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Jancovich BA, Rogers TL. BASSA: New software tool reveals hidden details in visualisation of low-frequency animal sounds. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11636. [PMID: 38962019 PMCID: PMC11220835 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11636] [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: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of animal sounds in biology and ecology relies heavily upon time-frequency (TF) visualisation, most commonly using the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) spectrogram. This method, however, has inherent bias towards either temporal or spectral details that can lead to misinterpretation of complex animal sounds. An ideal TF visualisation should accurately convey the structure of the sound in terms of both frequency and time, however, the STFT often cannot meet this requirement. We evaluate the accuracy of four TF visualisation methods (superlet transform [SLT], continuous wavelet transform [CWT] and two STFTs) using a synthetic test signal. We then apply these methods to visualise sounds of the Chagos blue whale, Asian elephant, southern cassowary, eastern whipbird, mulloway fish and the American crocodile. We show that the SLT visualises the test signal with 18.48%-28.08% less error than the other methods. A comparison between our visualisations of animal sounds and their literature descriptions indicates that the STFT's bias may have caused misinterpretations in describing pygmy blue whale songs and elephant rumbles. We suggest that use of the SLT to visualise low-frequency animal sounds may prevent such misinterpretations. Finally, we employ the SLT to develop 'BASSA', an open-source, GUI software application that offers a no-code, user-friendly tool for analysing short-duration recordings of low-frequency animal sounds for the Windows platform. The SLT visualises low-frequency animal sounds with improved accuracy, in a user-friendly format, minimising the risk of misinterpretation while requiring less technical expertise than the STFT. Using this method could propel advances in acoustics-driven studies of animal communication, vocal production methods, phonation and species identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A. Jancovich
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesKensingtonNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Tracey L. Rogers
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesKensingtonNew South WalesAustralia
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2
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Elemans CPH, Jiang W, Jensen MH, Pichler H, Mussman BR, Nattestad J, Wahlberg M, Zheng X, Xue Q, Fitch WT. Evolutionary novelties underlie sound production in baleen whales. Nature 2024; 627:123-129. [PMID: 38383781 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07080-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Baleen whales (mysticetes) use vocalizations to mediate their complex social and reproductive behaviours in vast, opaque marine environments1. Adapting to an obligate aquatic lifestyle demanded fundamental physiological changes to efficiently produce sound, including laryngeal specializations2-4. Whereas toothed whales (odontocetes) evolved a nasal vocal organ5, mysticetes have been thought to use the larynx for sound production1,6-8. However, there has been no direct demonstration that the mysticete larynx can phonate, or if it does, how it produces the great diversity of mysticete sounds9. Here we combine experiments on the excised larynx of three mysticete species with detailed anatomy and computational models to show that mysticetes evolved unique laryngeal structures for sound production. These structures allow some of the largest animals that ever lived to efficiently produce frequency-modulated, low-frequency calls. Furthermore, we show that this phonation mechanism is likely to be ancestral to all mysticetes and shares its fundamental physical basis with most terrestrial mammals, including humans10, birds11, and their closest relatives, odontocetes5. However, these laryngeal structures set insurmountable physiological limits to the frequency range and depth of their vocalizations, preventing them from escaping anthropogenic vessel noise12,13 and communicating at great depths14, thereby greatly reducing their active communication range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coen P H Elemans
- Sound Communication and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Weili Jiang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Mikkel H Jensen
- Sound Communication and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Helena Pichler
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bo R Mussman
- Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jacob Nattestad
- Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Sound Communication and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Xudong Zheng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Qian Xue
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Reidenberg JS. An innovative way for whales to sing. Nature 2024:10.1038/d41586-024-00307-1. [PMID: 38383641 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-00307-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
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4
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Cristiano W, Raimondi T, Valente D, De Gregorio C, Torti V, Ferrario V, Carugati F, Miaretsoa L, Mancini L, Gamba M, Giacoma C. Singing more, singing harsher: occurrence of nonlinear phenomena in a primate' song. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1661-1673. [PMID: 37458893 PMCID: PMC10442282 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01809-7] [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: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Nonlinear phenomena (NLP) in animal vocalizations arise from irregularities in the oscillation of the vocal folds. Various non-mutually exclusive hypotheses have been put forward to explain the occurrence of NLP, from adaptive to physiological ones. Non-human primates often display NLP in their vocalizations, yet the communicative role of these features, if any, is still unclear. We here investigate the occurrence of NLP in the song of a singing primate, the indri (Indri indri), testing for the effect of sex, age, season, and duration of the vocal display on their emission. Our results show that NLP occurrence in indri depends on phonation, i.e., the cumulative duration of all the units emitted by an individual, and that NLP have higher probability to be emitted in the later stages of the song, probably due to the fatigue indris may experience while singing. Furthermore, NLP happen earlier in the vocal display of adult females than in that of the adult males, and this is probably due to the fact that fatigue occurs earlier in the former because of a greater contribution within the song. Our findings suggest, therefore, that indris may be subjected to physiological constraints during the singing process which may impair the production of harmonic sounds. However, indris may still benefit from emitting NLP by strengthening the loudness of their signals for better advertising their presence to the neighboring conspecific groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Cristiano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy.
