scholarly journals Male Carollia perspicillata bats call more than females in a distressful context

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia González-Palomares ◽  
Luciana López-Jury ◽  
Johannes Wetekam ◽  
Ava Kiai ◽  
Francisco García-Rosales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Difference ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Carollia Perspicillata ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Distress Calls ◽  
Multiple Paths ◽  
Vocalization Type ◽  
Distress Vocalizations

Distress calls are a vocalization type widespread across the animal kingdom, emitted when the animals are under duress, e.g. when captured by a predator. Here, we report on an observation we came across serendipitously while recording distress calls from the bat species Carollia perspicillata , i.e. the existence of sex difference in the distress calling behaviour of this species. We show that in C. perspicillata bats, males are more likely to produce distress vocalizations than females when hand-held. Male bats call more, their calls are louder, harsher (faster amplitude modulated) and cover lower carrier frequencies than female vocalizations. We discuss our results within a framework of potential hormonal, neurobiological and behavioural differences that could explain our findings, and open multiple paths to continue the study of sex-related differences in vocal behaviour in bats.

scholarly journals Superfast periodicities in distress vocalizations emitted by bats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio C. Hechavarría ◽  
M. Jerome Beetz ◽  
Francisco Garcia-Rosales ◽  
Manfred Kössl
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Carollia Perspicillata ◽  
Animal Group ◽  
Distress Calls ◽  
Distress Vocalizations

AbstractCommunication sounds are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, where they play a role in advertising physiological states and/or socio-contextual scenarios. Distress sounds, for example, are typically uttered in distressful scenarios such as agonistic interactions. Here, we report on the occurrence of superfast temporal periodicities in distress calls emitted by bats (species Carollia perspicillata). Distress vocalizations uttered by this bat species are temporally modulated at frequencies close to 1.7 kHz, that is, ∼17 times faster than modulation rates observed in human screams. Fast temporal periodicities are represented in the bats’ brain by means of frequency following responses, and temporally periodic sounds are more effective in boosting the heart rate of awake bats than their demodulated versions. Altogether, our data suggest that bats, an animal group classically regarded as ultrasonic, can exploit the low frequency portion of the soundscape during distress calling to create spectro-temporally complex, arousing sounds.

Male courtship displays and vocal communication in the polygynous bat Carollia perspicillata

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (6) ◽  
pp. 781-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam Knörnschild ◽  
Marion Feifel ◽  
Elisabeth K.V. Kalko
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Courtship Behaviour ◽  
Male Courtship ◽  
Courtship Display ◽  
Carollia Perspicillata ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Distress Calls ◽  
Individual Signature ◽  
Courtship Displays

Male courtship behaviour towards choosy females often comprises elaborate displays that address multiple sensory channels. In bats, detailed quantitative descriptions of multimodal courtship displays are still fairly scarce, despite the taxon’s speciose nature. We studied male courtship behaviour in a polygynous Neotropical bat, Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat Carollia perspicillata, by monitoring harem males in a captive colony. Courting male C. perspicillata performed stereotypic tactile, visual and acoustic displays. A courtship sequence, directed at one female at a time, lasted up to 120 s. During courtship, males approached females by brachiating or flying, hovered in front of them, pursued them on the wing, sniffed them and repeatedly poked the females with one or both folded wings; the latter behaviour was the most conspicuous male courtship display. Immediately before copulation, males wrapped their wings around the females and bit their necks. As acoustic display, courting male C. perspicillata produced highly variable, monosyllabic courtship trills. The species’ vocal repertoire consisted of ten different social vocalisation types, three for benign interactions (courtship trills, wobbles, isolation calls), four for aggressive encounters (aggressive trills, down-sweeps, warbles, distress calls) and the remaining three for unknown behavioural contexts (V-shaped calls, flat down-sweeps, hooks). Courtship trills and aggressive trills were exclusively produced by males. We measured 245 courtship trills of five males and found statistical evidence for a strong individual signature which has the potential to facilitate female choice, mate recognition or neighbour–stranger recognition among male competitors.

