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1,896 results for “call”
Data from: Vocal characteristics of prairie dog alarm calls across an urban noise gradient
<p>Increasing anthropogenic noise is having a global impact on wildlife, particularly due to the masking of crucial acoustical communication. However, there have been few studies examining the impacts of noise exposure on communication in free-ranging terrestrial mammals. We studied alarm calls of black-tailed prairie dogs (<i>Cynomys ludovicianus</i>) across an urban gradient to explore vocal adjustment relative to different levels of noise exposure. There was no change in the frequency 5%, peak frequency or duration of the alarm calls across the noise gradient. However, the minimum frequency – a commonly used, yet potentially compromised metric – did indeed show a positive relationship with noise exposure. We suspect this is a result of masking of observable call properties by noise, rather than behavioural adjustment. In addition, the proximity of conspecifics and the distance to<span> </span><span><span>the perceived threat (observer)</span></span><span> did </span>affect the frequency 5% of alarm calls. These results reveal that prairie dogs do not appear to be adjusting their alarm calls in noisy environments but likely do in relation to their social context and the proximity of a predatory threat. Anthropogenic noise can elicit a range of behavioural and physiological responses across taxa, but elucidating the specific mechanisms driving these responses can be challenging, particularly as these are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Our research sheds light on how prairie dogs appear to respond to noise as a source of increased risk, rather than as a distraction or through acoustical masking as shown in other commonly studied species (e.g. fish, songbirds, marine mammals).</p>
Data from: Males' calls carry information about individual identity and morphological characteristics of the caller in burrowing petrels
<p>We took morphometric measurements on males of two burrowing petrel species: blue petrel <em>Halobaena caerulea</em> ("BP") and Antarctic prion <em>Pachyptila desolata</em> ("AP"). We also provoked them with a playback and measured acoustic parameters on their provoked calls.</p> <p>Fieldwork was performed in a small sub-Antarctic island (Ile Verte, 49°51′S, 70°05′E) of the Kerguelen Archipelago, in the southern Indian Ocean, where blue petrels and the during the 2017 and 2018 birds' incubation period (25 November 2017 to 12 December 2017 and 27 November 2018 to 20 December 2018 for blue petrels; 23 December 2017 to 16 January 2018 and 25 December 2018 to 13 January 2019 for Antarctic prions).</p> <p>Details and abbreviations are given in the paper: <a class="epub-doi" href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02270">https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02270</a></p>
Data from: Field crickets compensate for unattractive static long-distance call components by increasing dynamic signalling effort
The evolution of multiple sexual signals presents a dilemma since individuals selecting a mate should pay attention to the most honest signal and ignore the rest; however, multiple signals may evolve if, together, they provide more information to the receiver than either one would alone. Static and dynamic signals, for instance, can act as multiple messages, providing information on different aspects of signaller quality that reflect condition at different time scales. While the nature of static signals makes them difficult or impossible for individuals to augment, dynamic signals are much more susceptible to temporary fluctuations in effort. We investigated whether male Texas field crickets, Gryllus texensis, that produce unattractive static signals compensate by dynamically increasing their calling effort. Our findings lend partial support to the compensation hypothesis, as males that called at unattractive carrier frequencies (a static trait) spent more time calling each night (a dynamic trait). Interestingly, this finding was most pronounced in males that called with attractive pulse characteristics (static traits) but did not occur in males that called with unattractive pulse characteristics. Males that signalled with unattractive pulse characteristics (duration and pause) spent less time calling through the night. Our correlative findings on wild caught males suggest that only males that signal with attractive pulse characteristics may be able to afford to pay the costs of both trait exaggeration and increased calling effort to compensate for poor carrier frequencies.
Data from: The advertisement call of the toad Rhinella humboldti (Bufonidae)
Despite important advances in understanding phylogenetic relationships among anurans (Frost et al. 2006; Pyron & Wiens, 2011), many uncertainties persist regarding phylogenetic affinities and taxonomic limits. The male advertisement call offers numerous opportunities to find diagnostic characters and is therefore useful for anuran species delimitation (Gerhardt & Huber, 2002; Grant et al. 2006). Thirteen species are recognized within the Rhinella granulosa group (Narvaes & Rodrigues, 2009; Sanabria et al. 2010) although it is possible that R. dorbignyi and R. fernandezae being conspecifics (Guerra et al. 2011, page 36). The advertisement call has been described for nine species of the granulosa group: Rhinella granulosa, R. bergi, R. major, R. azarai, R. fernandezae, R. dorbignyi, R. merianae, R. centralis and R. pygmaea (Köhler et al. 1997; Guerra et al. 2011; São-Pedro et al. 2011; Ribeiro de Carvalho et al. 2013). Some information regarding call features are available for R. humboldti from populations of Guyana (Lescure & Marty, 2000); however, there are no associated data of male body size, sample size, and call traits such as pulse number per notes, note duration, etc. Here we provide a formal description of the advertisement call of R. humboldti using call recordings obtained in a population in Colombia, South America.