- Ecosystems and Health Unit, Environment and Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Teresa Raimondi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Daria Valente
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara De Gregorio
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Torti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Valeria Ferrario
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Filippo Carugati
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Longondraza Miaretsoa
- Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP), II M 78 BIS Antsakaviro, B.P 779, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Laura Mancini
- Ecosystems and Health Unit, Environment and Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristina Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, 10123, Turin, Italy
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5
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Figueiredo LDD, Maciel I, Viola FM, Savi MA, Simão SM. Nonlinear features in whistles produced by the short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) off southeastern Brazil. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:2436. [PMID: 37092947 DOI: 10.1121/10.0017883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Animal vocalizations have nonlinear characteristics responsible for features such as subharmonics, frequency jumps, biphonation, and deterministic chaos. This study describes the whistle repertoire of a short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) group at Brazilian coast and quantifies the nonlinear features of these whistles. Dolphins were recorded for a total of 67 min around Cabo Frio, Brazil. We identify 10 basic categories of whistle, with 75 different types, classified according to their contour shape. Most (45) of these 75 types had not been reported previously for the species. The duration of the whistles ranged from 0.04 to 3.67 s, with frequencies of 3.05-29.75 kHz. Overall, the whistle repertoire presented here has one of the widest frequency ranges and greatest level of frequency modulation recorded in any study of D. delphis. All the nonlinear features sought during the study were confirmed, with at least one feature occurring in 38.4% of the whistles. The frequency jump was the most common feature (29.75% of the whistles) and the nonlinear time series analyses confirmed the deterministic chaos in the chaotic-like segments. These results indicate that nonlinearities are a relevant characteristic of these whistles, and that are important in acoustic communication.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Israel Maciel
- Department of Ecology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Flavio M Viola
- Center for Nonlinear Mechanics, COPPE-Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcelo A Savi
- Center for Nonlinear Mechanics, COPPE-Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sheila M Simão
- Department of Environmental Science, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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6
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Sportelli JJ, Jones BL, Ridgway SH. Non-linear phenomena: a common acoustic feature of bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus) signature whistles. BIOACOUSTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2022.2106306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica J. Sportelli
- Conservation Biology, Sound and Health, National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Brittany L. Jones
- Conservation Biology, Sound and Health, National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sam H. Ridgway
- Conservation Biology, Sound and Health, National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
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7
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Chen P, Wang J, Miao J, Dong H, Bao J, Wu Y, Zhang F. Female large odorous frogs ( Odorrana graminea) prefer males with higher nonlinear vocal components. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8573. [PMID: 35169452 PMCID: PMC8831212 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In anurans, the complexity of courtship calls may affect female mate choice. The current study suggests that nonlinear phenomena (NLP) components can contribute to increasing complexity in courtship calls and attracting female attention. The results of a recent study showed that calls of large odorous frog (Odorrana graminea) contained NLP components. However, whether the nonlinear components of courtship calls in O. graminea improve male attractiveness remains unknown. We hypothesized that female O. graminea would prefer males producing calls with a higher proportion of NLP components (P-NLP-C). To test this hypothesis, we recorded the advertisement calls of 28 males and confirmed that the P-NLP-C was significantly positively related to body size. We also measured the body size of natural amplectant males and non-amplectant males in the field and found that amplectant males had larger body sizes than non-amplectant males, and the results of two-choice amplexus experiments similarly revealed a female preference for males with larger body sizes. Additionally, phonotaxis experiments also revealed that females preferred male calls with a high P-NLP-C. The results suggest that a higher P-NLP-C in calls can enhance male attractiveness, and the P-NLP-C may provide key information about male body conditions for female O. graminea. Our study provides a new insight for better understanding the role of NLP in anuran mate selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
- School of Ecology and EnvironmentAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Jinmei Wang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Junqi Miao
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Hao Dong
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Jiahui Bao
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Yatao Wu
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological ResourcesCollege of Life SciencesAnhui Normal UniversityWuhuAnhuiP. R. China
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8
