01914nas a2200193 4500008004100000245005800041210005800099260001600157490000600173520137300179100002001552700001501572700001701587700001701604700001601621700002001637700001801657856004501675 2017 eng d00aBody size and vocalization in primates and carnivores0 aBody size and vocalization in primates and carnivores cJan-12-20170 v73 a

A fundamental assumption in bioacoustics is that large animals tend to produce vocalizations with lower frequencies than small animals. This inverse relationship between body size and vocalization frequencies is widely considered to be foundational in animal communication, with prominent theories arguing that it played a critical role in the evolution of vocal communication, in both production and perception. A major shortcoming of these theories is that they lack a solid empirical foundation: rigorous comparisons between body size and vocalization frequencies remain scarce, particularly among mammals. We address this issue here in a study of body size and vocalization frequencies conducted across 91 mammalian species, covering most of the size range in the orders Primates (n = 50; ~0.11–120 Kg) and Carnivora (n = 41; ~0.14–250 Kg). We employed a novel procedure designed to capture spectral variability and standardize frequency measurement of vocalization data across species. The results unequivocally demonstrate strong inverse relationships between body size and vocalization frequencies in primates and carnivores, filling a long-standing gap in mammalian bioacoustics and providing an empirical foundation for theories on the adaptive function of call frequency in animal communication.

1 aBowling, D., L.1 aGarcia, M.1 aDunn, J., C.1 aRuprecht, R.1 aStewart, A.1 aFrommolt, K.-H.1 aFitch, W., T. uhttp://www.nature.com/articles/srep4107002328nas a2200133 4500008004100000245014900041210006900190260002000259300001100279490000600290520175100296100002502047856012202072 2017 eng d00aEnvironmental factors could constrain the use of long-range vocal signals in solitary tuco-tucos (Ctenomys; Rodentia, Ctenomyidae) reproduction 0 aEnvironmental factors could constrain the use of longrange vocal cOct-24-20172112 aR7YFP00 v13 a

Ctenomys are mainly solitary subterranean rodents. Life underground has advantages (protection against predators, environmental control and reduced competition) but also implies disadvantages (digging costs, coping with hypercapnia, physiological and sensory changes, and communication problems) that can affect the social structure. Reproduction is a critical moment in the use of the signal repertoire, because individuals should locate in space, travel to, contact and copulate with a suitable partner. Energy expenditure involved in digging (connecting) tunnels makes difficult to attain a partner burrow system, but predation risk involved in moving above ground can counterbalance it and coupled with the spatial structure of the population, can determine the best communicative strategy to contact and locate a potential partner. Vocalisations allow to communicate over longer distances an with a reduced risk, while chemical signals, mostly aimed at vomerolfaction involve proximity or direct contact with the sample odour thus making information gathering more risky. As Ctenomys can use different signal types to gather different types of information leading to copulation, we propose that the use of these signals would be flexible, depending mostly on population spatial structure and type of predators living in the zone. This is because differences among species and/or populations in the use and characteristics of long-range vocalisations could be induced by environmental and/or social factors. This variation could be considered as a case of phenotypic plasticity, determining communication strategies variability in reproductive context, mostly dependent on long-range communication signals and the behaviour of males.

1 aFrancescoli, Gabriel uhttps://bio.acousti.ca/content/environmental-factors-could-constrain-use-long-range-vocal-signals-solitary-tuco-tucos02880nas a2200313 4500008004100000022001300041245008700054210006900141260001600210300001400226490000800240520197300248653001002221653001802231653001702249653001502266653001702281653002002298653002402318653002302342653000902365100002302374700002302397700002302420700002102443700001602464700002002480856006602500 2017 eng d a0003347200aSilent porpoise: potential sleeping behaviour identified in wild harbour porpoises0 aSilent porpoise potential sleeping behaviour identified in wild  cJan-11-2017 a211 - 2220 v1333 a