scholarly journals Repeatability in the contact calling system of Spix's disc-winged bat ( Thyroptera tricolor )

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 140197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloriana Chaverri ◽  
Erin H. Gillam
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Frequency Dependent Selection ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Thyroptera Tricolor ◽  
Future Work

Spix's disc-winged bat ( Thyroptera tricolor ) forms cohesive groups despite using an extremely ephemeral roost, partly due to the use of two acoustic signals that help individuals locate roost sites and group members. While the calls that aid in group cohesion are commonly used, some bats rarely or never produce them. Here, we examine whether the differences observed in the contact calling behaviour of T. tricolor are repeatable; that is, whether individual differences are consistent. We recorded contact calls of individuals in the field and rates and patterns of vocalization. To determine whether measured variables were consistent within individuals, we estimated repeatability ( R ), which compares within-individual to among-individual variance in behavioural traits. Our results show that repeatability for call variables was moderate but significant, and that repeatability was highest for the average number of calls produced ( R =0.46–0.49). Our results demonstrate important individual differences in the contact calling behaviour of T. tricolor ; we discuss how these could be the result of mechanisms such as frequency-dependent selection that favour groups composed of individuals with diverse vocal strategies. Future work should address whether changes in social environment, specifically group membership and social status, affect vocal behaviour.

scholarly journals What makes a cry a cry? A review of infant distress vocalizations

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 698-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Lingle ◽  
Megan T. Wyman ◽  
Radim Kotrba ◽  
Lisa J. Teichroeb ◽  
Cora A. Romanow
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Adaptive Function ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
Infant Distress ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Infant Vocalizations ◽  
Distress Vocalizations ◽  
And Function

Abstract In contrast to the cries of human infants, sounds made by non-human infants in different stressful behavioral contexts (hunger or physical discomfort, isolation, capture by humans or predators) are usually treated as distinct types of vocalizations. However, if distress vocalizations produced by different species and in different contexts share a common motivational state and associated neurochemical pathways, we can expect them to share a common acoustic structure and adaptive function, showing only limited variation that corresponds to the infant’s level of arousal. Based on this premise, we review the acoustic structure and adaptive function of two types of distress calls, those given when infants were isolated from their mothers (isolation calls) or captured by humans (capture calls). We conducted a within-context comparison examining the two call types across a diverse selection of mammalian species and other vertebrate groups, followed by a comparison of how acoustic structure and function differs between these contexts. In addition, we assessed acoustic traits that are critical to the response of caregivers. Across vertebrate species, distress vocalizations produced in these two behavioral contexts tend to be tonal with a simple chevron, flat or descending pattern of frequency modulation. Reports that both isolation and capture calls of vertebrate infants serve to attract care-givers are universal, and the fundamental frequency of infant vocalizations is often critical to this response. The results of our review are consistent with the hypothesis that differences in the acoustic structure of isolation and capture distress vocalizations reflect differences in arousal, and not discrete functions. The similarity in acoustic structure and caregiver response observed across vertebrates adds support to the hypothesis that the production and processing of distress vocalizations are part of a highly-conserved system of social vocal behaviour in vertebrates. Bioacoustic research may move forward by recognizing the commonality among different forms of infant solicitations that attract caregivers, and the commonality of these solicitations with vocalizations that attract conspecifics in still other behavioral contexts.

scholarly journals Whistling in the Dark: an Acoustic Study of Little Spotted Kiwi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Digby
Keyword(s):  
Microphone Array ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Threatened Taxa

