1
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Loning H, Griffith SC, Naguib M. The ecology of zebra finch song and its implications for vocal communication in multi-level societies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230191. [PMID: 38768203 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signalling is crucial in affecting movements and in social interactions. In species with dynamic social structures, such as multi-level societies, acoustic signals can provide a key mechanism allowing individuals to identify and find or avoid each other and to exchange information. Yet, if the spacing between individuals regularly exceeds the maximum signalling range, the relation between movements and signals becomes more complex. As the best-studied songbird in captivity, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) is a species with individually distinct songs that are audible over just a few metres and a widely ranging dynamic multi-level social organization in the wild, raising questions on the actual role of its song in social cohesion and coordination. Here, we provide an overview of birdsong in social organizations (networks) and use the ecology of the zebra finch and male song to discuss how singing can facilitate social cohesion and coordination in species where the signal range is very short. We raise the question of the extent to which zebra finches are a representative species to understand the function of song in communication, and we broaden current views on the function of birdsong and its individual signature. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Loning
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research , 6708 WD, The Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research , 6708 WD, The Netherlands
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2
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Liao DA, Brecht KF, Veit L, Nieder A. Crows "count" the number of self-generated vocalizations. Science 2024; 384:874-877. [PMID: 38781375 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl0984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Producing a specific number of vocalizations with purpose requires a sophisticated combination of numerical abilities and vocal control. Whether this capacity exists in animals other than humans is yet unknown. We show that crows can flexibly produce variable numbers of one to four vocalizations in response to arbitrary cues associated with numerical values. The acoustic features of the first vocalization of a sequence were predictive of the total number of vocalizations, indicating a planning process. Moreover, the acoustic features of vocal units predicted their order in the sequence and could be used to read out counting errors during vocal production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana A Liao
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katharina F Brecht
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lena Veit
- Neurobiology of Vocal Communication, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Moran IG, Loo YY, Louca S, Young NBA, Whibley A, Withers SJ, Salloum PM, Hall ML, Stanley MC, Cain KE. Vocal convergence and social proximity shape the calls of the most basal Passeriformes, New Zealand Wrens. Commun Biol 2024; 7:575. [PMID: 38750083 PMCID: PMC11096322 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06253-y] [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: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive research on avian vocal learning, we still lack a general understanding of how and when this ability evolved in birds. As the closest living relatives of the earliest Passeriformes, the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisitti) hold a key phylogenetic position for furthering our understanding of the evolution of vocal learning because they share a common ancestor with two vocal learners: oscines and parrots. However, the vocal learning abilities of New Zealand wrens remain unexplored. Here, we test for the presence of prerequisite behaviors for vocal learning in one of the two extant species of New Zealand wrens, the rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris). We detect the presence of unique individual vocal signatures and show how these signatures are shaped by social proximity, as demonstrated by group vocal signatures and strong acoustic similarities among distantly related individuals in close social proximity. Further, we reveal that rifleman calls share similar phenotypic variance ratios to those previously reported in the learned vocalizations of the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Together these findings provide strong evidence that riflemen vocally converge, and though the mechanism still remains to be determined, they may also suggest that this vocal convergence is the result of rudimentary vocal learning abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines G Moran
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand.
| | - Yen Yi Loo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Stilianos Louca
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, 97403-1210, OR, USA
| | - Nick B A Young
- Centre for eResearch, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Annabel Whibley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Sarah J Withers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Priscila M Salloum
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9016, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Margaret C Stanley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Kristal E Cain
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, Aotearoa New Zealand
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4
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Macedo-Lima M, Fernández-Vargas M, Remage-Healey L. Social reinforcement guides operant behaviour and auditory learning in a songbird. Anim Behav 2024; 210:127-137. [PMID: 38505105 PMCID: PMC10947183 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Motivation to seek social interactions is inherent to all social species. For instance, even with risk of disease transmission in a recent pandemic, humans sought out frequent in-person social interactions. In other social animals, socialization can be prioritized even over water or food consumption. Zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, are highly gregarious songbirds widely used in behavioural and physiological research. Songbirds, like humans, are vocal learners during development, which rely on intense auditory learning. Aside from supporting song learning, auditory learning further supports individual identification, mate choice and outcome associations in songbirds. To study auditory learning in a laboratory setting, studies often employ operant paradigms with food restriction and reinforcement and require complete social isolation, which can result in stress and other unintended physiological consequences for social species. Thus, in this work, we designed an operant behavioural method leveraging the sociality of zebra finches for goal-directed behaviours. Our approach relies on visual social reinforcement, without depriving the animals of food or social contact. Using this task, we found that visual social reinforcement was a strong motivational drive for operant behaviour. Motivation was sensitive to familiarity towards the stimulus animal and higher when engaging with a familiar versus a novel individual. We further show that this tool can be used to assess auditory discrimination learning using either songs or synthetic pure tones as stimuli. As birds gained experience in the task, they developed a strategy to maximize reward acquisition in spite of receiving more punishment, i.e. liberal response bias. Our operant paradigm provides an alternative to tasks using food reinforcement and could be applied to a variety of highly social species, such as rodents and nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Macedo-Lima
- Matheus Macedo-Lima is now at the Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, U.S.A
| | - Marcela Fernández-Vargas
- Marcela Fernández-Vargas is now at the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Corresponding author. (L. Remage-Healey)., @HealeyLab, Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA, U.S.A.