All animals sleep and it is essential for maintaining optimal brain function. However, cetaceans engage in the unusual practice of unihemispherical sleep, where only half of their brain sleeps at a time, due to their constant need for movement and breathing. Most studies of sleep in cetaceans have occurred in captivity. However, tagging devices have now developed to the point where the data collected from wild animals can be assessed against published criteria for defining sleep behaviourally. Seven acoustic and behavioural data loggers were deployed on harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, in Danish waters between May 2010 and August 2011 and stayed on the animals between 53 and 72 h, recording 1884 to 2755 valid dives per animal. Parabolic dives with significantly reduced bioacoustic activity and a ste- reotyped behavioural pattern were identified as potential sleeping periods. The recordings for nearly half of the parabolic dives were found to contain no vocalization (echolocation clicks), significantly more than other dive types. Of the remaining parabolic dives, the click rate was, when normalized to their indi- vidual means, also significantly lower than detected in other dive types. Additionally, parabolic dives were shallow compared to all other dive types, and found to have a stereotypic low-energy profile. They were also found to contain fewer rolls and incorporate a lower vertical descent rate than most other dive types. If the data are representative, harbour porpoises spend a small, but meaningful amount of their diving time engaged in parabolic dives and thus potentially sleeping. All animals have a fundamental need for undisturbed sleep. These quiet periods thus need to be considered in studies of anthropogenic effects, but also those employing passive acoustic monitoring techniques, as well as in efforts to reduce incidental bycatch in fisheries, given the associated periods of reduced environmental awareness.

10aA-tag10aacoustic tags10adata storage10ae Phocoena10aecholocation10aharbour porpois10asatellite telemetry10asleeping behaviour10atags1 aWright, Andrew, J.1 aAkamatsu, Tomonari1 aMouritsen, Kim, N.1 aSveegaard, Signe1 aDietz, Rune1 aTeilmann, Jonas uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730302002522nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001300041245008400054210006900138260001600207300001100223490000800234520175500242653001801997653002502015653002302040653003702063653001902100653001702119100001502136700002002151700001502171700001602186856006602202 2017 eng d a0003347200aMale hyraxes increase countersinging as strangers become ‘nasty neighbours’0 aMale hyraxes increase countersinging as strangers become nasty n cJan-12-2017 a9 - 140 v1343 a

Many territorial animals interact less aggressively with neighbours than with strangers, a phenomenon known as the ‘dear enemy’ effect, although some species show the opposite behaviour. Rock hyraxes, Procavia capensis, are social mammals that communicate via a rich acoustic repertoire. Male hyraxes produce elaborate advertisement calls (i.e. songs) both spontaneously and in response to occasional attention-grabbing events (e.g. pup screams, agonistic interaction), as well as to conspecific male songs. When replying to conspecific songs, male hyraxes tend to respond more to familiar males than to strangers, reflecting the ‘nasty neighbour’ effect. Our study relates to the general question of why some species respond aggressively towards neighbours, while others are more aggressive towards strangers. We hypothesized that male hyraxes eventually familiarize themselves with a stranger, subsequently perceiving its intentions as highly threatening and deserving of a vocal response. To simulate the presence of a stranger in the area we exposed wild hyrax groups to playbacks of natural songs of un- familiar hyraxes. Male rock hyraxes became more likely to reply to a stranger's song over time, but this was independent of the number of times they heard the song. This suggests that either (1) the threat presented by a stranger increases when it is no longer perceived as transient or (2) because listeners do not physically encounter the stranger, they perceive replying aggressively as a low-risk response. Our work implies that species may demonstrate a range of condition-dependent behaviours instead of a dichotomy between the ‘nasty neighbour’ and ‘dear enemy’ strategies.

10aadvertisement10aanimal communication10afloating territory10aneighbour-stranger relationships10asocial mammals10avocalization1 aGoll, Yael1 aDemartsev, Vlad1 aKoren, Lee1 aGeffen, Eli uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730324X02594nas a2200217 4500008004100000022001300041245004000054210004000094260001600134300001400150490000800164520199400172653002102166653001202187653002502199653001902224653002402243100001902267700002402286856006602310 2017 eng d a0003347200aCall concatenation in wild meerkats0 aCall concatenation in wild meerkats cJan-12-2017 a257 - 2690 v1343 a

