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Volodin IA, Yurlova DD, Ilchenko OG, Vasilieva NA, Volodina EV. Non-individualistic ultrasonic and audible isolation calls throughout ontogeny in a rodent, Eolagurus luteus. Behav Processes 2021; 193:104540. [PMID: 34774667 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104540] [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: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic individuality is present in diverse taxa of mammals and birds, becoming especially prominent in those age groups for which discriminating conspecifics by voice is critically important. This study compares, for the first time, the ontogenetic changes of acoustic individuality of ultrasonic and audible calls (USVs and AUDs) across 12 age-classes (from neonates to adults) in captive yellow steppe lemmings Eolagurus luteus. We found that, in this rodent species, the isolation-induced USVs and AUDs are not individually distinct at any age. We discuss that this result is unusual, because discriminating individuals by individualistic vocal traits may be important for such a social species as yellow steppe lemming. We also discuss the potential role of acoustic individuality in studies including rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia; Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia.
| | - Daria D Yurlova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia.
| | - Olga G Ilchenko
- Small Mammals Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow 123242, Russia.
| | - Nina A Vasilieva
- Department of Population Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia.
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia.
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Effect of pitch range on dogs' response to conspecific vs. heterospecific distress cries. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19723. [PMID: 34611191 PMCID: PMC8492669 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98967-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Distress cries are emitted by many mammal species to elicit caregiving attention. Across taxa, these calls tend to share similar acoustic structures, but not necessarily frequency range, raising the question of their interspecific communicative potential. As domestic dogs are highly responsive to human emotional cues and experience stress when hearing human cries, we explore whether their responses to distress cries from human infants and puppies depend upon sharing conspecific frequency range or species-specific call characteristics. We recorded adult dogs' responses to distress cries from puppies and human babies, emitted from a loudspeaker in a basket. The frequency of the cries was presented in both their natural range and also shifted to match the other species. Crucially, regardless of species origin, calls falling into the dog call-frequency range elicited more attention. Thus, domestic dogs' responses depended strongly on the frequency range. Females responded both faster and more strongly than males, potentially reflecting asymmetries in parental care investment. Our results suggest that, despite domestication leading to an increased overall responsiveness to human cues, dogs still respond considerably less to calls in the natural human infant range than puppy range. Dogs appear to use a fast but inaccurate decision-making process to determine their response to distress-like vocalisations.
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Green A, Clark C, Favaro L, Lomax S, Reby D. Vocal individuality of Holstein-Friesian cattle is maintained across putatively positive and negative farming contexts. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18468. [PMID: 31804583 PMCID: PMC6895157 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54968-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cattle mother-offspring contact calls encode individual-identity information; however, it is unknown whether cattle are able to maintain individuality when vocalising to familiar conspecifics over other positively and negatively valenced farming contexts. Accordingly, we recorded 333 high-frequency vocalisations from 13 Holstein-Friesian heifers during oestrus and anticipation of feed (putatively positive), as well as denied feed access and upon both physical and physical & visual isolation from conspecifics (putatively negative). We measured 21 source-related and nonlinear vocal parameters and stepwise discriminant function analyses (DFA) were performed. Calls were divided into positive (n = 170) and negative valence (n = 163) with each valence acting as a 'training set' to classify calls in the oppositely valenced 'test set'. Furthermore, MANOVAs were conducted to determine which vocal parameters were implicated in individual distinctiveness. Within the putatively positive 'training set', the cross-validated DFA correctly classified 68.2% of the putatively positive calls and 52.1% of the putatively negative calls to the correct individual, respectively. Within the putatively negative 'training set', the cross-validated DFA correctly assigned 60.1% of putatively negative calls and 49.4% of putatively positive calls to the correct individual, respectively. All DFAs exceeded chance expectations indicating that vocal individuality of high-frequency calls is maintained across putatively positive and negative valence, with all vocal parameters except subharmonics responsible for this individual distinctiveness. This study shows that cattle vocal individuality of high-frequency calls is stable across different emotionally loaded farming contexts. Individual distinctiveness is likely to attract social support from conspecifics, and knowledge of these individuality cues could assist farmers in detecting individual cattle for welfare or production purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Green
- Livestock Production and Welfare Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camden, Australia. .,Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, University of Lyon/Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France.
| | - Cameron Clark
- Livestock Production and Welfare Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camden, Australia
| | - Livio Favaro
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, University of Lyon/Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France.,Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Sabrina Lomax
- Livestock Production and Welfare Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camden, Australia
| | - David Reby
- Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, University of Lyon/Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France
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Volodin IA, Klenova AV, Ilchenko OG, Volodina EV. High frequency audible calls in northern birch mice Sicista betulina in response to handling: effects of individuality, sex and body mass on the acoustics. BMC Res Notes 2019; 12:677. [PMID: 31640790 PMCID: PMC6805337 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-019-4719-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This is the first study of the sonic and ultrasonic vocalization in a Dipodidae rodent. For the small-sized quadrupedal northern birch mouse Sicista betulina, phylogenetically related to the bipedal jerboas (Dipodidae), we report null results for ultrasonic vocalization and investigate the acoustic cues to individual identity, sex and body size in the discomfort-related high-frequency tonal sonic calls. RESULTS We used a parallel audio recording in the sonic and ultrasonic ranges during weighting adult northern birch mice before the scheduled hibernation in captivity. The sonic (audible) high-frequency tonal calls (ranging from 6.21 to 9.86 kHz) were presented in all individuals (7 males and 4 females). The ultrasonic calls lacked in the recordings. Two-way nested ANOVA revealed the effects of caller individual identity on all 10 measured acoustic variables and the effects of sex on four out of 10 measured acoustic variables. Discriminant function analyses with 10 acoustic variables included in the analysis showed 85.5% correct assignment of calls to individual and 79.7% correct assignment of calls to sex; both values significantly exceeded the random values (23.1% and 54.3%, respectively) calculated with randomization procedure. Body mass did not differ between sexes and did not correlate significantly with the acoustic variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow, 119234, Russia. .,Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow, 123242, Russia.