Data from: To grunt or not to grunt: factors governing call production in female olive baboons, Papio anubis
Vocal signals often play an important role in synchronizing the activities of group members, coordinating decisions about when and where to travel, and facilitating social interactions in which there are potential conflicts of interest. In chacma baboons, Papio ursinus, low amplitude grunts facilitate nonaggressive social interactions and reconcile conflicts. Grunts seem to function as signals of benign intent and reduce uncertainty about the signaler's subsequent behavior. Here, we replicate and extend these findings in another species of savanna baboons, the olive baboon, Papio anubis. As in chacma baboons, female olive baboons are more likely to grunt as they approach lower ranking females than as they approach higher ranking females and are less likely to grunt as they approach their own mothers and daughters than as they approach other females. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that baboons modify their call production for different listeners in different social contexts, and support the view that the mechanisms underlying call production may overlap with the mechanisms underlying call perception.
Data from: Many places called home: the adaptive value of seasonal adjustments in range fidelity
1. The vast majority of animal species display range fidelity, a space-use behaviour enhancing familiarity with local habitat features. While the fitness benefits of this behaviour have been demonstrated in a variety of taxa, some species or populations rather display infidelity, displacing their home range over time. Others, such as many ungulate species, show seasonal adjustments in their range fidelity to accommodate changes in the dominance of limiting factors or in the distribution of resources. 2. Few empirical studies have explored the adaptive value of seasonal adjustments in range fidelity. Using boreal populations of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) as a biological model, we evaluated how range fidelity impacted individual performance during two seasons where juvenile and adult survival are limited by different predation pressures. 3. Between 2004 and 2013, we monitored the survival, reproductive success, habitat selection and range fidelity of female caribou in the boreal forest of eastern Canada. Using resource selection functions, we assessed how seasonal range fidelity was linked to two fitness correlates: calf survival in summer and adult female survival in winter. 4. Females displayed season-specific space use tactics: they selected previously used areas during calving and summer, but tended to shift their winter range from one year to the next. During calving and summer, range fidelity yielded relatively high fitness benefits, as females that did not lose their calf displayed stronger fidelity than females that did. In winter, however, adult survival was negatively linked to range fidelity, as females that survived selected areas further away from their seasonal range of the previous year than females that died. 5. We provide one of the first evidences that making seasonal adjustments in range fidelity can be an adaptive behaviour influencing the spatial distribution of a threatened species. Assessing the seasonal nature of range fidelity tactics may improve our predictions of space use and associated fitness implications for species displaying this behaviour.
Data from: Calling in sick: impacts of fever on intra-urban human mobility
Pathogens inflict a wide variety of disease manifestations on their hosts, yet the impacts of disease on the behaviour of infected hosts are rarely studied empirically and are seldom accounted for in mathematical models of transmission dynamics. We explored the potential impacts of one of the most common disease manifestations, fever, on a key determinant of pathogen transmission, host mobility, in residents of the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru. We did so by comparing two groups of febrile individuals (dengue-positive and dengue-negative) with an afebrile control group. A retrospective, semi-structured interview allowed us to quantify multiple aspects of mobility during the two-week period preceding each interview. We fitted nested models of each aspect of mobility to data from interviews and compared models using likelihood ratio tests to determine whether there were statistically distinguishable differences in mobility attributable to fever or its aetiology. Compared with afebrile individuals, febrile study participants spent more time at home, visited fewer locations, and, in some cases, visited locations closer to home and spent less time at certain types of locations. These multifaceted impacts are consistent with the possibility that disease-mediated changes in host mobility generate dynamic and complex changes in host contact network structure.