Repertoire size, frequently determined by the number of discrete call types, has been used to assess vocal complexity in animals. However, species can also increase their communicative complexity by using graded signals or by combining individual calls. Animal call sequences can be divided into two main categories, each subdivided into two classes: repetitions, with either an unlimited or finite number of iterations of the same call type, and mixed call combinations, composed of two or more graded or discrete call types. Social contexts involve a wide range of behaviours and, unlike predation contexts, can be associated with both positive and negative emotions. Therefore, interactions linked to social contexts may place additional demands on an animal's communicative system and lead to the use of call com- binations. We systematically documented call combinations produced by wild meerkats, Suricata sur- icatta, a highly social carnivore, in social contexts in their natural habitat. We observed 12 distinct call combinations belonging to all four classes of combination, produced in all the observed behavioural contexts. Four combinations were each produced in a specific context whereas the remaining eight were produced in several contexts, albeit in different proportions. The broad use of combinations suggests that they represent a non-negligible part of meerkat social communication and that they can be used in flexible ways across various behavioural contexts. Comparison with combinations produced in predation contexts indicated that social call combinations are more varied in number of classes and structural complexity than the former, perhaps due to the greater variety of social contexts. However, in meerkats, combinations of functionally referential calls have been documented in predation but not social contexts, suggesting that both social and predation pressures may play a role in the evolution of combinatoriality in animal communication.

10acall combination10ameerkat10anatural observations10asocial context10avocal communication1 aCollier, Katie1 aTownsend, Simon, W. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721630346302724nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245009200054210006900146260001600215300001400231490000800245520190000253653001502153653001802168653001602186653001302202653002902215653001302244653002002257100002202277700002002299700002202319700002202341700001702363856006602380 2017 eng d a0003347200aGestural development of chimpanzees in the wild: the impact of interactional experience0 aGestural development of chimpanzees in the wild the impact of in cJan-12-2017 a271 - 2820 v1343 a

To understand the complexity involved in animal signalling, studies have mainly focused on repertoire size and information conveyed in vocalizations of birds and nonhuman primates. However, recent studies on gestural abilities of nonhuman primates have shown that we also need a detailed understanding of other communicative modalities and underlying cognitive skills to grasp this phenomenon in detail. Here, we thus examined gestural signalling of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, living in two communities in the wild (Kanyawara, Uganda; Taï South, Co^te d'Ivoire) with a special focus on the influence of the social environment on signal development. Specifically, we investigated to what extent specific social factors, namely behavioural context, interaction rates and maternal proximity, affect gestural production (i.e. gesture frequency, sequences and repertoire size). We used a combination of video recordings and focal scans obtained from 11 infants aged between 9 and 69 months during 1145 h of observation throughout two consecutive field periods. Overall, we found that social play was the context in which the highest number of gestures occurred. While gesture frequency and repertoire size increased with higher inter- action rates with nonmaternal conspecifics and the number of previous interaction partners, no effect was found for interaction rates with mothers. Our results thus imply that infants of social mothers may have a head start in life. Moreover, we provide hitherto undocumented evidence for sex differences in gestural signalling, which may reflect the differential importance of early socialization for chimpanzee males and females. Gestural development thus relies heavily on interactional experiences with con- specifics, which adds support for gestural acquisition via the learning mechanism of ‘social negotiation’ in great apes.

10achimpanzee10acommunication10adevelopment10agestures10ainteractional experience10aontogeny10aPan troglodytes1 aFröhlich, Marlen1 aMüller, Gudrun1 aZeiträg, Claudia1 aWittig, Roman, M.1 aPika, Simone uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721630361X02736nas a2200181 4500008004100000245007500041210006900116260001600185300001400201490000800215520216900223100002502392700002202417700002402439700002102463700001502484856005502499 2017 eng d00aGrunt to go-Vocal coordination of group movements in redfronted lemurs0 aGrunt to goVocal coordination of group movements in redfronted l cJan-12-2017 a894 - 9050 v1233 a

To remain cohesive as a group, individuals must coordinate their movements between resources. In many species, vocalisations are used in this context. While some species have specific movement calls, others use calls which are also employed in different contexts. The use of such multicontextual calls has rarely been studied quantitatively, especially during both the pre-departure and departure period associated with collective decisions. We thus investigated the use of close calls (“grunts”) for the coordination of collective movements in four groups of wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) in Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar. Group movements are started by an initiator, who moves away from the group and is joined by followers setting out in the same direction. We observed collective movements and recorded vocalisations from 18 focal individuals (54 movements recorded for followers, 21 for initiators). The grunt rate of both initiators and followers was higher in the pre-departure period than in a control context (i.e., during foraging). Initiators of collective movements grunted more often than followers in the pre-departure period as well as at individual departure. The latter difference was due to the initiators’ grunt rates increasing earlier than the followers’ and remaining at an elevated level for longer. These observations suggest that grunts serve to coordinate the departure by indicating the individual's readiness to move. The pre-departure period, in which both initiators and followers showed an elevated grunt rate, may provide the basis for a shared decision on departure time. The difference in initiator and follower call rates suggests that grunts may have a recruitment function, but playback experiments are required to test this potential function. Overall, our study describes how multicontextual close calls can function as movement calls, with changes in call rate providing a potential feedback mechanism for the timing of group movements. This study thus contributes to a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms of group coordination and collective decision-making.

