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Zhao L, Cheng J, Zeng W, Yang B, Zhang G, Li D, Zhang H, Buesching CD, Liu D. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) neonates use broadband calls to communicate with their mothers. Integr Zool 2024; 19:277-287. [PMID: 37231635 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12722] [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] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Infant call structure should have evolved to elicit maximum maternal attention and investment. Neonates of giant pandas produce three types of vocalizations reported to be vitally important in the context of mother-infant communications. However, how cubs, 0-15 days old, communicate with their mothers to elicit maternal care remains unknown. We analyzed 12 different call parameters of 3475 squawks, 1355 squalls, and 491 croaks from 11 captive giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) neonates from age 0 to 15 days. In playback experiments, we also tested whether mothers could detect ultrasound. Our results show that neonates use broadband calls with ultrasonic frequencies up to 65 kHz to convey information about their physiological needs and to attract maternal care. In playback experiments, we tested if mothers reacted differently to broadband calls (BBC) than to artificially altered calls that included only frequencies <20 kHz (AUDC) or calls that included only frequencies >20 kHz (USC). Playback confirmed that, although adult females responded significantly less often to USC, BBC than to or AUDC, they could detect USC, BBC and generally made appropriate behavioral responses, indicating a potential benefit for neonates to utilize ultrasonic and broadband frequencies. Our findings provide a new insight into mother-infant communication in giant pandas and will be helpful for reducing the mortality of cubs, younger than 1 month old, in captivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhao
- Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Wen Zeng
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Guiquan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Desheng Li
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Hemin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Conservation Biology of Rare Animals in The Giant Panda National Park, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, 611830, China
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Dingzhen Liu
- Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Silberstein Y, Felmy F, Scheumann M. Encoding of Arousal and Physical Characteristics in Audible and Ultrasonic Vocalizations of Mongolian Gerbil Pups Testing Common Rules for Mammals. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2553. [PMID: 37627344 PMCID: PMC10451175 DOI: 10.3390/ani13162553] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, common rules for the encoding of arousal and physical characteristics of the sender are suggested based on a similar vocal production apparatus. In this study, we want to investigate to what extent vocalizations of developing Mongolian gerbil pups fulfill these rules. We recorded vocalizations of 28 Mongolian gerbil pups in four developmental stages using a separation paradigm, suggested to induce different arousal levels. For low arousal, a pup was placed in an arena isolated from its siblings and parents; for high arousal, the pup was additionally stressed through the simulation of a predator. An unsupervised cluster analysis revealed three call types: ultrasonic (USV), audible vocalizations (ADV), and transitions between both (USV-ADV). The USV and USV-ADV rate showed an age-dependent decrease, contrasting an age-dependent increase for ADVs. Vocal correlates for the encoding of arousal were found for USVs and of physical characteristics for USVs and ADVs. However, the pattern of encoding these cues differed between call types and only partly confirmed the common rules suggested for mammals. Our results show that divergent encoding patterns do not only differ between species but also between call types within a species, indicating that coding rules can be shaped by socio-ecological factors or call type specific production mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara Silberstein
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Jourjine N, Woolfolk ML, Sanguinetti-Scheck JI, Sabatini JE, McFadden S, Lindholm AK, Hoekstra HE. Two pup vocalization types are genetically and functionally separable in deer mice. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1237-1248.e4. [PMID: 36893759 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Vocalization is a widespread social behavior in vertebrates that can affect fitness in the wild. Although many vocal behaviors are highly conserved, heritable features of specific vocalization types can vary both within and between species, raising the questions of why and how some vocal behaviors evolve. Here, using new computational tools to automatically detect and cluster vocalizations into distinct acoustic categories, we compare pup isolation calls across neonatal development in eight taxa of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) and compare them with laboratory mice (C57BL6/J strain) and free-living, wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Whereas both Peromyscus and Mus pups produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), Peromyscus pups also produce a second call type with acoustic features, temporal rhythms, and developmental trajectories that are distinct from those of USVs. In deer mice, these lower frequency "cries" are predominantly emitted in postnatal days one through nine, whereas USVs are primarily made after day 9. Using playback assays, we show that cries result in a more rapid approach by Peromyscus mothers than USVs, suggesting a role for cries in eliciting parental care early in neonatal development. Using a genetic cross between two sister species of deer mice exhibiting large, innate differences in the acoustic structure of cries and USVs, we find that variation in vocalization rate, duration, and pitch displays different degrees of genetic dominance and that cry and USV features can be uncoupled in second-generation hybrids. Taken together, this work shows that vocal behavior can evolve quickly between closely related rodent species in which vocalization types, likely serving distinct functions in communication, are controlled by distinct genetic loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Jourjine
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Maya L Woolfolk
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Juan I Sanguinetti-Scheck
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - John E Sabatini
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Sade McFadden
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse, 190 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hopi E Hoekstra
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Dymskaya MM, Volodin IA, Smorkatcheva AV, Vasilieva NA, Volodina EV. Audible, but not ultrasonic, calls reflect surface-dwelling or subterranean specialization in pup and adult Brandt’s and mandarin voles. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03213-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Wilson KM, Wagner VA, Saltzman W. Specificity of California mouse pup vocalizations in response to olfactory stimuli. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22261. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerianne M. Wilson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology University of California Riverside Riverside California USA
| | - Victoria A. Wagner
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience University of California Riverside Riverside California USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology University of California Riverside Riverside California USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience University of California Riverside Riverside California USA
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Volodin IA, Yurlova DD, Ilchenko OG, Volodina EV. Ontogeny of audible squeaks in yellow steppe lemming Eolagurus luteus: trend towards shorter and low-frequency calls is reminiscent of those in ultrasonic vocalization. BMC ZOOL 2021; 6:27. [PMID: 37170373 PMCID: PMC10127023 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-021-00092-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Rodents are thought to be produced their human-audible calls (AUDs, below 20 kHz) with phonation mechanism based on vibration of the vocal folds, whereas their ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs, over 20 kHz) are produced with aerodynamic whistle mechanism. Despite of different production mechanisms, the acoustic parameters (duration and fundamental frequency) of AUDs and USVs change in the same direction along ontogeny in collared lemming Dicrostonyx groenlandicus and fat-tailed gerbil Pachyuromys duprasi. We hypothesize that this unidirectional trend of AUDs and USVs is a common rule in rodents and test whether the AUDs of yellow steppe lemmings Eolagurus luteus would display the same ontogenetic trajectory (towards shorter and low-frequency calls) as their USVs, studied previously in the same laboratory colony.
Results
We examined for acoustic variables 1200 audible squeaks emitted during 480-s isolation-and-handling procedure by 120 individual yellow steppe lemmings (at 12 age classes from neonates to breeding adults, 10 individuals per age class, up to 10 calls per individual, each individual tested once). We found that the ontogenetic pathway of the audible squeaks, towards shorter and lower frequency calls, was the same as the pathway of USVs revealed during 120-s isolation procedure in a previous study in the same laboratory population. Developmental milestone for the appearance of mature patterns of the squeaks (coinciding with eyes opening at 9–12 days of age), was the same as previously documented for USVs. Similar with ontogeny of USVs, the chevron-like squeaks were prevalent in neonates whereas the squeaks with upward contour were prevalent after the eyes opening.
Conclusion
This study confirms a hypothesis of common ontogenetic trajectory of call duration and fundamental frequency for AUDs and USVs within species in rodents. This ontogenetic trajectory is not uniform across species.
