1
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Youngblood M. Language-like efficiency and structure in house finch song. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240250. [PMID: 38565151 PMCID: PMC10987240 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Communication needs to be complex enough to be functional while minimizing learning and production costs. Recent work suggests that the vocalizations and gestures of some songbirds, cetaceans and great apes may conform to linguistic laws that reflect this trade-off between efficiency and complexity. In studies of non-human communication, though, clustering signals into types cannot be done a priori, and decisions about the appropriate grain of analysis may affect statistical signals in the data. The aim of this study was to assess the evidence for language-like efficiency and structure in house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) song across three levels of granularity in syllable clustering. The results show strong evidence for Zipf's rank-frequency law, Zipf's law of abbreviation and Menzerath's law. Additional analyses show that house finch songs have small-world structure, thought to reflect systematic structure in syntax, and the mutual information decay of sequences is consistent with a combination of Markovian and hierarchical processes. These statistical patterns are robust across three levels of granularity in syllable clustering, pointing to a limited form of scale invariance. In sum, it appears that house finch song has been shaped by pressure for efficiency, possibly to offset the costs of female preferences for complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason Youngblood
- Minds and Traditions Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Thüringen, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Computational Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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2
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Deng K, He QL, Wang TL, Wang JC, Cui JG. Network analysis reveals context-dependent structural complexity of social calls in serrate-legged small treefrogs. Curr Zool 2024; 70:253-261. [PMID: 38726257 PMCID: PMC11078048 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication plays an important role in survival, reproduction, and animal social association. Birds and mammals produce complex vocal sequence to convey context-dependent information. Vocalizations are conspicuous features of the behavior of most anuran species (frogs and toads), and males usually alter their calling strategies according to ecological context to improve the attractiveness/competitiveness. However, very few studies have focused on the variation of vocal sequence in anurans. In the present study, we used both conventional method and network analysis to investigate the context-dependent vocal repertoire, vocal sequence, and call network structure in serrate-legged small treefrogs Kurixalus odontotarsus. We found that male K. odontotarsus modified their vocal sequence by switching to different call types and increasing repertoire size in the presence of a competitive rival. Specifically, compared with before and after the playback of advertisement calls, males emitted fewer advertisement calls, but more aggressive calls, encounter calls, and compound calls during the playback period. Network analysis revealed that the mean degree, mean closeness, and mean betweenness of the call networks significantly decreased during the playback period, which resulted in lower connectivity. In addition, the increased proportion of one-way motifs and average path length also indicated that the connectivity of the call network decreased in competitive context. However, the vocal sequence of K. odontotarsus did not display a clear small-world network structure, regardless of context. Our study presents a paradigm to apply network analysis to vocal sequence in anurans and has important implications for understanding the evolution and function of sequence patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qiao-Ling He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tong-Liang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Ji-Chao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
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3
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Amici F, Oña L, Liebal K. Compositionality in Primate Gestural Communication and Multicomponent Signal Displays. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00316-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCompositionality is the ability to combine meaningful elements into new combinations with novel meanings, and it has long been considered one of the main hallmarks of human communication. However, very few studies have addressed the compositional aspects of communication in species other than humans, although a comparative approach is essential to understand the evolutionary origins of human compositionality. We review previous research on compositionality in the gestural communication systems of nonhuman primates, with a special focus on the multicomponent aspects of compositionality. We start by discussing the importance of a comparative approach to study the evolution of human language and then compare the current state of the art on compositionality in the vocal, facial, and gestural communication systems of primates and other species. We further discuss alternative approaches to study compositionality in primates, which may help overcome some of the current methodological limitations in this research area. In particular, we 1) highlight the importance of interdisciplinary tools that facilitate the statistical identification of multicomponent and multimodal combinations of signals, 2) discuss different approaches to infer the meaning of signal combinations, with a special focus on the use of contextual cues and meta-communication, and 3) discuss temporal and intentional aspects of compositionality in primates. Finally, we outline possible lines of research for future studies in this area (e.g., more consistent use of terms across research areas, use of different methodological tools and larger datasets, inclusion of developmental approaches), which might shed light into the evolutionary origins of one of the most crucial properties of human communication.
