scholarly journals Re-emergence of the leaf clip gesture during an alpha takeover affects variation in male chimpanzee loud calls

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammie K. Kalan ◽  
Christophe Boesch
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Leaf Clipping ◽  
Pant Hoot ◽  
Population Comparisons

Loud calls are used by many species as long-distance signals for group defense, mate attraction, and inter- and intragroup spacing. Chimpanzee loud calls, or pant hoots, are used in a variety of contexts including group coordination and during male contests. Here, we observed an alpha male takeover in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) during which the leaf clipping gesture re-emerged after disappearing for almost two years in this community. Leaf clipping only occurred in males and was observed almost exclusively prior to pant hoot vocalizations, as has been observed in other chimpanzee communities of the Taï forest in Côte d’Ivoire. Consequently, we hypothesized that leaf clipping may be important for male-male competition by affecting variation in the acoustic properties of male chimpanzee loud calls. We therefore investigated whether pant hoots preceded by leaf clipping differed acoustically from those without, while also testing the influence of social context on pant hoot variation, namely male dominance rank and hierarchy instability, i.e., before, during and after the alpha takeover. We found that pant hoots preceded by leaf clipping were longer, contained more call elements and drum beats, and lower fundamental and peak frequencies. Moreover, during the alpha takeover pant hoots were shorter, contained fewer drum beats and higher fundamental frequencies. Additionally, pant hoot and aggression rates were also highest during the alpha takeover with leaf clipping more likely to occur on days when pant hooting rates were high. Overall social rank had limited effects on pant hoot variation. We suggest that elevated arousal and aggression during the alpha takeover triggered the re-emergence of leaf clipping and the associated acoustic changes in pant hoots. Further research should focus on the potential mechanisms by which leaf clipping is connected to variation in pant hoots and cross-population comparisons of the behaviour.

scholarly journals Audiograms of howling monkeys: are extreme loud calls the result of runaway selection?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa A. Ramsier ◽  
Andrew J. Cunningham ◽  
May R. Patiño ◽  
Kenneth E. Glander ◽  
Nathaniel J. Dominy
Keyword(s):  
Sound Propagation ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Alouatta Palliata ◽  
Frequency Region ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Infant Distress ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Howling Monkeys

AbstractThe eponymous vocalizations of howling monkeys (genus Alouatta) are associated with territorial defense and male-male competition, yet the extreme loudness of howls, which are among the loudest vocalizations of any terrestrial mammal, have yet to be fully explained. Loudness facilitates long-distance sound propagation but the effectiveness of any vocal signal depends in part on the auditory capabilities of the intended receiver, and the auditory sensitivities of howling monkeys are unknown. To better understand the evolution of loud calls, we used the auditory brainstem response (ABR) method to estimate the auditory sensitivities of Alouatta palliata. The mean estimated audiogram of four wild-caught adults displayed a w-shaped pattern with two regions of enhanced sensitivity centered at 0.7-1.0 and 11.3 kHz. The lower-frequency region of auditory sensitivity is pitched moderately higher than the fundamental frequencies of howling, whereas the higher-frequency region corresponds well with harmonics in an infant distress call, the wrah-ha. Fitness advantages from detecting infants amid low-frequency background noise, including howling, could explain the incongruity between our ABR thresholds and the fundamental frequencies of howling. Attending to infant calls is expected to enhance reproductive success within an infanticidal genus, and we suggest that the extraordinary loudness of male howling is an indirect (runaway) result of positive feedback between the selective pressures of hearing infant distress calls and deterring infanticide.

scholarly journals Genetic structure and dispersal patterns of the invasive psocid Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) in Australian grain storage systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 521-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Mikac ◽  
N.N. FitzSimmons
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Null Alleles ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Population Comparisons ◽  
Low Levels

AbstractMicrosatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic structure among invasive L. decolor populations from Australia and a single international population from Kansas, USA to determine patterns of dispersal. Six variable microsatellites displayed an average of 2.5–4.2 alleles per locus per population. Observed (HO) heterozygosity ranged from 0.12–0.65 per locus within populations; but, in 13 of 36 tests, HO was less than expected. Despite low levels of allelic diversity, genetic structure estimated as θ was significant for all pairwise comparisons between populations (θ=0.05–0.23). Due to suspected null alleles at four loci, ENA (excluding null alleles) corrected FST estimates were calculated overall and for pairwise population comparisons. The ENA-corrected FST values (0.02–0.10) revealed significant overall genetic structure, but none of the pairwise values were significantly different from zero. A Mantel test of isolation by distance indicated no relationship between genetic structure and geographic distance among all populations (r2=0.12, P=0.18) and for Australian populations only (r2=0.19, P=0.44), suggesting that IBD does not describe the pattern of gene flow among populations. This study supports a hypothesis of long distance dispersal by L. decolor at moderate to potentially high levels.

scholarly journals Birdsong and Sound Transmission: The Benefits of Reverberations

The Condor ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 564-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Slabbekoorn ◽  
Jacintha Ellers ◽  
Thomas B. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Sound Transmission ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Signal Design ◽  
Signal Attenuation ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Animal Vocalizations ◽  
Distance Communication ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Animal vocalizations used for long-distance communication are shaped by acoustic properties of the environment. Studies of the relationship between signal design and sound transmission typically focus on habitat-induced limitations due to signal attenuation and degradation. However, signal design may not entirely be explained by habitat limitations, but rather by beneficial consequences of reverberations. Narrow-frequency bandwidth notes (NFB notes) are pure notes that change little in frequency, and are typical for many bird species living in dense tropical forests. In contrast to frequency-modulated notes, we show that reverberations lead to a longer and louder signal after transmission for NFB notes. Furthermore, playback experiments to territorial males of an African passerine indicated that longer notes led to a stronger behavioral response. These results suggest that reverberations may benefit signal efficiency depending on the signal design, and add new insight into the selection pressures imposed on acoustic signals by the environment. Canto de Aves y Transmisión de Sonido: Beneficios de las Reverberaciones Resumen. Las vocalizaciones utilizadas por animales para la comunicación a larga distancia están condicionadas por las propiedades acústicas del entorno. Los estudios sobre la relación entre el diseño de las señales y la transmisión del sonido suelen centrarse en los límites impuestos por el hábitat debido a la atenuación y degradación de la señal. Sin embargo, es posible que el diseño de la señal no esté regido exclusivamente por las limitaciones del habitat, sino por las consecuencias beneficiosas de las reverberaciones. Las notas de frecuencia de banda estrecha (notas NFB) son notas puras que cambian poco de frecuencia y son típicas de varias especies que habitan bosques tropicales densos. Al contrario que en las notas de frecuencia modulada, mostramos que las reverberaciones alargan y aumentan la señal de las notas NFB. Asimismo, experimentos de playback con machos territoriales de un paseriforme africano indican que las notas más largas provocan una mayor respuesta. Estos resultados sugieren que las reverberaciones pueden mejorar la eficiencia de la señal, dependiendo del diseño de la misma, y añaden un nuevo componente a nuestro conocimiento sobre las presiones selectivas impuestas por el entorno sobre las señales acústicas.

Male dominance rank and offspring-initiated affiliative behaviors were not predictors of paternity in a captive group of pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Primates ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Gust ◽  
T. P. Gordon ◽  
W. F. Gergits ◽  
N. J. Casna ◽  
K. G. Gould ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Macaca Nemestrina ◽  
Captive Group ◽  
Affiliative Behaviors ◽  
Pigtail Macaques

scholarly journals Social and ecological correlates of long-distance pant hoot calls in male chimpanzees

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel Fedurek ◽  
Ed Donnellan ◽  
Katie E. Slocombe
Keyword(s):  
Long Distance ◽  
Ecological Correlates ◽  
Pant Hoot

Male Dominance and Reproductive Success in a Captive Group of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 129 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 225-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Glenn Smith
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Macaca Mulatta ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Captive Group ◽  
Lower Ranking

