitología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" MACN-CONICET, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Depto. Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C. Universitaria, Pab I, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Pablo L Tubaro
- División Ornitología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" MACN-CONICET, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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38
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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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39
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Ladich F, Winkler H. Acoustic communication in terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:2306-2317. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.132944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Sound propagates much faster and over larger distances in water than in air, mainly because of differences in the density of these media. This raises the question of whether terrestrial (land mammals, birds) and (semi-)aquatic animals (frogs, fishes, cetaceans) differ fundamentally in the way they communicate acoustically. Terrestrial vertebrates primarily produce sounds by vibrating vocal tissue (folds) directly in an airflow. This mechanism has been modified in frogs and cetaceans, whereas fishes generate sounds in quite different ways mainly by utilizing the swimbladder or pectoral fins. On land, vertebrates pick up sounds with light tympana, whereas other mechanisms have had to evolve underwater. Furthermore, fishes differ from all other vertebrates by not having an inner ear end organ devoted exclusively to hearing. Comparing acoustic communication within and between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates reveals that there is no ‘aquatic way’ of sound communication, as compared with a more uniform terrestrial one. Birds and mammals display rich acoustic communication behaviour, which reflects their highly developed cognitive and social capabilities. In contrast, acoustic signaling seems to be the exception in fishes, and is obviously limited to short distances and to substrate-breeding species, whereas all cetaceans communicate acoustically and, because of their predominantly pelagic lifestyle, exploit the benefits of sound propagation in a dense, obstacle-free medium that provides fast and almost lossless signal transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich Ladich
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Hans Winkler
- Konrad Lorenz-Institute of Comparative Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna 1160, Austria
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40
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Mencio C, Kuberan B, Goller F. Contributions of rapid neuromuscular transmission to the fine control of acoustic parameters of birdsong. J Neurophysiol 2016; 117:637-645. [PMID: 27852738 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00843.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural control of complex vocal behaviors, such as birdsong and speech, requires integration of biomechanical nonlinearities through muscular output. Although control of airflow and tension of vibrating tissues are known functions of vocal muscles, it remains unclear how specific muscle characteristics contribute to specific acoustic parameters. To address this gap, we removed heparan sulfate chains using heparitinases to perturb neuromuscular transmission subtly in the syrinx of adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Infusion of heparitinases into ventral syringeal muscles altered their excitation threshold and reduced neuromuscular transmission changing their ability to modulate airflow. The changes in muscle activation dynamics caused a reduction in frequency modulation rates and elimination of many high-frequency syllables but did not alter the fundamental frequency of syllables. Sound amplitude was reduced and sound onset pressure was increased, suggesting a role of muscles in the induction of self-sustained oscillations under low-airflow conditions, thus enhancing vocal efficiency. These changes were reversed to preinfusion levels by 7 days after infusion. These results illustrate complex interactions between the control of airflow and tension and further define the importance of syringeal muscle in the control of a variety of acoustic song characteristics. In summary, the findings reported here show that altering neuromuscular transmission can lead to reversible changes to the acoustic structure of song. Understanding the full extent of muscle involvement in song production is critical in decoding the motor program for the production of complex vocal behavior, including our search for parallels between birdsong and human speech motor control. NEW & NOTEWORTHY It is largely unknown how fine motor control of acoustic parameters is achieved in vocal organs. Subtle manipulation of syringeal muscle function was used to test how active motor control influences acoustic parameters. Slowed activation kinetics of muscles reduced frequency modulation and, unexpectedly, caused a distinct decrease in sound amplitude and increase in phonation onset pressure. These results show that active control enhances the efficiency of energy conversion in the syrinx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Mencio
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Balagurunathan Kuberan
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.,Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; and
| | - Franz Goller
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; .,Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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41
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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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42