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5
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Fröhlich M, van Noordwijk MA, Mitra Setia T, van Schaik CP, Knief U. Wild and captive immature orangutans differ in their non-vocal communication with others, but not with their mothers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2024; 78:12. [PMID: 38235053 PMCID: PMC10789664 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03426-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Abstract In many group-living species, individuals are required to flexibly modify their communicative behaviour in response to current social challenges. To unravel whether sociality and communication systems co-evolve, research efforts have often targeted the links between social organisation and communicative repertoires. However, it is still unclear which social or interactional factors directly predict communicative complexity. To address this issue, we studied wild and zoo-housed immature orangutans of two species to assess the impact of the socio-ecological setting on the production of non-vocal signal repertoires. Specifically, we compared repertoire size, dyadic repertoire similarity, and number of social goals (i.e. observer's estimate of the signaller's intended interaction outcome) for communicative interactions with mothers versus other conspecifics, controlling for critical individual and environmental factors. In this small sample of immature orangutans, wild-captive contrasts were statistically significant only for other-directed repertoires, but not for mother-directed repertoires, and not for the number of social goals that immatures communicated towards. While the repertoires of individuals living in the same research setting were more similar than those living in contrasting settings, this difference was most pronounced for other-directed repertoires of the less socially tolerant orangutan species. These results suggest that the boosted interactional opportunities in captivity rather than mere differences in environmental affordances or communicative needs drive the wild-captive contrast in orangutan communicative repertoires. Overall, this fine-grained analysis of repertoires further underscores that not only a species' social organisation but also the targeted audience may have a profound impact on communicative behaviour. Significance statement Navigating a dynamic social environment often requires flexible signal use. While it has repeatedly been shown that the social organisation and structure of species predict the complexity of their communication systems, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are largely unknown. Because targeted studies to assess this issue in great apes are difficult, we take an alternative approach here: we compare the same species living in the wild and in artificial habitats in captivity. This contrast allows a direct test of how repertoires respond to the relevant difference in socio-ecological conditions. Our results show that the diversity of interaction partners (i.e. social opportunities), but not the diversity of social goals (i.e. possible interaction outcomes) or the broader physical opportunities (i.e. safe ground use), predict the size and consistency of wild and captive signalling repertoires. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-023-03426-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Palaeoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tatang Mitra Setia
- Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, 12520 Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulrich Knief
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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6
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Martin K, Cornero FM, Clayton NS, Adam O, Obin N, Dufour V. Vocal complexity in a socially complex corvid: gradation, diversity and lack of common call repertoire in male rooks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231713. [PMID: 38204786 PMCID: PMC10776222 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Vocal communication is widespread in animals, with vocal repertoires of varying complexity. The social complexity hypothesis predicts that species may need high vocal complexity to deal with complex social organization (e.g. have a variety of different interindividual relations). We quantified the vocal complexity of two geographically distant captive colonies of rooks, a corvid species with complex social organization and cognitive performances, but understudied vocal abilities. We quantified the diversity and gradation of their repertoire, as well as the inter-individual similarity at the vocal unit level. We found that males produced call units with lower diversity and gradation than females, while song units did not differ between sexes. Surprisingly, while females produced highly similar call repertoires, even between colonies, each individual male produced almost completely different call repertoires from any other individual. These findings question the way male rooks communicate with their social partners. We suggest that each male may actively seek to remain vocally distinct, which could be an asset in their frequently changing social environment. We conclude that inter-individual similarity, an understudied aspect of vocal repertoires, should also be considered as a measure of vocal complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Killian Martin
- PRC, UMR 7247, Ethologie Cognitive et Sociale, CNRS-IFCE-INRAE-Université de Tours, Strasbourg, France
| | | | | | - Olivier Adam
- Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, UMR 7190, CNRS-Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, UMR 9197, CNRS-Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Nicolas Obin
- STMS Lab, IRCAM, CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Dufour
- PRC, UMR 7247, Ethologie Cognitive et Sociale, CNRS-IFCE-INRAE-Université de Tours, Strasbourg, France
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7
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Smeele SQ, Senar JC, Aplin LM, McElreath MB. Evidence for vocal signatures and voice-prints in a wild parrot. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230835. [PMID: 37800160 PMCID: PMC10548090 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
In humans, identity is partly encoded in a voice-print that is carried across multiple vocalizations. Other species also signal vocal identity in calls, such as shown in the contact call of parrots. However, it remains unclear to what extent other call types in parrots are individually distinct, and whether there is an analogous voice-print across calls. Here we test if an individual signature is present in other call types, how stable this signature is, and if parrots exhibit voice-prints across call types. We recorded 5599 vocalizations from 229 individually marked monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) over a 2-year period in Barcelona, Spain. We examined five distinct call types, finding evidence for an individual signature in three. We further show that in the contact call, while birds are individually distinct, the calls are more variable than previously assumed, changing over short time scales (seconds to minutes). Finally, we provide evidence for voice-prints across multiple call types, with a discriminant function being able to predict caller identity across call types. This suggests that monk parakeets may be able to use vocal cues to recognize conspecifics, even across vocalization types and without necessarily needing active vocal signatures of identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q. Smeele
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Lucy M. Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Mary Brooke McElreath
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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8
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Anderson KL, Colón L, Doolittle V, Rosario Martinez R, Uraga J, Whitney O. Context-dependent activation of a social behavior brain network during learned vocal production. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1785-1797. [PMID: 37615758 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02693-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Neural activation in brain regions for vocal control is social context dependent. This context-dependent brain activation reflects social context-appropriate vocal behavior but has unresolved mechanisms. Studies of non-vocal social behaviors in multiple organisms suggest a functional role for several evolutionarily conserved and highly interconnected brain regions. Here, we use neural activity-dependent gene expression to evaluate the functional connectivity of this social behavior network within zebra finches in non-social and social singing contexts. We found that activity in one social behavior network region, the medial preoptic area (POM), was strongly associated with the amount of non-social undirected singing in zebra finches. In addition, in all regions of the social behavior network and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a higher percentage of EGR1 expression was observed during a social female-directed singing context compared to a non-social undirected singing context. Furthermore, we observed distinct patterns of significantly correlated activity between regions of the social behavior network during non-social undirected and social female-directed singing. Our results suggest that non-social vs. social contexts differentially activate this social behavior network and PVN. Moreover, neuronal activity within this social behavior network, PVN, and POM may alter context-appropriate vocal production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine L Anderson
- Biology Department, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Center, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lionel Colón
- Biology Department, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Violet Doolittle
- Biology Department, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Joseph Uraga
- Biology Department, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Osceola Whitney
- Biology Department, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Graduate Center, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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Kim G, Sánchez-Valpuesta M, Kao MH. Partial inactivation of songbird auditory cortex impairs both tempo and pitch discrimination. Mol Brain 2023; 16:48. [PMID: 37270583 PMCID: PMC10239083 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-01039-5] [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: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal tuning for spectral and temporal features has been studied extensively in the auditory system. In the auditory cortex, diverse combinations of spectral and temporal tuning have been found, but how specific feature tuning contributes to the perception of complex sounds remains unclear. Neurons in the avian auditory cortex are spatially organized in terms of spectral or temporal tuning widths, providing an opportunity for investigating the link between auditory tuning and perception. Here, using naturalistic conspecific vocalizations, we asked whether subregions of the auditory cortex that are tuned for broadband sounds are more important for discriminating tempo than pitch, due to the lower frequency selectivity. We found that bilateral inactivation of the broadband region impairs performance on both tempo and pitch discrimination. Our results do not support the hypothesis that the lateral, more broadband subregion of the songbird auditory cortex contributes more to processing temporal than spectral information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunsoo Kim
- Sensory and Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea.