1 aSperber, Anna, Lucia1 aWerner, Lynne, M.1 aKappeler, Peter, M.1 aFichtel, Claudia1 aWright, J. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-1202500nas a2200193 4500008004100000245008100041210006900122260001600191300001400207490000800221520188400229100001802113700002102131700002202152700002902174700002802203700002002231856005502251 2017 eng d00aBottlenose dolphins that forage with artisanal fishermen whistle differently0 aBottlenose dolphins that forage with artisanal fishermen whistle cJan-12-2017 a906 - 9150 v1233 a

Acoustic communication is a taxonomically widespread phenomenon, crucial for social animals. We evaluate social sounds from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of Laguna, southern Brazil, whose social structure is organized around a cooperative foraging tactic with artisanal fishermen. This tactic involves stereotyped and coordinated behaviour by dolphins and fishermen and is performed by a subset of the dolphin population, splitting it into two distinct social communities. We compared the acoustic parameters and type of whistles emitted by dolphins of the “non-cooperative” and “cooperative” communities, both during their interactions with fishermen and in times where dolphins were engaged in other types of foraging. Our findings show how dolphins’ social sounds differ between foraging tactics and social communities. The frequencies of six whistle types (ascending, descending, concave, convex, multiple, flat) were significantly dependent on tactics and communities. Ascending whistles were more common than expected during foraging without fishermen, and among dolphins of the non-cooperative community. Whistle acoustic parameters (duration, number of inclination changes and inflection points, and initial, final, maximum, minimum frequencies) also varied between social communities. In general, whistles emitted by cooperative dolphins, mainly when not interacting with fishermen, tended to be shorter, had higher frequency and more inflections than those emitted by non-cooperative dolphins. These results suggest that different whistles may convey specific information among dolphins related to foraging, which we hypothesize promote social cohesion among members of the same social community. These differences in acoustic repertoires add a new dimension of complexity to this unique human–animal interaction.

1 aRomeu, Bianca1 aCantor, Mauricio1 aBezamat, Carolina1 aSimões-Lopes, Paulo, C.1 aDaura-Jorge, Fábio, G.1 aEbensperger, L. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-1202616nas a2200265 4500008004100000020002200041022001400063245003000077210003000107260004400137300001300181490000700194520186200201653003502063653001802098653002602116653002402142653002902166653001502195653002302210653001802233100002302251700002102274856005502295 2017 eng d a978-3-319-59476-7 a0947-265700aPrimate Habitat Acoustics0 aPrimate Habitat Acoustics aChambSpringer International Publishing a79 - 1070 v633 a

Natural habitats are not recording studios. Calls emitted in nature encounter an irregular assortment of hard surfaces that reflect and scatter the wave front, producing complicated patterns of constructive and destructive interference. The propagated wave front is subsequently disturbed by wind, thermal gradients, and atmospheric absorption. Collectively, these phenomena result in an unpredictable and untidy acoustic environment. Furthermore, thunder, rain, crashing waves, or the relentless chatter of biotic sources can result in high ambient-noise levels that may mask the signal, overwhelm the recipient, and obliterate significant nuances and embellishments. Thus, vocal communication is hampered by attenuation, reverberation, distortion, and acoustic disturbances. Accordingly, the twin components of vocal communication, sound production and acoustic perception, may have undergone persistent selection to counter the most prominent impediments to both hearing and being heard. Primates have radiated from rain forest to grassland and other habitats, and each habitat differs acoustically. Hence, there is reason to believe that the duration, amplitude, pitch, and composition of primate vocal repertoires, the timing of emissions, and the placement and orientation of vocalizers is not haphazard, but each has become tuned to the acoustic parameters of the natal habitat to heighten the clarity of vocal exchanges. This chapter begins with an overview of the acoustic properties of rain forest, riverine forest, and savanna habitats occupied by East African primates, which is followed by reviews of how primate calls become distorted when propagated in natural habitats and how distortion scores have been used to explore the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. Finally, significant opportunities for additional research are highlighted.