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Predicting Achievable Fundamental Frequency Ranges in Vocalization Across Species. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004907. [PMID: 27309543 PMCID: PMC4911068 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal folds are used as sound sources in various species, but it is unknown how vocal fold morphologies are optimized for different acoustic objectives. Here we identify two main variables affecting range of vocal fold vibration frequency, namely vocal fold elongation and tissue fiber stress. A simple vibrating string model is used to predict fundamental frequency ranges across species of different vocal fold sizes. While average fundamental frequency is predominantly determined by vocal fold length (larynx size), range of fundamental frequency is facilitated by (1) laryngeal muscles that control elongation and by (2) nonlinearity in tissue fiber tension. One adaptation that would increase fundamental frequency range is greater freedom in joint rotation or gliding of two cartilages (thyroid and cricoid), so that vocal fold length change is maximized. Alternatively, tissue layers can develop to bear a disproportionate fiber tension (i.e., a ligament with high density collagen fibers), increasing the fundamental frequency range and thereby vocal versatility. The range of fundamental frequency across species is thus not simply one-dimensional, but can be conceptualized as the dependent variable in a multi-dimensional morphospace. In humans, this could allow for variations that could be clinically important for voice therapy and vocal fold repair. Alternative solutions could also have importance in vocal training for singing and other highly-skilled vocalizations.
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43
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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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44
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Abstract
Humans easily recognize "transposed" musical melodies shifted up or down in log frequency. Surprisingly, songbirds seem to lack this capacity, although they can learn to recognize human melodies and use complex acoustic sequences for communication. Decades of research have led to the widespread belief that songbirds, unlike humans, are strongly biased to use absolute pitch (AP) in melody recognition. This work relies almost exclusively on acoustically simple stimuli that may belie sensitivities to more complex spectral features. Here, we investigate melody recognition in a species of songbird, the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), using tone sequences that vary in both pitch and timbre. We find that small manipulations altering either pitch or timbre independently can drive melody recognition to chance, suggesting that both percepts are poor descriptors of the perceptual cues used by birds for this task. Instead we show that melody recognition can generalize even in the absence of pitch, as long as the spectral shapes of the constituent tones are preserved. These results challenge conventional views regarding the use of pitch cues in nonhuman auditory sequence recognition.
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45
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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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46
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Bodony DJ, Day L, Friscia AR, Fusani L, Kharon A, Swenson GW, Wikelski M, Schlinger BA. Determination of the wingsnap sonation mechanism of the Golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus). J Exp Biol 2016; 219:1524-34. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.128231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Male Golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus), small suboscine passeriform birds of Panamanian forests, communicate acoustically using a variety of nonvocal sonations. The most prominent sonations are single or multiple intense ‘wingsnaps’ with a dominant acoustic frequency around 5 kHz. Several hypotheses have been proposed addressing the source of the sound, ranging from purely aerodynamic origins (due to a rapid jet of air formed by the wings or by a ‘whiplike’ motion) to purely structural origins (such as physical contact of the wings), but without definitive assessment. Using anatomical analysis as well as high-speed video and synchronized audio recordings, we show that compared to related species, Manacus radii are morphologically unique and confirm that they collide over the back of the bird at the moment (± 1 ms) the wingsnap is produced. Using aeroacoustic theory, we quantitatively estimate the acoustic signatures from three previously proposed sonation mechanisms. We conclude that only the physical contact hypothesis, wherein the wing collisions create the sound, is consistent with the measured sonation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Bodony
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Lainy Day
- Department of Biology, The University of Mississippi, MS, USA
| | - Anthony R. Friscia
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, and Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Aharon Kharon
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
| | - George W. Swenson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany and Dept. of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Barney A. Schlinger
- Departments of Integrative Biology and Physiology & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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47
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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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Universal mechanisms of sound production and control in birds and mammals. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8978. [PMID: 26612008 PMCID: PMC4674827 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
As animals vocalize, their vocal organ transforms motor commands into vocalizations for social communication. In birds, the physical mechanisms by which vocalizations are produced and controlled remain unresolved because of the extreme difficulty in obtaining in vivo measurements. Here, we introduce an ex vivo preparation of the avian vocal organ that allows simultaneous high-speed imaging, muscle stimulation and kinematic and acoustic analyses to reveal the mechanisms of vocal production in birds across a wide range of taxa. Remarkably, we show that all species tested employ the myoelastic-aerodynamic (MEAD) mechanism, the same mechanism used to produce human speech. Furthermore, we show substantial redundancy in the control of key vocal parameters ex vivo, suggesting that in vivo vocalizations may also not be specified by unique motor commands. We propose that such motor redundancy can aid vocal learning and is common to MEAD sound production across birds and mammals, including humans.