| | | | - Mimi H Kao
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
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Arnaud V, Pellegrino F, Keenan S, St-Gelais X, Mathevon N, Levréro F, Coupé C. Improving the workflow to crack Small, Unbalanced, Noisy, but Genuine (SUNG) datasets in bioacoustics: The case of bonobo calls. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010325. [PMID: 37053268 PMCID: PMC10129004 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the accumulation of data and studies, deciphering animal vocal communication remains challenging. In most cases, researchers must deal with the sparse recordings composing Small, Unbalanced, Noisy, but Genuine (SUNG) datasets. SUNG datasets are characterized by a limited number of recordings, most often noisy, and unbalanced in number between the individuals or categories of vocalizations. SUNG datasets therefore offer a valuable but inevitably distorted vision of communication systems. Adopting the best practices in their analysis is essential to effectively extract the available information and draw reliable conclusions. Here we show that the most recent advances in machine learning applied to a SUNG dataset succeed in unraveling the complex vocal repertoire of the bonobo, and we propose a workflow that can be effective with other animal species. We implement acoustic parameterization in three feature spaces and run a Supervised Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (S-UMAP) to evaluate how call types and individual signatures cluster in the bonobo acoustic space. We then implement three classification algorithms (Support Vector Machine, xgboost, neural networks) and their combination to explore the structure and variability of bonobo calls, as well as the robustness of the individual signature they encode. We underscore how classification performance is affected by the feature set and identify the most informative features. In addition, we highlight the need to address data leakage in the evaluation of classification performance to avoid misleading interpretations. Our results lead to identifying several practical approaches that are generalizable to any other animal communication system. To improve the reliability and replicability of vocal communication studies with SUNG datasets, we thus recommend: i) comparing several acoustic parameterizations; ii) visualizing the dataset with supervised UMAP to examine the species acoustic space; iii) adopting Support Vector Machines as the baseline classification approach; iv) explicitly evaluating data leakage and possibly implementing a mitigation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Arnaud
- Département des arts, des lettres et du langage, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Canada
- Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage, UMR 5596, Université de Lyon, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - François Pellegrino
- Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage, UMR 5596, Université de Lyon, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Sumir Keenan
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, University of Saint Étienne, CRNL, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm UMR_S 1028, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Xavier St-Gelais
- Département des arts, des lettres et du langage, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Canada
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, University of Saint Étienne, CRNL, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm UMR_S 1028, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Florence Levréro
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, University of Saint Étienne, CRNL, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm UMR_S 1028, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Christophe Coupé
- Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage, UMR 5596, Université de Lyon, CNRS, Lyon, France
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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11
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Yu K, Wood WE, Johnston LG, Theunissen FE. Lesions to Caudomedial Nidopallium Impair Individual Vocal Recognition in the Zebra Finch. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2579-2596. [PMID: 36859308 PMCID: PMC10082456 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0643-22.2023] [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: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many social animals can recognize other individuals by their vocalizations. This requires a memory system capable of mapping incoming acoustic signals to one of many known individuals. Using the zebra finch, a social songbird that uses songs and distance calls to communicate individual identity (Elie and Theunissen, 2018), we tested the role of two cortical-like brain regions in a vocal recognition task. We found that the rostral region of the Cadomedial Nidopallium (NCM), a secondary auditory region of the avian pallium, was necessary for maintaining auditory memories for conspecific vocalizations in both male and female birds, whereas HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor areas that gates auditory input into the vocal motor and song learning pathways in male birds (Roberts and Mooney, 2013), was not. Both NCM and HVC have previously been implicated for processing the tutor song in the context of song learning (Sakata and Yazaki-Sugiyama, 2020). Our results suggest that NCM might not only store songs as templates for future vocal imitation but also songs and calls for perceptual discrimination of vocalizers in both male and female birds. NCM could therefore operate as a site for auditory memories for vocalizations used in various facets of communication. We also observed that new auditory memories could be acquired without intact HVC or NCM but that for these new memories NCM lesions caused deficits in either memory capacity or auditory discrimination. These results suggest that the high-capacity memory functions of the avian pallial auditory system depend on NCM.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many aspects of vocal communication require the formation of auditory memories. Voice recognition, for example, requires a memory for vocalizers to identify acoustical features. In both birds and primates, the locus and neural correlates of these high-level memories remain poorly described. Previous work suggests that this memory formation is mediated by high-level sensory areas, not traditional memory areas such as the hippocampus. Using lesion experiments, we show that one secondary auditory brain region in songbirds that had previously been implicated in storing song memories for vocal imitation is also implicated in storing vocal memories for individual recognition. The role of the neural circuits in this region in interpreting the meaning of communication calls should be investigated in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Yu
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California 94720
| | - William E Wood
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California 94720
| | - Leah G Johnston
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California 94720
| | - Frederic E Theunissen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California 94720
- Departments of Psychology
- Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California 94720
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12
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Robotka H, Thomas L, Yu K, Wood W, Elie JE, Gahr M, Theunissen FE. Sparse ensemble neural code for a complete vocal repertoire. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112034. [PMID: 36696266 PMCID: PMC10363576 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The categorization of animal vocalizations into distinct behaviorally relevant groups for communication is an essential operation that must be performed by the auditory system. This auditory object recognition is a difficult task that requires selectivity to the group identifying acoustic features and invariance to renditions within each group. We find that small ensembles of auditory neurons in the forebrain of a social songbird can code the bird's entire vocal repertoire (∼10 call types). Ensemble neural discrimination is not, however, correlated with single unit selectivity, but instead with how well the joint single unit tunings to characteristic spectro-temporal modulations span the acoustic subspace optimized for the discrimination of call types. Thus, akin to face recognition in the visual system, call type recognition in the auditory system is based on a sparse code representing a small number of high-level features and not on highly selective grandmother neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Robotka
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - L Thomas
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - K Yu
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - W Wood
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - J E Elie
- University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - M Gahr
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - F E Theunissen
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; University of California, Berkeley, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Psychology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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13
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Anderson KL, Colón L, Doolittle V, Martinez RR, Uraga J, Whitney O. Context-dependent activation of a social behavior brain network associates with learned vocal production. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2587773. [PMID: 36824963 PMCID: PMC9949236 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2587773/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
In zebra finches, an avian brain network for vocal control undergoes context-dependent patterning of song-dependent activation. Previous studies in zebra finches also implicate the importance of dopaminergic input in producing context-appropriate singing behavior. In mice, it has been shown that oxytocinergic neurons originated in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) synapse directly onto dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), implicating the necessity of oxytocin signaling from the PVN for producing a context-appropriate song. Both avian and non-avian axonal tract-tracing studies indicate high levels of PVN innervation by the social behavior network. Here, we hypothesize that the motivation for PVN oxytocin neurons to trigger dopamine release originates in the social behavior network, a highly conserved and interconnected collection of six regions implicated in various social and homeostatic behaviors. We found that expression of the neuronal activity marker EGR1 was not strongly correlated with song production in any of the regions of the social behavior network. However, when EGR1 expression levels were normalized to the singing rate, we found significantly higher levels of expression in the social behavior network regions except the medial preoptic area during a social female-directed singing context compared to a non-social undirected singing context. Our results suggest neuronal activity within the male zebra finch social behavior network influences the synaptic release of oxytocin from PVN onto dopaminergic projection neurons in the VTA, which in turn signals to the vocal control network to allow for context-appropriate song production.