<p>Song function and evolution are two central topics of avian bioacoustic research. Discerning why birds sing and why they have such diversity of song can yield rich information on behaviour and speciation, and can provide important tools for conservation. Knowledge of vocal behaviour of a wide range of bird groups is necessary, yet avian bioacoustic studies have been hampered by a bias towards male song birds, with many species and even whole groups relatively unstudied. The New Zealand kiwi (Apterygidae) are vocal and threatened taxa, and calls play an important part in their conservation. Yet kiwi acoustic behaviour is poorly understood, and although the five species differ significantly in their ecology, only one has been subject to detailed acoustic study. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge of kiwi ecology with the first acoustic study of the little spotted kiwi (LSK). The principal aims are to improve understanding of kiwi calling behaviour, and to provide further acoustic tools for kiwi conservation. On a broader scale, enhanced knowledge of the acoustic ecology of the taxonomically and ecologically distinct kiwi will provide insight into song function and signal evolution in all birds. Sexual call dimorphism in LSK is shown to be unrelated to size differences, and instead has likely functional significance, with male calls more suited for territorial defence. There is striking ‘acoustic cooperation’ between the sexes which constrains the function of duets in LSK. Analysis of complex vocal features, the first in any ratite, reveals that two-voicing is unexpectedly rare in this species, but that non-linear phenomena are common. Their association with territorial calls and high frequencies indicates that these features provide acoustic emphasis to enhance resource defence or convey aggression or fitness information. Non-linear phenomena are very common in nestling LSK calls, in accordance with the hypothesis that they add unpredictability to prevent habituation. LSK have surprisingly low inter-individual call variability, suggesting that this species may not use calls for individual identification. This lack of variability may be a result of the low genetic diversity in this species. A long-term dataset reveals significant fluctuations in calling rates with temporal and environmental factors. These trends indicate that calls serve an important function for reproduction and pair contact, and that calls may reflect foraging activity. They also provide evidence that kiwi are adversely affected by light pollution. A comparison of automated acoustic methods with manual call counts shows that while they have a different biases, autonomous techniques are highly effective for kiwi conservation monitoring. Microphone array methods have great potential for enhancing conservation and behavioural information through spatial monitoring of kiwi, but are demonstrated not to be suitable with currently available equipment.</p>

scholarly journals Vocal interactivity in crowds, flocks and swarms: implications for voice user interfaces

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger K Moore
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Time Simulation ◽  
Voice User ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Negative Feedback Control

Recent years have seen an explosion in the availability of Voice User Interfaces. However, user surveys suggest that there are issues with respect to usability, and it has been hypothesised that contemporary voice-enabled systems are missing crucial behaviours relating to user engagement and vocal interactivity. However, it is well established that such ostensive behaviours are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, and that vocalisation provides a means through which interaction may be coordinated and managed between individuals and within groups. Hence, this paper reports results from a study aimed at identifying generic mechanisms that might underpin coordinated collective vocal behaviour with a particular focus on closed-loop negative-feedback control as a powerful regulatory process. A computer-based real-time simulation of vocal interactivity is described which has provided a number of insights, including the enumeration of a number of key control variables that may be worthy of further investigation.

Vocal behaviour of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis)

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Sharpe ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
New South ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
North East ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Animal Handling ◽  
Frequent Call

We describe the vocal behaviour of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) from 465 h of observation across five sites in north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland. A monosyllabic or polysyllabic nasal grunt was the most frequent call (56% of 208 calls); it ranged from single calls to sequences of up to 20-min duration (mean 2.1 min ± 0.6, s.e.) and was heard on 34% of nights (n = 83) at two sites. The rate of the nasal grunt showed a positive relationship with population density at one site. The nasal grunt was typically made when conspecifics were near the caller, but responses were infrequent (7% of observations). Call playback produced no discernable change in call response. The nasal grunt appears to regulate individual spacing by facilitating mutual avoidance, a function hypothesised to be an evolutionary precursor to the use of calls in territorial defence. Threatening calls were the next most common vocalisation (17% of calls) and were accompanied by scuffles and/or chases. They were also used when gliders were preyed upon and during animal handling. The calling behaviour of the squirrel glider confirms the importance of vocal communication among petaurid gliders.

scholarly journals Echolocation reverses information flow in a cortical vocalization network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco García-Rosales ◽  
Luciana López-Jury ◽  
Eugenia González-Palomarez ◽  
Johannes Wetekam ◽  
Yuranny Cabral-Calderin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Flow ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Vocalization Type ◽  
Directed Information ◽  
Auditory Cortices