Data from: Using sounds for making decisions: greater tube-nosed bats prefer antagonistic calls over non-communicative sounds when feeding
Bats vocalize extensively within different social contexts. The type and extent of information conveyed via their vocalizations and their perceptual significance, however, remains controversial and difficult to assess. Greater tube-nosed bats, Murina leucogaster, emit calls consisting of long rectangular broadband noise burst (rBNBl) syllables during aggression between males. To experimentally test the behavioral impact of these sounds for feeding, we deployed an approach and place-preference paradigm. Two food trays were placed on opposite sides and within different acoustic microenvironments, created by sound playback, within a specially constructed tent. Specifically, we tested whether the presence of rBNBl sounds at a food source effectively deters the approach of male bats in comparison to echolocation sounds and white noise. In each case, contrary to our expectation, males preferred to feed at a location where rBNBl sounds were present. We propose that the species-specific rBNBl provides contextual information, not present within non-communicative sounds, to facilitate approach towards a food source.
Data from: A nocturnal rail with a simple territorial call eavesdrops on interactions between rivals
The behaviour of most animals has evolved in a communication network environment, in which signals produced by senders are perceived by many intended and unintended receivers. In this study, we tested whether the corncrake (Crex crex), a nocturnal rail species with innate (non-learned) calls, is able to eavesdrop on the interactions of conspecific males and how this eavesdropping affects subsequent responses by the eavesdropper to territorial intrusion. In the first step, simulated aggressive or neutral interactions between male dyads were presented to a focal male. In the second step, the calls of winning, losing or neutral males from the first step were played within the territory of the focal male. We measured behavioural and vocal responses of focal males. We found that corncrakes eavesdropped on signal exchange between rivals. Males often began responding to distant aggressive interactions during the eavesdropping phase, and they responded strongly during the intrusion phase of the experiments. The response was significantly weaker to playback of males from neutral interactions than to those involved in aggressive interactions, and we found no differences between the responses to Winners and Losers entering a focal male territory.
Data from: Patterns of call communication between group-housed Zebra finches change during the breeding cycle
Vocal signals such as calls play a crucial role for survival and successful reproduction, especially in group-living animals. However, call interactions and call dynamics within groups remain largely unexplored because their relation to relevant contexts or life-history stages could not be studied with individual-level resolution. Using on-bird microphone transmitters, we recorded the vocalisations of individual zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) behaving freely in social groups, while females and males previously unknown to each other passed through different stages of the breeding cycle. As birds formed pairs and shifted their reproductive status, their call repertoire composition changed. The recordings revealed that calls occurred non-randomly in fine-tuned vocal interactions and decreased within groups while pair-specific patterns emerged. Call-type combinations of vocal interactions changed within pairs and were associated with successful egg-laying, highlighting a potential fitness relevance of calling dynamics in communication systems.
Data from: Attack of the PCR clones: rates of clonality have little effect on RAD-seq genotype calls
Interpretation of high-throughput sequence data requires an understanding of how decisions made during bioinformatic data processing can influence results. One source of bias that is often cited is PCR clones (or PCR duplicates). PCR clones are common in restriction site associated sequencing (RAD-seq) datasets, which are increasingly being used for molecular ecology. To determine the influence PCR clones and the bioinformatic handling of clones have on genotyping, we evaluate four RAD-seq datasets. Datasets were compared before and after clones were removed to estimate the number of clones present in RAD-seq data, quantify how often the presence of clones in a dataset cause genotype calls to change compared to when clones were removed, investigate the mechanisms that lead to genotype call changes, and test if clones bias heterozygosity estimates. Our RAD-seq datasets contained 30 – 60% PCR clones, but 95% of RAD-tags had five or fewer clones. Relatively few genotypes changed once clones were removed (5-10%), and the vast majority of these changes (98%) were associated with genotypes switching from a called to no-call state or vice versa. PCR clones had a larger influence on genotype calls in individuals with low read depth but appeared to influence genotype calls at all loci similarly. Removal of PCR clones reduced the number of called genotypes by 2% but had almost no influence on estimates of heterozygosity. As such, while steps should be taken to limit PCR clones during library preparation, PCR clones are likely not a substantial source of bias for most RAD-seq studies.