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14
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Kelley DB. Convergent and divergent neural circuit architectures that support acoustic communication. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:976789. [PMID: 36466364 PMCID: PMC9712726 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.976789] [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] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication is used across extant vertebrates, is evolutionarily ancient, and been maintained, in many lineages. Here I review the neural circuit architectures that support intraspecific acoustic signaling in representative anuran, mammalian and avian species as well as two invertebrates, fruit flies and Hawaiian crickets. I focus on hindbrain motor control motifs and their ties to respiratory circuits, expression of receptors for gonadal steroids in motor, sensory, and limbic neurons as well as divergent modalities that evoke vocal responses. Hindbrain and limbic participants in acoustic communication are highly conserved, while forebrain participants have diverged between anurans and mammals, as well as songbirds and rodents. I discuss the roles of natural and sexual selection in driving speciation, as well as exaptation of circuit elements with ancestral roles in respiration, for producing sounds and driving rhythmic vocal features. Recent technical advances in whole brain fMRI across species will enable real time imaging of acoustic signaling partners, tying auditory perception to vocal production.
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15
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Csillag A, Ádám Á, Zachar G. Avian models for brain mechanisms underlying altered social behavior in autism. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1032046. [PMID: 36388132 PMCID: PMC9650632 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1032046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The current review is an update on experimental approaches in which birds serve as model species for the investigation of typical failure symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The discussion is focused on deficiencies of social behavior, from social interactions of domestic chicks, based on visual and auditory cues, to vocal communication in songbirds. Two groups of pathogenetic/risk factors are discussed: 1) non-genetic (environmental/epigenetic) factors, exemplified by embryonic exposure to valproic acid (VPA), and 2) genetic factors, represented by a list of candidate genes and signaling pathways of diagnostic or predictive value in ASD patients. Given the similarities of birds as experimental models to humans (visual orientation, vocal learning, social cohesions), avian models usefully contribute toward the elucidation of the neural systems and developmental factors underlying ASD, improving the applicability of preclinical results obtained on laboratory rodents. Furthermore, they may predict potential susceptibility factors worthy of investigation (both by animal studies and by monitoring human babies at risk), with potential therapeutic consequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- András Csillag
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
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16
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Rookognise: Acoustic detection and identification of individual rooks in field recordings using multi-task neural networks. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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17
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Wei J, Liu Q, Riebel K. Generalisation of early learned tutor song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Behav Processes 2022; 201:104731. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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18
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Selection levels on vocal individuality: strategic use or byproduct. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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19
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Arnold F, Staniszewski MS, Pelzl L, Ramenda C, Gahr M, Hoffmann S. Vision and vocal communication guide three-dimensional spatial coordination of zebra finches during wind-tunnel flights. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1221-1230. [PMID: 35773345 PMCID: PMC9349042 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01800-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Animal collective motion is a natural phenomenon readily observable in various taxa. Although theoretical models can predict the macroscopic pattern of group movements based on the relative spatial position of group members, it is poorly understood how group members exchange directional information, which enables the spatial coordination between individuals during collective motion. To test if vocalizations emitted during flocking flight are used by birds to transmit directional information between group members, we recorded vocal behaviour, head orientation and spatial position of each individual in a small flock of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) flying in a wind tunnel. We found that the finches can use both visual and acoustic cues for three-dimensional flock coordination. When visual information is insufficient, birds can increasingly exploit active vocal communication to avoid collisions with flock mates. Our study furthers the mechanistic understanding of collective motion in birds and highlights the impact interindividual vocal interactions can have on group performances in these animals. Zebra finches flying in a wind tunnel use both vocal and visual communication to orientate themselves within the flock, and are able to enhance their use of one form of communication over another depending on circumstance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Arnold
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Michael S Staniszewski
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Elsene, Belgium
| | - Lisa Pelzl
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Claudia Ramenda
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in Foundation), Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in Foundation), Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Susanne Hoffmann
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany. .,Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in Foundation), Seewiesen, Germany.
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20
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A feedforward inhibitory premotor circuit for auditory-vocal interactions in zebra finches. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2118448119. [PMID: 35658073 PMCID: PMC9191632 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2118448119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Significance During conversations, we frequently alternate between listening and speaking. This involves withholding responses while the other person is vocalizing and rapidly initiating a reply once they stop. Similar exchanges also occur in other animals, such as songbirds, yet little is known about how brain areas responsible for vocal production are influenced by areas dedicated to listening. Here, we combined neural recordings and mathematical modeling of a sensorimotor circuit to show that input-dependent inhibition can both suppress vocal responses and regulate the onset latencies of vocalizations. Our resulting model provides a simple generalizable circuit mechanism by which inhibition precisely times vocal output and integrates auditory input within a premotor nucleus.
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21
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Among-individual differences in auditory and physical cognitive abilities in zebra finches. Learn Behav 2022; 50:389-404. [PMID: 35583601 PMCID: PMC9116276 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00520-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Among-individual variation in performance on cognitive tasks is ubiquitous across species that have been examined, and understanding the evolution of cognitive abilities requires investigating among-individual variation because natural selection acts on individual differences. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which individual differences in cognition are determined by domain-specific compared with domain-general cognitive abilities. We examined individual differences in learning speed of zebra finches across seven different tasks to determine the extent of domain-specific versus domain-general learning abilities, as well as the relationship between learning speed and learning generalization. Thirty-two zebra finches completed a foraging board experiment that included visual and structural discriminations, and then these same birds went through an acoustic operant discrimination experiment that required discriminating between different natural categories of acoustic stimuli. We found evidence of domain-general learning abilities as birds' relative performance on the seven learning tasks was weakly repeatable and a principal components analysis found a first principal component that explained 36% of the variance in performance across tasks with all tasks loading unidirectionally on this component. However, the few significant correlations between tasks and high repeatability within each experiment suggest the potential for domain-specific abilities. Learning speed did not influence an individual's ability to generalize learning. These results suggest that zebra finch performance across visual, structural, and auditory learning relies upon some common mechanism; some might call this evidence of "general intelligence"(g), but it is also possible that this finding is due to other noncognitive mechanisms such as motivation.