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Mercado E, Perazio CE. All units are equal in humpback whale songs, but some are more equal than others. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:149-177. [PMID: 34363127 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01539-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Flexible production and perception of vocalizations is linked to an impressive array of cognitive capacities including language acquisition by humans, song learning by birds, biosonar in bats, and vocal imitation by cetaceans. Here, we characterize a portion of the repertoire of one of the most impressive vocalizers in nature: the humpback whale. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of sounds (units) produced by humpback whales revealed that singers gradually morphed streams of units along multiple acoustic dimensions within songs, maintaining the continuity of spectral content across subjectively dissimilar unit "types." Singers consistently produced some unit forms more frequently and intensely than others, suggesting that units are functionally heterogeneous. The precision with which singing humpback whales continuously adjusted the acoustic characteristics of units shows that they possess exquisite vocal control mechanisms and vocal flexibility beyond what is seen in most animals other than humans. The gradual morphing of units within songs that we observed is inconsistent with past claims that humpback whales construct songs from a fixed repertoire of discrete unit types. These findings challenge the results of past studies based on fixed-unit classification methods and argue for the development of new metrics for characterizing the graded structure of units. The specific vocal variations that singers produced suggest that humpback whale songs are unlikely to provide detailed information about a singer's reproductive fitness, but can reveal the precise locations and movements of singers from long distances and may enhance the effectiveness of units as sonar signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
| | - Christina E Perazio
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.,School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA
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9
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Anikin A, Pisanski K, Massenet M, Reby D. Harsh is large: nonlinear vocal phenomena lower voice pitch and exaggerate body size. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210872. [PMID: 34229494 PMCID: PMC8261225 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A lion's roar, a dog's bark, an angry yell in a pub brawl: what do these vocalizations have in common? They all sound harsh due to nonlinear vocal phenomena (NLP)—deviations from regular voice production, hypothesized to lower perceived voice pitch and thereby exaggerate the apparent body size of the vocalizer. To test this yet uncorroborated hypothesis, we synthesized human nonverbal vocalizations, such as roars, groans and screams, with and without NLP (amplitude modulation, subharmonics and chaos). We then measured their effects on nearly 700 listeners' perceptions of three psychoacoustic (pitch, timbre, roughness) and three ecological (body size, formidability, aggression) characteristics. In an explicit rating task, all NLP lowered perceived voice pitch, increased voice darkness and roughness, and caused vocalizers to sound larger, more formidable and more aggressive. Key results were replicated in an implicit associations test, suggesting that the ‘harsh is large’ bias will arise in ecologically relevant confrontational contexts that involve a rapid, and largely implicit, evaluation of the opponent's size. In sum, nonlinearities in human vocalizations can flexibly communicate both formidability and intention to attack, suggesting they are not a mere byproduct of loud vocalizing, but rather an informative acoustic signal well suited for intimidating potential opponents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anikin
- Division of Cognitive Science, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden.,Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, CNRS and University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, 42023 St-Étienne, France
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, CNRS and University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, 42023 St-Étienne, France.,CNRS, French National Centre for Scientific Research, Laboratoire de Dynamique du Langage, University of Lyon 2, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Mathilde Massenet
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, CNRS and University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, 42023 St-Étienne, France
| | - David Reby
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, CNRS and University of Saint Étienne, UMR 5293, 42023 St-Étienne, France
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10
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Pénitot A, Schwarz D, Nguyen Hong Duc P, Cazau D, Adam O. Bidirectional Interactions With Humpback Whale Singer Using Concrete Sound Elements. Front Psychol 2021; 12:654314. [PMID: 34177706 PMCID: PMC8225952 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe an art–science project called “Feral Interactions—The Answer of the Humpback Whale” inspired by humpback whale songs and interactions between individuals based on mutual influences, learning process, or ranking in the dominance hierarchy. The aim was to build new sounds that can be used to initiate acoustic interactions with these whales, not in a one-way direction, as playbacks do, but in real interspecies exchanges. Thus, we investigated how the humpback whales generate sounds in order to better understand their abilities and limits. By carefully listening to their emitted vocalizations, we also describe their acoustic features and temporal structure, in a scientific way and also with a musical approach as it is done with musique concrète, in order to specify the types and the morphologies of whale sounds. The idea is to highlight the most precise information to generate our own sounds that will be suggested to the whales. Based on the approach developed in musique concrète, similarities with the sounds produced by bassoon were identified and then were processed to become “concrete sound elements.” This analysis also brought us to design a new music interface that allows us to create adapted musical phrases in real-time. With this approach, interactions will be possible in both directions, from and to whales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diemo Schwarz
- Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son, UMR 9912, Ircam, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Paul Nguyen Hong Duc