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Volodin IA, Dymskaya MM, Smorkatcheva AV, Volodina EV. Ultrasound from underground: cryptic communication in subterranean wild-living and captive northern mole voles (Ellobius talpinus). BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1960191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Margarita M. Dymskaya
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Elena V. Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Discomfort-related changes of call rate and acoustic variables of ultrasonic vocalizations in adult yellow steppe lemmings Eolagurus luteus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14969. [PMID: 34294820 PMCID: PMC8298583 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94489-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Potential of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to reflect a degree of discomfort of a caller is mostly investigated in laboratory rats and mice but poorly known in other rodents. We examined 36 (19 male, 17 female) adult yellow steppe lemmings Eolagurus luteus for presence of USVs during 8-min experimental trials including 2-min test stages of increasing discomfort: isolation, touch, handling and body measure. We found that 33 of 36 individuals vocalized at isolation stage, i.e., without any human impact. For 14 (6 male and 8 female) individuals, a repeated measures approach revealed that increasing discomfort from isolation to handling stages resulted in increase of call power quartiles and fundamental frequency, whereas call rate remained unchanged. We discuss that, in adult yellow steppe lemmings, the discomfort-related changes of USV fundamental frequency and power variables follow the same common rule as the audible calls of most mammals, whereas call rate shows a different trend. These data contribute to research focused on searching the universal acoustic cues to discomfort in mammalian USVs.
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Klenova AV, Volodin IA, Volodina EV, Ranneva SV, Amstislavskaya TG, Lipina TV. Vocal and physical phenotypes of calsyntenin2 knockout mouse pups model early-life symptoms of the autism spectrum disorder. Behav Brain Res 2021; 412:113430. [PMID: 34182007 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
This study discovered a novel acoustic phenotype in Calsyntenin2 deficient knockout (Clstn2-KO) pups in the neurodevelopment period of 5-9 postnatal days (PND 5-9). The narrowband ultrasonic calls (nUSVs) were less complex (mostly one-note, shorter in duration and higher in peak frequency) in Clsnt2-KO than in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 J pups. The wideband ultrasonic calls (wUSVs) were produced substantially more often by Clstn2-KO than WT pups. The clicks were longer in duration and higher in peak frequency and power quartiles in Clstn2-KO pups. The elevated discomfort due to additional two-minute maternal separation coupled with experimenter's touch, resulted in significantly higher call rates of both nUSVs and clicks in pups of both genotypes and sexes compared to the previous two-minute maternal separation, whereas the call rate of wUSVs was not affected. In Clstn2-KO pups, the prevalence of emission of wUSVs retained at both sex and both degrees of discomfort, thus providing a reliable quantitative acoustic indicator for this genetic line. Besides the acoustic differences, we also detected the increased head-to-body ratio in Clstn2-KO pups. Altogether, this study demonstrated that lack of such synaptic adhesion protein as calsyntenin2 affects neurodevelopment of vocalization in a mouse as a model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna V Klenova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia.
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia; Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia.
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia.
| | - Svetlana V Ranneva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Department of Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia.
| | - Tamara G Amstislavskaya
- Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine» (SRINM), Novosibirsk, 630117, Russia.
| | - Tatiana V Lipina
- Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Kozhevnikova JD, Volodin IA, Zaytseva AS, Ilchenko OG, Volodina EV. Pup ultrasonic isolation calls of six gerbil species and the relationship between acoustic traits and body size. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201558. [PMID: 33959325 PMCID: PMC8074943 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Among Gerbillinae rodents, ultrasonic calls of adults of small-sized species are typically higher frequency than those of adults of large-sized species. This study investigates whether a similar relationship can be found in pups of six gerbil species (Dipodillus campestris, Gerbillus perpallidus, Meriones unguiculatus, Meriones vinogradovi, Sekeetamys calurus and Pachyuromys duprasi). We compared the average values of acoustic variables (duration, fundamental and peak frequency) of ultrasonic calls (20 calls per pup, 1200 in total) recorded from 6- to 10-day-old pups (10 pups per species, 60 in total) isolated for 2 min at 22°C and then weighed and measured for body variables. The longest calls (56 ± 33 ms) were found in the largest species, and the highest frequency calls (74.8 ± 5.59 kHz) were found in the smallest species. However, across species, call duration (ranging from 56 to 159 ms among species) did not display a significant relationship with pup body size; and, among frequency variables, only the minimum fundamental frequency depended on pup body size. Discriminant analysis assigned 100% of calls to the correct species. The effect of species identity on the acoustics was stronger than the effect of body size. We discuss these results with the hypotheses of acoustic adaptation, social complexity, hearing ranges and phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia D. Kozhevnikova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Alexandra S. Zaytseva
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Small Mammals, Moscow Zoo, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Elena V. Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
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