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22
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Sahu PK, Campbell KA, Oprea A, Phillmore LS, Sturdy CB. Comparing methodologies for classification of zebra finch distance calls. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:3305. [PMID: 35649952 DOI: 10.1121/10.0011401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bioacoustic analysis has been used for a variety of purposes including classifying vocalizations for biodiversity monitoring and understanding mechanisms of cognitive processes. A wide range of statistical methods, including various automated methods, have been used to successfully classify vocalizations based on species, sex, geography, and individual. A comprehensive approach focusing on identifying acoustic features putatively involved in classification is required for the prediction of features necessary for discrimination in the real world. Here, we used several classification techniques, namely discriminant function analyses (DFAs), support vector machines (SVMs), and artificial neural networks (ANNs), for sex-based classification of zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) distance calls using acoustic features measured from spectrograms. We found that all three methods (DFAs, SVMs, and ANNs) correctly classified the calls to respective sex-based categories with high accuracy between 92 and 96%. Frequency modulation of ascending frequency, total duration, and end frequency of the distance call were the most predictive features underlying this classification in all of our models. Our results corroborate evidence of the importance of total call duration and frequency modulation in the classification of male and female distance calls. Moreover, we provide a methodological approach for bioacoustic classification problems using multiple statistical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek K Sahu
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Kimberley A Campbell
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Alexandra Oprea
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Leslie S Phillmore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Christopher B Sturdy
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
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23
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Vocal recognition of distance calls in a group-living basal bird: the greylag goose, Anser anser. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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24
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Linhart P, Mahamoud-Issa M, Stowell D, Blumstein DT. The potential for acoustic individual identification in mammals. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00222-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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25
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Prior NH, Bentz EJ, Ophir AG. Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social-sensory framework of social behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12781. [PMID: 34905293 PMCID: PMC9744507 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Organisms filter the complexity of natural stimuli through their individual sensory and perceptual systems. Such perceptual filtering is particularly important for social stimuli. A shared "social umwelt" allows individuals to respond appropriately to the expected diversity of cues and signals during social interactions. In this way, the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of sociality and social bonding cannot be disentangled from perceptual mechanisms and sensory processing. While a degree of embeddedness between social and sensory processes is clear, our dominant theoretical frameworks favor treating the social and sensory processes as distinct. An integrated social-sensory framework has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying individual variation in social bonding and sociality more broadly. Here we leverage what is known about sensory processing and pair bonding in two common study systems with significant species differences in their umwelt (rodent chemosensation and avian acoustic communication). We primarily highlight that (1) communication is essential for pair bond formation and maintenance, (2) the neural circuits underlying perception, communication and social bonding are integrated, and (3) candidate neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate pair bonding also impact communication and perception. Finally, we propose approaches and frameworks that more fully integrate sensory processing, communication, and social bonding across levels of analysis: behavioral, neurobiological, and genomic. This perspective raises two key questions: (1) how is social bonding shaped by differences in sensory processing?, and (2) to what extent is sensory processing and the saliency of signals shaped by social interactions and emerging relationships?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Ehren J. Bentz
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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26
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27
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Pack members shape the acoustic structure of a wolf chorus. Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-021-00388-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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28
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Sainburg T, Gentner TQ. Toward a Computational Neuroethology of Vocal Communication: From Bioacoustics to Neurophysiology, Emerging Tools and Future Directions. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:811737. [PMID: 34987365 PMCID: PMC8721140 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.811737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently developed methods in computational neuroethology have enabled increasingly detailed and comprehensive quantification of animal movements and behavioral kinematics. Vocal communication behavior is well poised for application of similar large-scale quantification methods in the service of physiological and ethological studies. This review describes emerging techniques that can be applied to acoustic and vocal communication signals with the goal of enabling study beyond a small number of model species. We review a range of modern computational methods for bioacoustics, signal processing, and brain-behavior mapping. Along with a discussion of recent advances and techniques, we include challenges and broader goals in establishing a framework for the computational neuroethology of vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Timothy Q. Gentner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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29
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Wang D, Forstmeier W, DʼAmelio PB, Martin K, Kempenaers B. Is female mate choice repeatable across males with nearly identical songs? Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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30
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Mol C, Bolhuis JJ, Moorman S. Vocal learning in songbirds: the role of syllable order in song recognition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200248. [PMID: 34482724 PMCID: PMC8419574 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Songbird vocal learning has interesting behavioural and neural parallels with speech acquisition in human infants. Zebra finch males sing one unique song that they imitate from conspecific males, and both sexes learn to recognize their father's song. Although males copy the stereotyped syllable sequence of their father's song, the role of sequential information in recognition remains unclear. Here, we investigated father's song recognition after changing the serial order of syllables (switching the middle syllables, first and last syllables, or playing all syllables in inverse order). Behavioural approach and call responses of adult male and female zebra finches to their father's versus unfamiliar songs in playback tests demonstrated significant recognition of father's song with all syllable-order manipulations. We then measured behavioural responses to normal versus inversed-order father's song. In line with our first results, the subjects did not differentiate between the two. Interestingly, when males' strength of song learning was taken into account, we found a significant correlation between song imitation scores and the approach responses to the father's song. These findings suggest that syllable sequence is not essential for recognition of father's song in zebra finches, but that it does affect responsiveness of males in proportion to the strength of vocal learning. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carien Mol
- Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80086, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johan J. Bolhuis
- Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80086, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sanne Moorman
- Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80086, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
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31
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Rose EM, Prior NH, Ball GF. The singing question: re-conceptualizing birdsong. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:326-342. [PMID: 34609054 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong has been the subject of broad research from a variety of sub-disciplines and has taught us much about the evolution, function, and mechanisms driving animal communication and cognition. Typically, birdsong refers to the specialized vocalizations produced by oscines. Historically, much of the research on birdsong was conducted in north temperate regions (specifically in Europe and North America) leading to multiple biases. Due to these historic biases these vocalizations are generally considered to be highly sexually dimorphic, heavily shaped by sexual selection and essential for courtship and territoriality. Song is also typically defined as a learned trait shaped by cultural evolution. Together, this framework focuses research specifically on males, particularly during the north temperate breeding season - reflecting and thereby reinforcing this framework. The physiological underpinnings of song often emphasize the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (associated with breeding changes) and the song control system (underlying vocal learning). Over the years there has been great debate over which features of song are essential to the definition of birdsong, which features apply broadly to contexts outside males in the north temperate region, and over the importance of having a definition at all. Importantly, the definitions we use can both guide and limit the progress of research. Here, we describe the history of these definitions, and how these definitions have directed and restricted research to focus on male song in sexually selected contexts. Additionally, we highlight the gaps in our scientific knowledge, especially with respect to the function and physiological mechanisms underlying song in females and in winter, as well as in non-seasonally breeding species. Furthermore, we highlight the problems with using complexity and learning as dichotomous variables to categorize songs and calls. Across species, no one characteristic of song - sexual dimorphism, seasonality, complexity, sexual selection, learning - consistently delineates song from other songbird vocal communication. We provide recommendations for next steps to build an inclusive information framework that will allow researchers to explore nuances in animal communication and promote comparative research. Specifically, we recommend that researchers should operationalize the axis of variation most relevant to their study/species by identifying their specific question and the variable(s) of focus (e.g. seasonality). Researchers should also identify the axis (axes) of variation (e.g. degree of control by testosterone) most relevant to their study and use language consistent with the question and axis (axes) of variation (e.g. control by testosterone in the seasonal vocal production of birds).
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangeline M Rose
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
| | - Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
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32
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Distinct timescales for the neuronal encoding of vocal signals in a high-order auditory area. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19672. [PMID: 34608248 PMCID: PMC8490347 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99135-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of the auditory system to selectively recognize natural sound categories while maintaining a certain degree of tolerance towards variations within these categories, which may have functional roles, is thought to be crucial for vocal communication. To date, it is still largely unknown how the balance between tolerance and sensitivity to variations in acoustic signals is coded at a neuronal level. Here, we investigate whether neurons in a high-order auditory area in zebra finches, a songbird species, are sensitive to natural variations in vocal signals by recording their responses to repeated exposures to identical and variant sound sequences. We used the songs of male birds which tend to be highly repetitive with only subtle variations between renditions. When playing these songs to both anesthetized and awake birds, we found that variations between songs did not affect the neuron firing rate but the temporal reliability of responses. This suggests that auditory processing operates on a range of distinct timescales, namely a short one to detect variations in vocal signals, and longer ones that allow the birds to tolerate variations in vocal signal structure and to encode the global context.