| | - Anna V Klenova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow, 119234, Russia
| | - Olga G Ilchenko
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow, 123242, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow, 123242, Russia
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Volodin IA, Sibiryakova OV, Vasilieva NA, Volodina EV, Matrosova VA, Garcia AJ, Pérez-Barbería FJ, Gallego L, Landete-Castillejos T. Old and young female voices: effects of body weight, condition and social discomfort on the vocal aging in red deer hinds (Cervus elaphus). BEHAVIOUR 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In female terrestrial mammals, vocal aging has only been studied in humans and pandas. In cervids displaying convergent sex dimorphism of vocal apparatus with humans, vocal aging is only investigated in males. This cross-sectional study examined acoustic variables of nasal (closed-mouth) and oral (open-mouth) contact calls of 32 farmed Iberian red deer hinds (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) aged of 4-18 years and their relationships with caller´s age, weight, social discomfort score (bites of other hinds on hind pelt) and body condition score (fat reserves). Decrease of fundamental frequency was associated with age in both oral and nasal calls, but more prominently in the nasal calls. An increase in call duration, peak frequency and power quartiles was associated with a higher degree of bites due to social aggression. Weight and body condition weakly influenced acoustic traits. We discuss that vocal aging of hinds parallels that of vocal aging in human females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A. Volodin
- aDepartment of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 12/1, Moscow 119991, Russia
- bScientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow 123242, Russia
| | - Olga V. Sibiryakova
- aDepartment of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 12/1, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Nina A. Vasilieva
- cSevertsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Leninskii pr. 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Elena V. Volodina
- bScientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow 123242, Russia
| | - Vera A. Matrosova
- dEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology RAS, Vavilov str., 32, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Andrés J. Garcia
- eInstituto de Desarrollo Regional, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
| | | | - Laureano Gallego
- eInstituto de Desarrollo Regional, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
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Filippi P, Gogoleva SS, Volodina EV, Volodin IA, de Boer B. Humans identify negative (but not positive) arousal in silver fox vocalizations: implications for the adaptive value of interspecific eavesdropping. Curr Zool 2017; 63:445-456. [PMID: 29492004 PMCID: PMC5804197 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to identify emotional arousal in heterospecific vocalizations may facilitate behaviors that increase survival opportunities. Crucially, this ability may orient inter-species interactions, particularly between humans and other species. Research shows that humans identify emotional arousal in vocalizations across multiple species, such as cats, dogs, and piglets. However, no previous study has addressed humans’ ability to identify emotional arousal in silver foxes. Here, we adopted low- and high-arousal calls emitted by three strains of silver fox—Tame, Aggressive, and Unselected—in response to human approach. Tame and Aggressive foxes are genetically selected for friendly and attacking behaviors toward humans, respectively. Unselected foxes show aggressive and fearful behaviors toward humans. These three strains show similar levels of emotional arousal, but different levels of emotional valence in relation to humans. This emotional information is reflected in the acoustic features of the calls. Our data suggest that humans can identify high-arousal calls of Aggressive and Unselected foxes, but not of Tame foxes. Further analyses revealed that, although within each strain different acoustic parameters affect human accuracy in identifying high-arousal calls, spectral center of gravity, harmonic-to-noise ratio, and F0 best predict humans’ ability to discriminate high-arousal calls across all strains. Furthermore, we identified in spectral center of gravity and F0 the best predictors for humans’ absolute ratings of arousal in each call. Implications for research on the adaptive value of inter-specific eavesdropping are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piera Filippi
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.,Brain and Language Research Institute, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Pasteur 5, 13604 Aix-en-Provence, France.,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Department of Language and Cognition, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Svetlana S Gogoleva
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory 1/12, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya 1, 123242 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory 1/12, 119991 Moscow, Russia.,Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya 1, 123242 Moscow, Russia
| | - Bart de Boer
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Unusually high-pitched neonate distress calls of the open-habitat Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) and their anatomical and hormonal predictors. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:50. [PMID: 28578533 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1471-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In neonate ruminants, the acoustic structure of vocalizations may depend on sex, vocal anatomy, hormonal profiles and body mass and on environmental factors. In neonate wild-living Mongolian gazelles Procapra gutturosa, hand-captured during biomedical monitoring in the Daurian steppes at the Russian-Mongolian border, we spectrographically analysed distress calls and measured body mass of 22 individuals (6 males, 16 females). For 20 (5 male, 15 female) of these individuals, serum testosterone levels were also analysed. In addition, we measured relevant dimensions of the vocal apparatus (larynx, vocal folds, vocal tract) in one stillborn male Mongolian gazelle specimen. Neonate distress calls of either sex were high in maximum fundamental frequency (800-900 Hz), but the beginning and minimum fundamental frequencies were significantly lower in males than in females. Body mass was larger in males than in females. The levels of serum testosterone were marginally higher in males. No correlations were found between either body mass or serum testosterone values and any acoustic variable for males and females analysed together or separately. We discuss that the high-frequency calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles are more typical for closed-habitat neonate ruminants, whereas other open-habitat neonate ruminants (goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, saiga antelope Saiga tatarica and reindeer Rangifer tarandus) produce low-frequency (<200 Hz) distress calls. Proximate cause for the high fundamental frequency of distress calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles is their very short, atypical vocal folds (4 mm) compared to the 7-mm vocal folds of neonate goitred gazelles, producing distress calls as low as 120 Hz.
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