Data from: Differences in combinatorial calls among the 3 elephant species cannot be explained by phylogeny
Understanding why related species combine calls in different ways could provide insight into the selection pressures on the evolution of combinatorial communication. African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) all combine broadband calls (roars, barks, and cries) and low-frequency calls (rumbles) into single utterances known as "combination calls." We investigated whether the structure of such calls differs among species and whether any differences are better explained by phylogenetic relationships or by socio-ecological factors. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the species differ significantly in the frequency with which they produce different call combinations using data from multiple study sites. E. maximus and L. africana mostly produced roar-rumble combinations, while L. cyclotis produced a more even distribution of roar-rumble, rumble-roar and rumble-roar-rumble combinations. There were also significant differences in favored structure among populations of the same species. Moreover, certain call orders were disproportionately likely to be given in particular behavioral contexts. In L. africana, rumble-roar-rumble combinations were significantly more likely than expected by chance to be produced by individuals separated from the group. In E. maximus, there was a marginally non-significant trend for rumble-roar-rumbles to be given more often than expected by chance in response to a disturbance. Site-specific socio-ecological conditions appear more influential for call combination structure than phylogenetic history.
Individual signatures outweigh social group identity in contact calls of a communally nesting parrot
Despite longstanding interest in the evolutionary origins and maintenance of vocal learning, we know relatively little about how social dynamics influence vocal learning processes in natural populations. The "social group membership" hypothesis proposes that socially learned calls evolved and are maintained as signals of group membership. However, in fission-fusion societies, individuals can interact in social groups across various social scales. For learned calls to signal group membership over multiple social scales, they must contain information about group membership over each of these scales, a concept termed "hierarchical mapping". Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), small parrots native to South America, exhibit vocal mimicry in captivity and fission-fusion social dynamics in the wild. We examined patterns of contact call acoustic similarity in Uruguay to test the hierarchical mapping assumption of the signaling group membership hypothesis. We also asked whether geographic variation patterns matched regional dialects or geographic clines that have been documented in other vocal learning species. We used visual inspection, spectrographic cross-correlation and random forests, a machine learning approach, to evaluate contact call similarity. We compared acoustic similarity across social scales and geographic distance using Mantel tests and spatial autocorrelation. We found high similarity within individuals, and low, albeit significant, similarity within groups at the pair, flock and site social scales. Patterns of acoustic similarity over geographic distance did not match mosaic or graded patterns expected in dialectal or clinal variation. Our findings suggest that monk parakeet social interactions rely more heavily upon individual recognition than group membership at higher social scales.
Data from: Development of a genomic resource and quantitative trait loci mapping of male calling traits in the lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella
In the study of sexual selection among insects, the Lesser Waxmoth, Achroia grisella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), has been one of the more intensively studied species over the past 20 years. Studies have focused on how the male calling song functions in pair formation and on the quantitative genetics of male song characters and female preference for the song. Recent QTL studies have attempted to elucidate the genetic architecture of male song and female preference traits using AFLP markers. We continued these QTL studies using SNP markers derived from an EST library that allowed us to measure both DNA sequence variation and map loci with respect to the lepidopteran genome. We report that the level of sequence variation within A. grisella is typical among other Lepidoptera that have been examined, and that comparison with the Bombyx mori genome shows that macrosynteny is conserved. Our QTL map shows that a QTL for a male song trait, pulse-pair rate, is situated on the Z chromosome, a prediction for sexually selected traits in Lepidoptera. Our findings will be useful for future studies of genetic architecture of this model species and may help identify the genetics associated with the evolution of its novel acoustic communication.
Data from: Variation in the ecstatic display call of the Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) across regional geographic scales
Geographic variation in bird vocalizations is common and has been associated with genetic differences and speciation, as well as with short-term changes in response to anthropogenic noise. Because vocalizations are used for individual recognition in many species, geographic variation in these traits may affect mate choice, pair bonding, and territory defense. Anecdotal evidence suggests the existence of geographic variation in vocalizations between isolated populations of Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua), but there have been no comprehensive studies of Gentoo Penguin vocalizations across a broad geographic range. We used acoustic recordings of ambient colony sound at 22 breeding colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, and Argentina to address 2 main questions regarding Gentoo Penguin vocalizations: (1) How do ecstatic display calls vary both within and between individuals, colonies, and regions? (2) Can ecstatic display calls be used to distinguish subspecies? We found high levels of variation between individuals and between colonies, but little additional variation between regions or subspecies. We found no trends to suggest a latitudinal gradient in vocal characteristics, although we did find that some measures varied with relative distance between colonies. Although we found significant differences at the colony level, unknown calls could not easily be categorized to colony or region by machine learning. We conclude that the vocal soundscape of each colony is driven by variation between individuals within a colony and, developing independently from neighboring colonies, becomes differentiated from other colonies through a process of drift. Although individual calls could, in most cases, be identified to subspecies by machine learning, our analysis suggests that subspecies differences may be driven by variation among colonies and that subspecies identification may be unreliable using acoustics alone.