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33
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Hauber ME, Louder MI, Griffith SC. Neurogenomic insights into the behavioral and vocal development of the zebra finch. eLife 2021; 10:61849. [PMID: 34106827 PMCID: PMC8238503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a socially monogamous and colonial opportunistic breeder with pronounced sexual differences in singing and plumage coloration. Its natural history has led to it becoming a model species for research into sex differences in vocal communication, as well as behavioral, neural and genomic studies of imitative auditory learning. As scientists tap into the genetic and behavioral diversity of both wild and captive lineages, the zebra finch will continue to inform research into culture, learning, and social bonding, as well as adaptability to a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Matthew Im Louder
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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34
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Geberzahn N, Zsebők S, Derégnaucourt S. Auditory perception of self and others in zebra finches: evidence from an operant discrimination task. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.233817. [PMID: 33653723 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.233817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Vocal communication is essential for social interactions in many animal species. For this purpose, an animal has to perceive vocal signals of conspecifics and is often also required to discriminate conspecifics. The capacity to discriminate conspecifics is particularly important in social species in which individuals interact repeatedly. In addition, auditory perception of self plays an important role for vocal learners. A vocal learner has to memorise vocalisations of conspecifics and to subsequently modify its own vocalisations in order to match the memorised vocalisations. Here, we investigated auditory perception of self and others in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a highly gregarious songbird species and vocal learner. We used laboratory colonies in which founder males had been previously trained to produce the same song type. This resulted in artificial dialects in the song of founders and their offspring. We investigated whether those birds would be able to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics based on song. Furthermore, we examined whether they would classify their own song as familiar or unfamiliar. We found that birds were able to discriminate between songs of familiar versus unfamiliar conspecifics, despite the fact that all songs were imitations of the same song type. This suggests that such discrimination is possible even based on songs with a high acoustic similarity. None of the subjects classified their own song as unfamiliar. Three out of eight males classified their own song as familiar. Thus zebra finches might recognise their own song. Further experiments are needed to confirm such self-recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Geberzahn
- Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, UPL, Université Paris Nanterre, 92001 Nanterre Cedex, France
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Neuro-PSI CNRS UMR 9197, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.,Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, H-2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Sébastien Derégnaucourt
- Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, UPL, Université Paris Nanterre, 92001 Nanterre Cedex, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
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35
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Gómez J, Gordo O, Minias P. Egg recognition: The importance of quantifying multiple repeatable features as visual identity signals. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248021. [PMID: 33661988 PMCID: PMC7932075 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Brood parasitized and/or colonial birds use egg features as visual identity signals, which allow parents to recognize their own eggs and avoid paying fitness costs of misdirecting their care to others’ offspring. However, the mechanisms of egg recognition and discrimination are poorly understood. Most studies have put their focus on individual abilities to carry out these behavioural tasks, while less attention has been paid to the egg and how its signals may evolve to enhance its identification. We used 92 clutches (460 eggs) of the Eurasian coot Fulica atra to test whether eggs could be correctly classified into their corresponding clutches based only on their external appearance. Using SpotEgg, we characterized the eggs in 27 variables of colour, spottiness, shape and size from calibrated digital images. Then, we used these variables in a supervised machine learning algorithm for multi-class egg classification, where each egg was classified to the best matched clutch out of 92 studied clutches. The best model with all 27 explanatory variables assigned correctly 53.3% (CI = 42.6–63.7%) of eggs of the test-set, greatly exceeding the probability to classify the eggs by chance (1/92, 1.1%). This finding supports the hypothesis that eggs have visual identity signals in their phenotypes. Simplified models with fewer explanatory variables (10 or 15) showed lesser classification ability than full models, suggesting that birds may use multiple traits for egg recognition. Therefore, egg phenotypes should be assessed in their full complexity, including colour, patterning, shape and size. Most important variables for classification were those with the highest intraclutch correlation, demonstrating that individual recognition traits are repeatable. Algorithm classification performance improved by each extra training egg added to the model. Thus, repetition of egg design within a clutch would reinforce signals and would help females to create an internal template for true recognition of their own eggs. In conclusion, our novel approach based on machine learning provided important insights on how signallers broadcast their specific signature cues to enhance their recognisability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oscar Gordo
- Catalan Ornithological Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Piotr Minias
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
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36
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Fishbein AR, Prior NH, Brown JA, Ball GF, Dooling RJ. Discrimination of natural acoustic variation in vocal signals. Sci Rep 2021; 11:916. [PMID: 33441711 PMCID: PMC7807010 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79641-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of acoustic communication often focus on the categories and units of vocalizations, but subtle variation also occurs in how these signals are uttered. In human speech, it is not only phonemes and words that carry information but also the timbre, intonation, and stress of how speech sounds are delivered (often referred to as "paralinguistic content"). In non-human animals, variation across utterances of vocal signals also carries behaviorally relevant information across taxa. However, the discriminability of these cues has been rarely tested in a psychophysical paradigm. Here, we focus on acoustic communication in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species in which the male produces a single stereotyped motif repeatedly in song bouts. These motif renditions, like the song repetitions of many birds, sound very similar to the casual human listener. In this study, we show that zebra finches can easily discriminate between the renditions, even at the level of single song syllables, much as humans can discriminate renditions of speech sounds. These results support the notion that sensitivity to fine acoustic details may be a primary channel of information in zebra finch song, as well as a shared, foundational property of vocal communication systems across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R. Fishbein
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Nora H. Prior
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Jane A. Brown
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Gregory F. Ball
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Robert J. Dooling
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
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37
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Sun C, Zhang C, Lucas JR, Lin A, Feng J, Jiang T. Territorial calls of the bat Hipposideros armiger may encode multiple types of information: body mass, dominance rank and individual identity. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:689-702. [PMID: 33409759 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01455-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In highly vocal species, territorial aggression is often accompanied using vocalizations. These vocalizations can play a critical role in determining the outcome of male-male agonistic interactions. For this, vocalizations of contestants must contain information that is indicative of each competitor's fighting ability as well as its identity, and also contestants must be able to perceive information about the physical attributes, quality and identity of the vocalizer. Here, we used adult male Great Himalayan leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideros armiger) to test whether territorial calls encoded honest information about a caller's physical attributes, quality and individual identity. We did this by exploring the relationships between territorial calls and two potential indices of fighting ability: body mass and dominance rank. Using synchronized audio-video recording, we monitored bat territorial calls and dominance rank of 16 adult male H. armiger in the laboratory. Additionally, habituation-dishabituation playback experiments were performed to test for vocal discrimination. Results showed that body mass was negatively related to minimum frequency and positively related to syllable duration. Dominance score was also negatively related to minimum frequency and positively related to peak frequency. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis suggested that territorial calls encode an individual signature. Therefore, our data show that males have the ability to utilize this vocal individual signature to discriminate between vocalizing males. In short, territorial calls of male H. armiger contain information about body mass, dominance rank and individual identity, and contestants are probably capable of perceiving this information and may use it to make appropriate decisions during agonistic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congnan Sun
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Chunmian Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jeffrey R Lucas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Aiqing Lin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China.