- CNRS, Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, UMR 7190, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Dorian Cazau
- ENSTA Bretagne, CNRS, Lab-STICC, UMR 6285, Brest, France
| | - Olivier Adam
- CNRS, Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, UMR 7190, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, UMR 9197, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
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11
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Multiple pygmy blue whale acoustic populations in the Indian Ocean: whale song identifies a possible new population. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8762. [PMID: 33888792 PMCID: PMC8062560 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88062-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Blue whales were brought to the edge of extinction by commercial whaling in the twentieth century and their recovery rate in the Southern Hemisphere has been slow; they remain endangered. Blue whales, although the largest animals on Earth, are difficult to study in the Southern Hemisphere, thus their population structure, distribution and migration remain poorly known. Fortunately, blue whales produce powerful and stereotyped songs, which prove an effective clue for monitoring their different ‘acoustic populations.’ The DGD-Chagos song has been previously reported in the central Indian Ocean. A comparison of this song with the pygmy blue and Omura’s whale songs shows that the Chagos song are likely produced by a distinct previously unknown pygmy blue whale population. These songs are a large part of the underwater soundscape in the tropical Indian Ocean and have been so for nearly two decades. Seasonal differences in song detections among our six recording sites suggest that the Chagos whales migrate from the eastern to western central Indian Ocean, around the Chagos Archipelago, then further east, up to the north of Western Australia, and possibly further north, as far as Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean holds a greater diversity of blue whale populations than thought previously.
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12
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Anikin A, Pisanski K, Reby D. Do nonlinear vocal phenomena signal negative valence or high emotion intensity? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201306. [PMID: 33489278 PMCID: PMC7813245 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Nonlinear vocal phenomena (NLPs) are commonly reported in animal calls and, increasingly, in human vocalizations. These perceptually harsh and chaotic voice features function to attract attention and convey urgency, but they may also signal aversive states. To test whether NLPs enhance the perception of negative affect or only signal high arousal, we added subharmonics, sidebands or deterministic chaos to 48 synthetic human nonverbal vocalizations of ambiguous valence: gasps of fright/surprise, moans of pain/pleasure, roars of frustration/achievement and screams of fear/delight. In playback experiments (N = 900 listeners), we compared their perceived valence and emotion intensity in positive or negative contexts or in the absence of any contextual cues. Primarily, NLPs increased the perceived aversiveness of vocalizations regardless of context. To a smaller extent, they also increased the perceived emotion intensity, particularly when the context was negative or absent. However, NLPs also enhanced the perceived intensity of roars of achievement, indicating that their effects can generalize to positive emotions. In sum, a harsh voice with NLPs strongly tips the balance towards negative emotions when a vocalization is ambiguous, but with sufficiently informative contextual cues, NLPs may be re-evaluated as expressions of intense positive affect, underlining the importance of context in nonverbal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anikin
- Division of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES) / Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Etienne, France
- Author for correspondence: Andrey Anikin e-mail:
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES) / Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - David Reby
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES) / Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Etienne, France
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13
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Garcia M, Ravignani A. Acoustic allometry and vocal learning in mammals. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200081. [PMID: 32634374 PMCID: PMC7423041 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic allometry is the study of how animal vocalizations reflect their body size. A key aim of this research is to identify outliers to acoustic allometry principles and pinpoint the evolutionary origins of such outliers. A parallel strand of research investigates species capable of vocal learning, the experience-driven ability to produce novel vocal signals through imitation or modification of existing vocalizations. Modification of vocalizations is a common feature found when studying both acoustic allometry and vocal learning. Yet, these two fields have only been investigated separately to date. Here, we review and connect acoustic allometry and vocal learning across mammalian clades, combining perspectives from bioacoustics, anatomy and evolutionary biology. Based on this, we hypothesize that, as a precursor to vocal learning, some species might have evolved the capacity for volitional vocal modulation via sexual selection for 'dishonest' signalling. We provide preliminary support for our hypothesis by showing significant associations between allometric deviation and vocal learning in a dataset of 164 mammals. Our work offers a testable framework for future empirical research linking allometric principles with the evolution of vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Garcia
- Animal Behaviour, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8051 Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen, Hoofdstraat 94a, 9968 AG Pieterburen, The Netherlands
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14