Data from: Deceptive copulation calls attract female visitors to peacock leks
Theory holds that dishonest signaling can be stable if it is rare. We report here that some peacocks perform specialized copulation calls (hoots) when females are not present and the peacocks are clearly not attempting to copulate. Because these solo hoots are almost always given out of view of females, they may be dishonest signals of male mating attempts. These dishonest calls are surprisingly common, making up about a third of all hoot calls in our study populations. Females are more likely to visit males after they give a solo hoot call, and we confirm using a playback experiment that females are attracted to the sound of the hoot. Our findings suggest that both sexes use the hoot call tactically: females to locate potential mates and males to attract female visitors. We suggest that the solo hoot may be a deceptive signal that is acquired and maintained through reward-based learning.
Data from: Divergence in calls but not songs in the orchard oriole complex: Icterus spurius and I. fuertesi
Birdsong has important functions in attracting and competing for mates, and song characteristics are thought to diverge rapidly during the process of speciation. In contrast, other avian vocalizations that may have non-reproductive functions, such as calls, are thought to be more evolutionarily conserved and may diverge more slowly among taxa. This study examines differences in both male song and an acoustically simpler vocalization, the 'jeet' call, between two closely related taxa, Icterus spurius and I. fuertesi. A previous study comparing song syllable type sharing within and between I. spurius and I. fuertesi indicated that their songs do not differ discernibly. Here we measured 18 acoustic characteristics of their songs and found strong evidence supporting this prior finding. In contrast, we measured 17 acoustic characteristics of jeet calls and found evidence of significant divergence between the two taxa in many of these characteristics. Calls in I. fuertesi have a longer duration, a larger frequency bandwidth, a lower minimum frequency, a lower beginning frequency, and greater levels of both frequency and amplitude modulation in comparison to the calls of I. spurius. In addition, I. fuertesi calls contain two distinct parts, while the calls of I. spurius have only one part. Thus, we find evidence of divergence in the calls of the two taxa but not their songs challenging the widespread assumption that complex bird song evolves more rapidly than other types of vocalizations. Understanding divergence in multiple vocalization types as well as other behavioral, morphological, and molecular traits is important to understanding the earliest stages of speciation.
Figure 3 in Elucidating the diel and seasonal calling behaviour of Elachistocleis matogrosso (Anura: Microhylidae)
Figure 3. Estimated probability of detecting the presence of Elachistocleis matogrosso during (a) January and (b) February. Calculations were based on logistic regression, with the detection/lack of detection of the species at the seven monitored sites as the dependent variable and the date as the predictor variable. Dashed lines show the 95% probability of detecting the species.
Figure 1 in Elucidating the diel and seasonal calling behaviour of Elachistocleis matogrosso (Anura: Microhylidae)
Figure 1. Diel pattern of Elachistocleis matogrosso calling activity during an entire year in the Pantanal Matogrossense, Brazil. Calling activity was detected with acoustic monitoring from 15 November of 2013 to 14 November 2014 at one site (a, Table 1) and from 8 June 2015 to 2 June 2016 at six other sites (b–g, Table 1). The diel pattern is expressed as the mean percentage of calls detected at all sites at each recording time. The hours are expressed in 24-h notation of the winter local time (GMT −4).
Figure 2 in Elucidating the diel and seasonal calling behaviour of Elachistocleis matogrosso (Anura: Microhylidae)
Figure 2. Seasonal pattern of Elachistocleis matogrosso calling activity during two entire years in the Pantanal Matogrossense, Brazil. Calling activity was detected with acoustic monitoring from 15 November of 2013 to 14 November 2014 at one site (a, Table 1) and from 8 June 2015 to 2 June 2016 at six other sites (b–g, Table 1). The seasonal pattern is expressed as the percentage of calls detected per month (2013–2014) or as the mean percentage of calls detected at all sites per month (2015–2016).
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