10aacoustic adaptation hypothesis10aambient noise10aamplitude fluctuation10aanimal vocalization10acomparative bioacoustics10aDistortion10aexcess attenuation10areverberation1 aBrown, Charles, H.1 aWaser, Peter, M. uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-59478-100584nas a2200157 4500008004100000245014500041210006900186260001600255300001400271490000700285100001800292700002300310700001900333700002100352856005300373 2017 eng d00aVocalizations of captive beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas: Additional evidence for contact signature “mixed” calls in belugas0 aVocalizations of captive beluga whales iDelphinapterus leucasi A cJan-07-2017 a889 - 9030 v331 aPanova, Elena1 aAgafonov, Alexandr1 aBelikov, Roman1 aMelnikova, Faina uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-302860nas a2200301 4500008004100000245018600041210006900227260001600296300001400312490000800326520181600334653002202150653002702172653002202199653003502221653001402256653001902270100002202289700002602311700001702337700002602354700002702380700002002407700002502427700002802452700002402480856005402504 2017 eng d00aIndividuality of distress and discomfort calls in neonates with bass voices: Wild-living goitred gazelles ( Gazella subgutturosa) and saiga antelopes ( Saiga tatarica)0 aIndividuality of distress and discomfort calls in neonates with  cJan-05-2017 a386 - 3960 v1233 a

Neonate ruminants produce distress calls when captured by a predator and discomfort milk begging calls when hungry. In many neonate ruminants, the distress and discomfort calls are high-frequency vocalizations, in which the fundamental frequency is the key variable for recognition of their emotional arousal by caregivers. In contrast, in this study, we examine the low-frequency open-mouth distress and discomfort calls in the neonates of two species of wild-living ungulates, which clearly highlight vocal tract resonances (formants). In the goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), the distress calls were higher in fundamental frequency (f0) and in the first and third formants than the discomfort calls. The accuracy of classifying individuals by variables of distress calls with discriminant function analysis (67%) was significantly lower than that of discomfort calls (85%). In the saiga (Saiga tatarica), only the third formant was higher in the distress calls than in the discomfort calls. The accuracy of classifying individuals by variables of distress calls (89%) did not differ significantly from that of discomfort calls (94%). Thus, the use of acoustic cues to vocal identity and to the degree of arousal differs between the two species. Calls were significantly more individualistic in the saiga, probably because this species lives in large herds and neonates use a ‘following’ antipredatory strategy, in which vocal individuality is crucial for mother–offspring communication. In contrast, goitred gazelles live in smaller groups and neonates use a ‘hiding’ antipredatory strategy. Accordingly, mothers can rely on additional environmental cues for spotting their young and this may decrease the necessity for individualization of the calls of neonates.

10aacoustic behavior10aantipredatory strategy10aemotional arousal10amother-offspring communication10aruminants10avocal identity1 aVolodin, Ilya, A.1 aSibiryakova, Olga, V.1 aFrey, Roland1 aEfremova, Kseniya, O.1 aSoldatova, Natalia, V.1 aZuther, Steffen1 aKisebaev, Talgat, B.1 aSalemgareev, Albert, R.1 aVolodina, Elena, V. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-502837nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001300041245008800054210006900142260001600211300001200227490000800239520209800247653001802345653002102363653002102384653002402405653002202429653001902451100002202470700001702492700002002509856006602529 2017 eng d a0003347200aAge-dependent change in attention paid to vocal exchange rules in Japanese macaques0 aAgedependent change in attention paid to vocal exchange rules in cJan-07-2017 a81 - 920 v1293 a