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
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38
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Adreani NM, D'Amelio PB, Gahr M, Ter Maat A. Life-Stage Dependent Plasticity in the Auditory System of a Songbird Is Signal and Emitter-Specific. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:588672. [PMID: 33343284 PMCID: PMC7746620 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.588672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social animals flexibly use a variety of vocalizations to communicate in complex and dynamic environments. However, it remains unknown whether the auditory perception of different vocalizations changes according to the ecological context. By using miniature wireless devices to synchronously record vocal interactions and local neural activity in freely-behaving zebra finches in combination with playback experiments, we investigate whether the auditory processing of vocalizations changes across life-history stages. We show that during breeding, females (but not males) increase their estrogen levels and reply faster to their mates when interacting vocally. These changes are associated with an increase in the amplitude of the female’s neural auditory responses. Furthermore, the changes in auditory response are not general, but specific to a subset of functionally distinct vocalizations and dependent on the emitter’s identity. These results provide novel insights into auditory plasticity of communication systems, showing that the perception of specific signals can shift according to ecologically-determined physiological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas M Adreani
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Pöcking, Germany.,Konrad Lorenz Research Center, University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
| | - Pietro B D'Amelio
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Pöcking, Germany.,FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Pöcking, Germany
| | - Andries Ter Maat
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Pöcking, Germany
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39
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Marconi MA, Nicolakis D, Abbasi R, Penn DJ, Zala SM. Ultrasonic courtship vocalizations of male house mice contain distinct individual signatures. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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40
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Yu K, Wood WE, Theunissen FE. High-capacity auditory memory for vocal communication in a social songbird. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/46/eabe0440. [PMID: 33188032 PMCID: PMC7673746 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Effective vocal communication often requires the listener to recognize the identity of a vocalizer, and this recognition is dependent on the listener's ability to form auditory memories. We tested the memory capacity of a social songbird, the zebra finch, for vocalizer identities using conditioning experiments and found that male and female zebra finches can remember a large number of vocalizers (mean, 42) based solely on the individual signatures found in their songs and distance calls. These memories were formed within a few trials, were generalized to previously unheard renditions, and were maintained for up to a month. A fast and high-capacity auditory memory for vocalizer identity has not been demonstrated previously in any nonhuman animals and is an important component of vocal communication in social species.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Yu
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - W E Wood
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - F E Theunissen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
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41
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Keenan S, Mathevon N, Stevens JM, Nicolè F, Zuberbühler K, Guéry JP, Levréro F. The reliability of individual vocal signature varies across the bonobo's graded repertoire. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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42
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Garcia M, Theunissen F, Sèbe F, Clavel J, Ravignani A, Marin-Cudraz T, Fuchs J, Mathevon N. Evolution of communication signals and information during species radiation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4970. [PMID: 33009414 PMCID: PMC7532446 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18772-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Communicating species identity is a key component of many animal signals. However, whether selection for species recognition systematically increases signal diversity during clade radiation remains debated. Here we show that in woodpecker drumming, a rhythmic signal used during mating and territorial defense, the amount of species identity information encoded remained stable during woodpeckers' radiation. Acoustic analyses and evolutionary reconstructions show interchange among six main drumming types despite strong phylogenetic contingencies, suggesting evolutionary tinkering of drumming structure within a constrained acoustic space. Playback experiments and quantification of species discriminability demonstrate sufficient signal differentiation to support species recognition in local communities. Finally, we only find character displacement in the rare cases where sympatric species are also closely related. Overall, our results illustrate how historical contingencies and ecological interactions can promote conservatism in signals during a clade radiation without impairing the effectiveness of information transfer relevant to inter-specific discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Garcia
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France.
- Animal Behaviour, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Frédéric Theunissen
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Department of Psychology and Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Frédéric Sèbe
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Julien Clavel
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
- University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Thibaut Marin-Cudraz
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France
| | - Jérôme Fuchs
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité ISYEB, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, CNRS, INSERM, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
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43
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Sainburg T, Thielk M, Gentner TQ. Finding, visualizing, and quantifying latent structure across diverse animal vocal repertoires. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008228. [PMID: 33057332 PMCID: PMC7591061 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals produce vocalizations that range in complexity from a single repeated call to hundreds of unique vocal elements patterned in sequences unfolding over hours. Characterizing complex vocalizations can require considerable effort and a deep intuition about each species' vocal behavior. Even with a great deal of experience, human characterizations of animal communication can be affected by human perceptual biases. We present a set of computational methods for projecting animal vocalizations into low dimensional latent representational spaces that are directly learned from the spectrograms of vocal signals. We apply these methods to diverse datasets from over 20 species, including humans, bats, songbirds, mice, cetaceans, and nonhuman primates. Latent projections uncover complex features of data in visually intuitive and quantifiable ways, enabling high-powered comparative analyses of vocal acoustics. We introduce methods for analyzing vocalizations as both discrete sequences and as continuous latent variables. Each method can be used to disentangle complex spectro-temporal structure and observe long-timescale organization in communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marvin Thielk
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Timothy Q. Gentner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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44
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Do female zebra finches prefer males exhibiting greater plasticity in foraging tactic use? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02886-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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45
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Cai H, Dent ML. Attention capture in birds performing an auditory streaming task. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235420. [PMID: 32589692 PMCID: PMC7319309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous animal models have been used to investigate the neural mechanisms of auditory processing in complex acoustic environments, but it is unclear whether an animal’s auditory attention is functionally similar to a human’s in processing competing auditory scenes. Here we investigated the effects of attention capture in birds performing an objective auditory streaming paradigm. The classical ABAB… patterned pure tone sequences were modified and used for the task. We trained the birds to selectively attend to a target stream and only respond to the deviant appearing in the target stream, even though their attention may be captured by a deviant in the background stream. When no deviant appeared in the background stream, the birds experience the buildup of streaming process in a qualitatively similar way as they did in a subjective paradigm. Although the birds were trained to selectively attend to the target stream, they failed to avoid the involuntary attention switch caused by the background deviant, especially when the background deviant was sequentially unpredictable. Their global performance deteriorated more with increasingly salient background deviants, where the buildup process was reset by the background distractor. Moreover, sequential predictability of the background deviant facilitated the recovery of the buildup process after attention capture. This is the first study that addresses the perceptual consequences of the joint effects of top-down and bottom-up attention in behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaizhen Cai
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
| | - Micheal L. Dent
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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46