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4
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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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5
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Moskát C, Hauber ME. Syntax errors do not disrupt acoustic communication in the common cuckoo. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1568. [PMID: 35091655 PMCID: PMC8799703 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05661-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
When acoustic communication signals are distorted, receivers may misunderstand the signal, rendering it ineffective. Common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) are popularly known for the males' simple, two-note advertisement calls, the "cu-coo" used for declaring the male's breeding territories. Cuckoos do not learn their calls (vocal non-learners), so they are expected to have a limited ability to produce different acoustic signals. Nevertheless, male cuckoos appear to make syntax errors (e.g., repeated, reversed, or fragmented elements) even in their simple advertisement calls. We conducted a playback experiment with male cuckoos, broadcasting ten call types, including seven modified calls with errors (e.g. "cu-cu", and "coo-cu") and three natural calls used for comparisons ("cu-coo", "cu-cu-coo", and interspecific control). Male cuckoos responded in a manner suggesting that the presence of the first ("cu") note of the natural 2-note "cu-coo" call in any form or combination yield effective signals. However, through the elevated frequency (by about 200 Hz) and greater speed of the "cu" note, the natural 3-note version "cu-cu-coo" call appears to have gained a novel communicative function in signalling with female cuckoos. Thus, syntax errors in calls with the "cu" element are not responsible for changing the function of the male cuckoos' "cu-coo" call.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, a Joint Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, The Biological Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. st. 1/C, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. .,Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13., Budapest, 1088, Hungary.
| | - Márk E. Hauber
- grid.35403.310000 0004 1936 9991Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
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6
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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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7
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Opaev AS, Kolesnikova YA. Song theme sharing in the Grey-crowned Warbler Phylloscopus tephrocephalus. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1910568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. S. Opaev
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Y. A. Kolesnikova
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
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8
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Opaev AS. The Singing Behaviour of the Long-Tailed Shrike (Lanius schach erythronotus). BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359020070122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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9
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Zsebők S, Herczeg G, Laczi M, Nagy G, Vaskuti É, Hargitai R, Hegyi G, Herényi M, Markó G, Rosivall B, Szász E, Szöllősi E, Török J, Garamszegi LZ. Sequential organization of birdsong: relationships with individual quality and fitness. Behav Ecol 2020; 32:82-93. [PMID: 33708006 PMCID: PMC7937035 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many vocalizing animals produce the discrete elements of their acoustic signals in a specific sequential order, but we know little about the biological relevance of this ordering. For that, we must characterize the degree by which individuals differ in how they organize their signals sequentially and relate these differences to variation in quality and fitness. In this study, we fulfilled these tasks in male collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). We characterized the sequential order of syllables with a network analysis approach and studied the consistency of network variables on distinct time scales (within day, between days, and between years), and assessed their relationship with such quality indicators like age, body condition, arrival date, and fitness related proxies like survival to the next year and pairing success. We found that the syllables were associated nonrandomly with one another and both the frequency differences of consecutive syllables and the number of motif types were higher in the original than in randomized syllable sequences. Average degree and small-worldness showed considerable among-individual differences and decreasing repeatability with increasing time scale. Furthermore, we found relationships between male age and average degree among and within individuals. Accordingly, older males produce syllable sequences by using common syllables less often than younger individuals. However, the network variables showed no relationship with fitness-related variables. In conclusion, the sequential organization of birdsong has the potential to encode individual-specific characteristics, which thus could be used as signal in social interactions and thus potentially could be subject to sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Zsebők
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Miklós Laczi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,The Barn Owl Foundation, Temesvári út 8., Orosztony, Hungary
| | - Gergely Nagy
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Éva Vaskuti
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Rita Hargitai
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergely Hegyi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márton Herényi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Szent István University, Páter Károly u. 1.,Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Gábor Markó
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Plant Pathology, Szent István University, Villányi út 29-43, HBudapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Rosivall
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Szász
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Szöllősi
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary.,Ecology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C,, Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Zsolt Garamszegi
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, Vácrátót, Hungary.,Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, Hungary
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10
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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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11