The mechanisms underlying vocal development in nonhuman primates, so-called ‘nonlearners’, are of special interest because they give an insight in how social factors can shape the expression of an already genetically determined vocal repertoire. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that the acquisition of the complex rules governing vocal exchanges (i.e. context-specific temporal and structural acoustic adjustments) may result from a socially guided development process, with social experience and parental selective feedback playing a key role. Among those conversational rules, call matching is a particularly remarkable phenomenon in Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, with interacting adult females matching the frequency range pattern of their own call with another female's preceding call. Here, we investigated whether fine-tuned acoustic adjustments during vocal exchanges in Japanese macaques are subject to developmental processes, specifically testing for the ability of individuals of different age classes to discriminate between vocal exchanges respecting, or not, the matching rule. We performed playback experiments in 10 adult and 10 1-year-old captive Japanese macaque females. Each subject was successively exposed to two stimuli: a pair of calls respecting call matching (i.e. two calls from two individuals with matched frequency ranges) and another pair of calls that did not. Adults discriminated better than juveniles whether stimuli respected the call-matching rule or not, and displayed significantly different levels of interest towards each stimulus type. The latency to look towards the loudspeaker was shorter, and the duration of the directed gaze was longer, after the playback that violated the matching expectation in every adult, but not in juveniles which seemingly displayed a random gaze response. Our findings support the conclusion that the matching rule is relevant for adults, but not for socially inexperienced young monkeys which may not have had enough experience of the conversational rules governing vocal exchanges.

10acall matching10aJapanese Macaque10anonhuman primate10aplayback experiment10avocal development10avocal exchange1 aBouchet, Hélène1 aKoda, Hiroki1 aLemasson, Alban uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730149502354nas a2200337 4500008004100000022001300041245007700054210006900131260001600200300001400216490000800230520139100238653001901629653002001648653001201668653002601680653001001706653000901716653002101725653001901746653001001765653003101775100002001806700002001826700001901846700002101865700002301886700002101909700002001930856006601950 2017 eng d a0003347200aVoices of Africa: acoustic predictors of human male vocal attractiveness0 aVoices of Africa acoustic predictors of human male vocal attract cJan-05-2017 a205 - 2110 v1273 a

Robust evidence shows that voice quality affects various social interactions, including mate preferences. Previous research found that male voices perceived as attractive are characterized by low voice pitch, lower or sexually typical formants and relatively high breathiness. These features tend to be seen as markers of an individual's quality as a potential mate. Although there are considerable differences between languages in vocal parameters that could influence the perceived attractiveness, the above-mentioned findings rely on research based mainly on participants from European or North American countries. In our study, we therefore tested the main acoustic predictors of vocal attractiveness using two male samples from Cameroon and Namibia. Standardized vocal recordings were then assessed for vocal attractiveness by a panel of female raters from the Czech Republic. Our results show that in the Cameroonian voices, fundamental frequency was strongly negatively associated with perceived vocal attractiveness. In the Namibian sample, however, it was not the fundamental frequency but lower mean formants and harmonics-to-noise ratio that were negatively associated with vocal attractiveness. This pattern may be partly attributed to differences in morphological characteristics such as the body mass index, indicating variation across individual populations.

10aattractiveness10abody mass index10aformant10afundamental frequency10ahuman10amale10asexual selection10aundernutrition10avoice10ay harmonics-to-noise ratio1 aŠebesta, Pavel1 aKleisner, Karel1 aTureček, Petr1 aKočnar, Tomáš1 aAkoko, Robert, Mbe1 aTřebický, Vít1 aHavlíček, Jan uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730086603163nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245009800054210006900152260001600221300001400237490000800251520229700259653002702556653000902583653001402592653001602606653001802622653001702640653004202657653003802699653001802737653002102755100001802776700002502794856006602819 2017 eng d a0003347200aTo seek or speak? Dual function of an acoustic signal limits its versatility in communication0 aTo seek or speak Dual function of an acoustic signal limits its  cJan-05-2017 a135 - 1520 v1273 a