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Ivanenko A, Watkins P, van Gerven MAJ, Hammerschmidt K, Englitz B. Classifying sex and strain from mouse ultrasonic vocalizations using deep learning. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007918. [PMID: 32569292 PMCID: PMC7347231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalizations are widely used for communication between animals. Mice use a large repertoire of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in different social contexts. During social interaction recognizing the partner's sex is important, however, previous research remained inconclusive whether individual USVs contain this information. Using deep neural networks (DNNs) to classify the sex of the emitting mouse from the spectrogram we obtain unprecedented performance (77%, vs. SVM: 56%, Regression: 51%). Performance was even higher (85%) if the DNN could also use each mouse's individual properties during training, which may, however, be of limited practical value. Splitting estimation into two DNNs and using 24 extracted features per USV, spectrogram-to-features and features-to-sex (60%) failed to reach single-step performance. Extending the features by each USVs spectral line, frequency and time marginal in a semi-convolutional DNN resulted in a performance mid-way (64%). Analyzing the network structure suggests an increase in sparsity of activation and correlation with sex, specifically in the fully-connected layers. A detailed analysis of the USV structure, reveals a subset of male vocalizations characterized by a few acoustic features, while the majority of sex differences appear to rely on a complex combination of many features. The same network architecture was also able to achieve above-chance classification for cortexless mice, which were considered indistinguishable before. In summary, spectrotemporal differences between male and female USVs allow at least their partial classification, which enables sexual recognition between mice and automated attribution of USVs during analysis of social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Ivanenko
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | | | - M. A. J. van Gerven
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K. Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - B. Englitz
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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47
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Brecht KF, Nieder A. Parting self from others: Individual and self-recognition in birds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:99-108. [PMID: 32534901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individual recognition is the ability to differentiate between conspecifics based on their individual features. It forms the basis of many complex communicative and social behaviours. Here, we review studies investigating individual recognition in the auditory and visual domain in birds. It is well established that auditory signals are used by many birds to discriminate conspecifics. In songbirds, the neuronal structures underpinning auditory recognition are associated with the song system. Individual recognition in the visual domain has mainly been explored in chickens and pigeons, and is less well understood. Currently it is unknown which visual cues birds use to identify conspecifics, and whether they have cortical areas dedicated to processing individual features. Moreover, whether birds can recognise themselves visually, as evidenced by mirror self-recognition, remains controversial. In the auditory domain, the responses of neurons in the song system suggest identification of the bird's own song. The surveyed behavioural and neural findings can provide a framework for more controlled investigations of individual recognition in birds and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina F Brecht
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Dong M, Vicario DS. Statistical learning of transition patterns in the songbird auditory forebrain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7848. [PMID: 32398864 PMCID: PMC7217825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64671-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning of transition patterns between sounds—a striking capability of the auditory system—plays an essential role in animals’ survival (e.g., detect deviant sounds that signal danger). However, the neural mechanisms underlying this capability are still not fully understood. We recorded extracellular multi-unit and single-unit activity in the auditory forebrain of awake male zebra finches while presenting rare repetitions of a single sound in a long sequence of sounds (canary and zebra finch song syllables) patterned in either an alternating or random order at different inter-stimulus intervals (ISI). When preceding stimuli were regularly alternating (alternating condition), a repeated stimulus violated the preceding transition pattern and was a deviant. When preceding stimuli were in random order (control condition), a repeated stimulus did not violate any regularities and was not a deviant. At all ISIs tested (1 s, 3 s, or jittered at 0.8–1.2 s), deviant repetition enhanced neural responses in the alternating condition in a secondary auditory area (caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) but not in the primary auditory area (Field L2); in contrast, repetition suppressed responses in the control condition in both Field L2 and NCM. When stimuli were presented in the classical oddball paradigm at jittered ISI (0.8–1.2 s), neural responses in both NCM and Field L2 were stronger when a stimulus occurred as deviant with low probability than when the same stimulus occurred as standard with high probability. Together, these results demonstrate: (1) classical oddball effect exists even when ISI is jittered and the onset of a stimulus is not fully predictable; (2) neurons in NCM can learn transition patterns between sounds at multiple ISIs and detect violation of these transition patterns; (3) sensitivity to deviant sounds increases from Field L2 to NCM in the songbird auditory forebrain. Further studies using the current paradigms may help us understand the neural substrate of statistical learning and even speech comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingwen Dong
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.
| | - David S Vicario
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
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Geberzahn N, Derégnaucourt S. Individual vocal recognition in zebra finches relies on song syllable structure rather than song syllable order. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220087. [PMID: 32253282 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Many species are able to vocally recognize individual conspecifics and this capacity seems widespread in oscine songbirds. The exact acoustic features used for such recognition are often not clear. In the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), the song motif is composed of a few syllables repeated in a fixed sequential order and song bouts include several repetitions of the motif. Here, we used an operant discrimination task, the GO/NOGO procedure, to show that zebra finches are capable of individual vocal recognition even if the bird has to distinguish males that all produce an imitation of the same song model. Furthermore, we studied whether such individual vocal recognition was based on spectro-temporal details of song syllables, i.e. the local fine structure of the song, or on the sequential order in which song syllables are arranged in the song bout. To this end, we trained male and female zebra finches to discriminate songs of one male conspecific from those of four others. After learning this baseline discrimination, subjects were exposed to a novel set of stimuli originating from the same individuals, in order to test for their capability to generalise. Subjects correctly classified those novel stimuli, illustrating their ability for individual vocal recognition. Then they were exposed to hybrid stimuli combining the syllable sequences of one individual with the spectro-temporal features of another. Behavioural responses of subjects to hybrid stimuli suggest that they rely on spectro-temporal details of syllables and might pay less attention to syllable sequences for individual vocal recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Geberzahn
- Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, UPL, Université Paris Nanterre, 92000 Nanterre, France
| | - Sébastien Derégnaucourt
- Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, EA 3456, UPL, Université Paris Nanterre, 92000 Nanterre, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
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Macedo-Lima M, Remage-Healey L. Auditory learning in an operant task with social reinforcement is dependent on neuroestrogen synthesis in the male songbird auditory cortex. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104713. [PMID: 32057821 PMCID: PMC7198363 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Animals continually assess their environment for cues associated with threats, competitors, allies, mates or prey, and experience is crucial for those associations. The auditory cortex is important for these computations to enable valence assignment and associative learning. The caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is part of the songbird auditory association cortex and it is implicated in juvenile song learning, song memorization, and song perception. Like human auditory cortex, NCM is a site of action of estradiol (E2) and is enriched with the enzyme aromatase (E2-synthase). However, it is unclear how E2 modulates auditory learning and perception in the vertebrate auditory cortex. In this study we employ a novel, auditory-dependent operant task governed by social reinforcement to test the hypothesis that neuro-E2 synthesis supports auditory learning in adult male zebra finches. We show that local suppression of aromatase activity in NCM disrupts auditory association learning. By contrast, post-learning performance is unaffected by either NCM aromatase blockade or NCM pharmacological inactivation, suggesting that NCM E2 production and even NCM itself are not required for post-learning auditory discrimination or memory retrieval. Therefore, neuroestrogen synthesis in auditory cortex supports the association between sounds and behaviorally relevant consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Macedo-Lima
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA; CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
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