AbstractPaternity exclusion analysis was employed to estimate the reproductive success (RS) of 32 males who experienced at least one breeding season over the age of four years between 1977 and 1991 in a captive group of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Although three different males held alpha rank during the period, the male dominance hierarchy remained relatively stable even when the number of males was high. Average dominance rank and overall RS of males while in the group were strongly correlated. However, during most years the correlation between male dominance rank and RS was not statistically significant because males who achieved high rank 1)were those who experienced relatively high RS as lower ranking subadults and 2) maintained high dominance rank after experiencing a sustained decline in RS. Correlations between male dominance rank and RS were highest when the number of subadult males entering the dominance hierarchy was increasing and one or a very few males were least effective in monopolizing females. These results are not consistent with expectations based solely on the priority of access model of intrasexual selection. Female choice, as exemplified by the preference of females for mating with young males that are rising in rank, might also influence the evolution of social dominance in rhesus macaques.

Vocal behavior of black-fronted titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons): Acoustic properties and behavioral contexts of loud calls

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
pp. 788-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christini B. Caselli ◽  
Daniel J. Mennill ◽  
Júlio César Bicca-Marques ◽  
Eleonore Z. F. Setz
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Titi Monkeys ◽  
Callicebus Nigrifrons

scholarly journals The glucocorticoid receptor in the nucleus accumbens plays a crucial role in social rank attainment in rodents

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Papilloud ◽  
Meltem Weger ◽  
Alexandre Bacq ◽  
Ioannis Zalachoras ◽  
Fiona Hollis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
Social Species ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
A Cell

AbstractSocial hierarchy in social species is usually established through competitive encounters with conspecifics. It determines the access to limited resources and, thus, leads to reduced fights among individuals within a group. Despite the known importance of social rank for health and well-being, the knowledge about the processes underlying rank attainment remains limited. Previous studies have highlighted the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as a key brain region in the attainment of social hierarchies in rodents. In addition, glucocorticoids and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) have been implicated in the establishment of social hierarchies and social aversion. However, whether GR in the NAc is involved in social dominance is not yet known. To address this question, we first established that expression levels of GR in the NAc of high anxious, submissive-prone rats are lower than that of their low anxious, dominant-prone counterparts. Furthermore, virally-induced downregulation of GR expression in the NAc in rats led to an improvement of social dominance rank. We found a similar result in a cell-specific mouse model lacking GR in dopaminoceptive neurons (i.e., neurons containing dopamine receptors). Indeed, when cohabitating in dyads of mixed genotypes, mice deficient for GR in dopaminoceptive neurons had a higher probability to become dominant than wild-type mice. Overall, our results highlight GR in the NAc and in dopaminoceptive neurons as an important regulator of social rank attainment.

scholarly journals The costs of competition: high social status males experience accelerated epigenetic aging in wild baboons

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan A. Anderson ◽  
Rachel A. Johnston ◽  
Amanda J. Lea ◽  
Fernando A. Campos ◽  
Tawni N. Voyles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Epigenetic Clock ◽  
Epigenetic Aging ◽  
Epigenetic Age ◽  
Aging Rates ◽  
Young Life

AbstractAging, for virtually all life, is inescapable. However, within populations, biological aging rates vary. Understanding sources of variation in this process is central to understanding the biodemography of natural populations. We constructed a DNA methylation-based age predictor for an intensively studied wild baboon population in Kenya. Consistent with findings in humans, the resulting “epigenetic clock” closely tracks chronological age, but individuals are predicted to be somewhat older or younger than their known ages. Surprisingly, these deviations are not explained by the strongest predictors of lifespan in this population, early adversity and social integration. Instead, they are best predicted by male dominance rank: high-ranking males are predicted to be older than their true ages, and epigenetic age tracks changes in rank over time. Our results argue that achieving high rank for male baboons—the best predictor of reproductive success—imposes costs consistent with a “live fast, die young” life history strategy.

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