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Allen JA, Garland EC, Dunlop RA, Noad MJ. Network analysis reveals underlying syntactic features in a vocally learnt mammalian display, humpback whale song. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192014. [PMID: 31847766 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication systems have a set of rules that govern the arrangement of acoustic signals, broadly defined as 'syntax'. However, there is a limited understanding of potentially shared or analogous rules across vocal displays in different taxa. Recent work on songbirds has investigated syntax using network-based modelling. This technique quantifies features such as connectivity (adjacent signals in a sequence) and recurring patterns. Here, we apply network-based modelling to the complex, hierarchically structured songs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from east Australia. Given the song's annual evolving pattern and the cultural conformity of males within a population, network modelling captured the patterns of multiple song types over 13 consecutive years. Song arrangements in each year displayed clear 'small-world' network structure, characterized by clusters of highly connected sounds. Transitions between these connected sounds further suggested a combination of both structural stability and variability. Small-world network structure within humpback songs may facilitate the characteristic and persistent vocal learning observed. Similar small-world structures and transition patterns are found in several birdsong displays, indicating common syntactic patterns among vocal learning in multiple taxa. Understanding the syntactic rules governing vocal displays in multiple, independently evolving lineages may indicate what rules or structural features are important to the evolution of complex communication, including human language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny A Allen
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.,School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia
| | - Ellen C Garland
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, and Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Rebecca A Dunlop
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Michael J Noad
- Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
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12
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Sainburg T, Theilman B, Thielk M, Gentner TQ. Parallels in the sequential organization of birdsong and human speech. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3636. [PMID: 31406118 PMCID: PMC6690877 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11605-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human speech possesses a rich hierarchical structure that allows for meaning to be altered by words spaced far apart in time. Conversely, the sequential structure of nonhuman communication is thought to follow non-hierarchical Markovian dynamics operating over only short distances. Here, we show that human speech and birdsong share a similar sequential structure indicative of both hierarchical and Markovian organization. We analyze the sequential dynamics of song from multiple songbird species and speech from multiple languages by modeling the information content of signals as a function of the sequential distance between vocal elements. Across short sequence-distances, an exponential decay dominates the information in speech and birdsong, consistent with underlying Markovian processes. At longer sequence-distances, the decay in information follows a power law, consistent with underlying hierarchical processes. Thus, the sequential organization of acoustic elements in two learned vocal communication signals (speech and birdsong) shows functionally equivalent dynamics, governed by similar processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Brad Theilman
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Marvin Thielk
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Timothy Q Gentner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
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13
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14
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Benítez Saldívar MJ, Massoni V. Song structure and syllable and song repertoires of the Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola pelzelni) breeding in Argentinean pampas. BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1344932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Viviana Massoni
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Demartsev V, Ilany A, Kershenbaum A, Geva Y, Margalit O, Schnitzer I, Barocas A, Bar-Ziv E, Koren L, Geffen E. The progression pattern of male hyrax songs and the role of climactic ending. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2794. [PMID: 28584250 PMCID: PMC5459900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03035-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of animal vocal signals can either focus on the properties of distinct vocal elements or address the signal as a whole. Although some attention has been given to the continuous progression patterns of bird songs, such patterns in mammalian vocalisations have been largely overlooked. We examined temporal changes in structural and acoustic parameters in male rock hyrax songs. We found a gradual increase in call frequency and amplitude towards the song ending, as well as an abrupt increase in bout syntactic complexity, peaking in the last quintile of a song. In musical terms, such a pattern can be described as a crescendo (amplitude increase) with a terminal climax. In Western music, crescendos are used to maintain attention and direct the listeners towards a memorable highpoint of the musical piece. This structure may have an analogous function in animal communication, recruiting audience attention towards the climactic and potentially most informative part of the signal. Our playback experiments revealed that hyrax males tend to reply more to songs with a climactic ending, indicating that this progression pattern is important for hyrax communication. We suggest that animal vocal communication research can benefit from adding musical concepts to the analysis toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Demartsev
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel. .,Dept. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | | | - Yair Geva
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Ori Margalit
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Inbar Schnitzer
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Adi Barocas
- Dept. of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Einat Bar-Ziv
- Mitrani Dept. of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, 8499000, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- Dept. of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
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Taylor CE, Brumley JT, Hedley RW, Cody ML. Sensitivity of California Thrashers (Toxostoma redivivum) to song syntax. BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2016.1274917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles E. Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John T. Brumley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute of Engineering Mechanics and Systems, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Richard W. Hedley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Martin L. Cody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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