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Serrano JM, Penna M, Soto-Azat C. Individual and population variation of linear and non-linear components of the advertisement call of Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma darwinii). BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1631214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José M. Serrano
- Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratorio de Genética y Evolución, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mario Penna
- Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Soto-Azat
- Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
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15
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Anikin A. The perceptual effects of manipulating nonlinear phenomena in synthetic nonverbal vocalizations. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1581839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anikin
- Division of Cognitive Science, Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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16
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Abstract
Why do humpback whales sing? This paper considers the hypothesis that humpback whales may use song for long range sonar. Given the vocal and social behavior of humpback whales, in several cases it is not apparent how they monitor the movements of distant whales or prey concentrations. Unless distant animals produce sounds, humpback whales are unlikely to be aware of their presence or actions. Some field observations are strongly suggestive of the use of song as sonar. Humpback whales sometimes stop singing and then rapidly approach distant whales in cases where sound production by those whales is not apparent, and singers sometimes alternately sing and swim while attempting to intercept another whale that is swimming evasively. In the evolutionary development of modern cetaceans, perceptual mechanisms have shifted from reliance on visual scanning to the active generation and monitoring of echoes. It is hypothesized that as the size and distance of relevant events increased, humpback whales developed adaptive specializations for long-distance echolocation. Differences between use of songs by humpback whales and use of sonar by other echolocating species are discussed, as are similarities between bat echolocation and singing by humpback whales. Singing humpback whales are known to emit sounds intense enough to generate echoes at long ranges, and to flexibly control the timing and qualities of produced sounds. The major problem for the hypothesis is the lack of recordings of echoes from other whales arriving at singers immediately before they initiate actions related to those whales. An earlier model of echoic processing by singing humpback whales is here revised to incorporate recent discoveries. According to the revised model, both direct echoes from targets and modulations in song-generated reverberation can provide singers with information that can help them make decisions about future actions related to mating, traveling, and foraging. The model identifies acoustic and structural features produced by singing humpback whales that may facilitate a singer's ability to interpret changes in echoic scenes and suggests that interactive signal coordination by singing whales may help them to avoid mutual interference. Specific, testable predictions of the model are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Mercado III
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States
- Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Program, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, United States
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17
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Schneider JN, Mercado E. Characterizing the rhythm and tempo of sound production by singing whales. BIOACOUSTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1428827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
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18
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Dziak RP, Haxel JH, Lau TK, Heimlich S, Caplan-Auerbach J, Mellinger DK, Matsumoto H, Mate B. A pulsed-air model of blue whale B call vocalizations. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9122. [PMID: 28831197 PMCID: PMC5567366 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09423-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Blue whale sound production has been thought to occur by Helmholtz resonance via air flowing from the lungs into the upper respiratory spaces. This implies that the frequency of blue whale vocalizations might be directly proportional to the size of their sound-producing organs. Here we present a sound production mechanism where the fundamental and overtone frequencies of blue whale B calls can be well modeled using a series of short-duration (<1 s) wavelets. We propose that the likely source of these wavelets are pneumatic pulses caused by opening and closing of respiratory valves during air recirculation between the lungs and laryngeal sac. This vocal production model is similar to those proposed for humpback whales, where valve open/closure and vocal fold oscillation is passively driven by airflow between the lungs and upper respiratory spaces, and implies call frequencies could be actively changed by the animal to center fundamental tones at different frequency bands during the call series.
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Affiliation(s)
- R P Dziak
- NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Newport, OR, 97365, USA.
| | - J H Haxel
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Science Studies, Oregon State University/NOAA, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - T-K Lau
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Science Studies, Oregon State University/NOAA, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - S Heimlich
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Science Studies, Oregon State University/NOAA, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - J Caplan-Auerbach
- Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225, USA
| | - D K Mellinger
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Science Studies, Oregon State University/NOAA, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - H Matsumoto
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Science Studies, Oregon State University/NOAA, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - B Mate
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
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