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Favaro L, Gamba M, Alfieri C, Pessani D, McElligott AG. Vocal individuality cues in the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus): a source-filter theory approach. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17255. [PMID: 26602001 PMCID: PMC4658557 DOI: 10.1038/srep17255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The African penguin is a nesting seabird endemic to southern Africa. In penguins of the genus Spheniscus vocalisations are important for social recognition. However, it is not clear which acoustic features of calls can encode individual identity information. We recorded contact calls and ecstatic display songs of 12 adult birds from a captive colony. For each vocalisation, we measured 31 spectral and temporal acoustic parameters related to both source and filter components of calls. For each parameter, we calculated the Potential of Individual Coding (PIC). The acoustic parameters showing PIC ≥ 1.1 were used to perform a stepwise cross-validated discriminant function analysis (DFA). The DFA correctly classified 66.1% of the contact calls and 62.5% of display songs to the correct individual. The DFA also resulted in the further selection of 10 acoustic features for contact calls and 9 for display songs that were important for vocal individuality. Our results suggest that studying the anatomical constraints that influence nesting penguin vocalisations from a source-filter perspective, can lead to a much better understanding of the acoustic cues of individuality contained in their calls. This approach could be further extended to study and understand vocal communication in other bird species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Favaro
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara Alfieri
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Daniela Pessani
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
| | - Alan G. McElligott
- Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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Boari S, Perl YS, Amador A, Margoliash D, Mindlin GB. Automatic reconstruction of physiological gestures used in a model of birdsong production. J Neurophysiol 2015; 114:2912-22. [PMID: 26378204 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00385.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly coordinated learned behaviors are key to understanding neural processes integrating the body and the environment. Birdsong production is a widely studied example of such behavior in which numerous thoracic muscles control respiratory inspiration and expiration: the muscles of the syrinx control syringeal membrane tension, while upper vocal tract morphology controls resonances that modulate the vocal system output. All these muscles have to be coordinated in precise sequences to generate the elaborate vocalizations that characterize an individual's song. Previously we used a low-dimensional description of the biomechanics of birdsong production to investigate the associated neural codes, an approach that complements traditional spectrographic analysis. The prior study used algorithmic yet manual procedures to model singing behavior. In the present work, we present an automatic procedure to extract low-dimensional motor gestures that could predict vocal behavior. We recorded zebra finch songs and generated synthetic copies automatically, using a biomechanical model for the vocal apparatus and vocal tract. This dynamical model described song as a sequence of physiological parameters the birds control during singing. To validate this procedure, we recorded electrophysiological activity of the telencephalic nucleus HVC. HVC neurons were highly selective to the auditory presentation of the bird's own song (BOS) and gave similar selective responses to the automatically generated synthetic model of song (AUTO). Our results demonstrate meaningful dimensionality reduction in terms of physiological parameters that individual birds could actually control. Furthermore, this methodology can be extended to other vocal systems to study fine motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Boari
- Department of Physics, FCEN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
| | - Yonatan Sanz Perl
- Department of Physics, FCEN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
| | - Ana Amador
- Department of Physics, FCEN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
| | - Daniel Margoliash
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Department of Physics, FCEN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and
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