Abstract The mammalian frontal and auditory cortices are fundamental structures supporting vocal behaviour, yet the patterns of information exchange between these regions during vocalization remain unknown. Here, we address this issue by means of electrophysiological recordings in the fronto-auditory network of freely-vocalizing Carollia perspicillata bats. We show that oscillations in frontal and auditory cortices predict vocalization type with complementary patterns across structures. Transfer entropy analyses of oscillatory activity revealed directed information exchange in the circuit, predominantly of top-down nature (frontal to auditory). The dynamics of information flow depended on vocalization type and on the timing relative to vocal onset. Remarkably, we observed the emergence of predominant bottom-up information transfer, only when animals produced calls with imminent post-vocal consequences (echolocation signals). These results unveil changes of information flow in a large-scale sensory and association network associated to the behavioural consequences of vocalization in a highly vocal mammalian model.  

scholarly journals Whistling in the Dark: an Acoustic Study of Little Spotted Kiwi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Digby
Keyword(s):  
Microphone Array ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Threatened Taxa

<p>Song function and evolution are two central topics of avian bioacoustic research. Discerning why birds sing and why they have such diversity of song can yield rich information on behaviour and speciation, and can provide important tools for conservation. Knowledge of vocal behaviour of a wide range of bird groups is necessary, yet avian bioacoustic studies have been hampered by a bias towards male song birds, with many species and even whole groups relatively unstudied. The New Zealand kiwi (Apterygidae) are vocal and threatened taxa, and calls play an important part in their conservation. Yet kiwi acoustic behaviour is poorly understood, and although the five species differ significantly in their ecology, only one has been subject to detailed acoustic study. This thesis addresses this gap in knowledge of kiwi ecology with the first acoustic study of the little spotted kiwi (LSK). The principal aims are to improve understanding of kiwi calling behaviour, and to provide further acoustic tools for kiwi conservation. On a broader scale, enhanced knowledge of the acoustic ecology of the taxonomically and ecologically distinct kiwi will provide insight into song function and signal evolution in all birds. Sexual call dimorphism in LSK is shown to be unrelated to size differences, and instead has likely functional significance, with male calls more suited for territorial defence. There is striking ‘acoustic cooperation’ between the sexes which constrains the function of duets in LSK. Analysis of complex vocal features, the first in any ratite, reveals that two-voicing is unexpectedly rare in this species, but that non-linear phenomena are common. Their association with territorial calls and high frequencies indicates that these features provide acoustic emphasis to enhance resource defence or convey aggression or fitness information. Non-linear phenomena are very common in nestling LSK calls, in accordance with the hypothesis that they add unpredictability to prevent habituation. LSK have surprisingly low inter-individual call variability, suggesting that this species may not use calls for individual identification. This lack of variability may be a result of the low genetic diversity in this species. A long-term dataset reveals significant fluctuations in calling rates with temporal and environmental factors. These trends indicate that calls serve an important function for reproduction and pair contact, and that calls may reflect foraging activity. They also provide evidence that kiwi are adversely affected by light pollution. A comparison of automated acoustic methods with manual call counts shows that while they have a different biases, autonomous techniques are highly effective for kiwi conservation monitoring. Microphone array methods have great potential for enhancing conservation and behavioural information through spatial monitoring of kiwi, but are demonstrated not to be suitable with currently available equipment.</p>

scholarly journals Vocal interactivity in crowds, flocks and swarms: implications for voice user interfaces

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger K Moore
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Time Simulation ◽  
Voice User ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Negative Feedback Control

Recent years have seen an explosion in the availability of Voice User Interfaces. However, user surveys suggest that there are issues with respect to usability, and it has been hypothesised that contemporary voice-enabled systems are missing crucial behaviours relating to user engagement and vocal interactivity. However, it is well established that such ostensive behaviours are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, and that vocalisation provides a means through which interaction may be coordinated and managed between individuals and within groups. Hence, this paper reports results from a study aimed at identifying generic mechanisms that might underpin coordinated collective vocal behaviour with a particular focus on closed-loop negative-feedback control as a powerful regulatory process. A computer-based real-time simulation of vocal interactivity is described which has provided a number of insights, including the enumeration of a number of key control variables that may be worthy of further investigation.

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