The perception of different attributes of conspecifics is an integral part of intraspecific communication. It can facilitate the recognition of interaction partners or the assessment of potential mates. Acoustic signals can encode fine-scaled information through the interplay of acoustic variability and specificity. A reliable vocal signature is both unique within a class and variable between classes. Therefore, acoustic complexity might be associated with the number of classes to be discriminated. We investigated the assumption that limitations to signal design may affect the communicative functionality of a signal. To do so, we chose a signal with potentially dual functionality which may therefore display such limitations. In bats, echolocation is used primarily for foraging and orientation but there is increasing support for its additional role in communication. An acoustic analysis of echolocation pulses of the bat Rhinolophus clivosus confirmed sex and individual vocal signatures in echolocation pulses. A habituation–dishabituation playback experiment suggested that bats perceived these signatures because listening bats clearly discriminated between the sexes (two classes) and between individuals (representatives of a multiclass category), although to different degrees. The simple acoustic structure of these vocalizations provides sufficient specificity for sex discrimination but has limitations for individual discrimination because pulse parameters of individuals increasingly overlapped with increasing group size. We conclude that selection for the primary function of echolocation restricts the acoustic space available for communication. However, we frequently observed echolocation pulses with conspicuous structural modifications. Statistical analyses revealed that these vocalizations yielded increased individual distinctiveness. Such added systematic variation may indicate a communicative function and perhaps a signalling intent of the emitter, although the latter has yet to be tested. The findings suggest that the required specificity for effective communication could be obtained through modification of echolocation variants when adaptations for orientation and foraging constrain the evolution of complex communication signatures.

10aacoustic communication10abats10aco-option10aconstraints10aeavesdropping10aecholocation10ahabituation–dishabituation playback10aindividual and sex discrimination10asignal design10avocal signatures1 aBastian, Anna1 aJacobs, David, Steve uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730077502313nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245008800054210006900142260001600211300001400227490000800241520150900249653002701758653000901785653003701794653001301831653001601844100001201860700001601872700001601888700001601904700001901920700001401939700001601953856006601969 2017 eng d a0003347200aSocial calls honestly signal female competitive ability in Asian particoloured bats0 aSocial calls honestly signal female competitive ability in Asian cJan-05-2017 a101 - 1080 v1273 a

Why a variety of social animals vocalize during agonistic foraging interactions remains obscure. One possibility is that these signals advertise the signaller's competitive ability, playing a role in the defence of food resources, yet there is limited evidence in support of this idea. Here, we used adult female Asian particoloured bats, Vespertilio sinensis, to test whether individual variation in competitive ability when foraging can be explained by social calls. Using synchronized infrared video and audio recording, we monitored bat social vocalizations, dominance rank and weight gain in triads under controlled food conditions. Additionally, subsequent playbacks, consisting of experimental stimuli, echolocation pulses and silence, were presented to feeding bats in a laboratory. Analyses showed that females uttered low-frequency social calls composed of one to five syllable types during feeding competition. The rates of social vocalizations increased with reduced food availability. Interestingly, dominance score and weight gain correlated weakly with body size, but positively with call rate and associated parameters. Playback of social calls inhibited the visits of bats to the focal food dish compared to playback of silence and echolocation pulses. The amount of food consumed was greatly reduced in the presence of experimental stimuli versus controls. Collectively, these results highlight that acoustic signals serve as an honest indicator of bat competitive ability.

10aaggressive interaction10abats10acompetitive ability echolocation10aforaging10asocial call1 aLuo, Bo1 aLu, Guanjun1 aChen, Kelly1 aGuo, Dongge1 aHuang, Xiaobin1 aLiu, Ying1 aFeng, Jiang uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730084202337nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001300041245009700054210006900151260001600220300001200236490000800248520152600256653002201782653001901804653001601823653002101839653001801860653002801878653001401906653002001920100001901940700002401959700002201983856006602005 2017 eng d a0003347200aDwarf mongooses use sex and identity cues in isolation calls to discriminate between callers0 aDwarf mongooses use sex and identity cues in isolation calls to  cJan-05-2017 a23 - 310 v1273 a

The information transmitted by acoustic signals has attracted much scientific interest in recent years. However, isolation calls, which are long-distance vocalizations used by lost group members to reunite with their social group, have been surprisingly neglected. These calls assist in maintaining group cohesion and are thus particularly important in species that depend on the group for survival or reproduction such as cooperative breeders. Our study therefore examined the information transmitted by the isolation vocalization in a wild cooperatively breeding carnivore: the dwarf mongoose, Helogale parvula. We ran an acoustic analysis for informative cues within isolation calls, and conducted a series of playback experiments to identify whether mongooses could discriminate between callers based on these cues. The acoustic structure of dwarf mongoose isolation vocalizations contained information concerning the caller's identity, sex and potentially also group membership. Target mongooses discriminated between callers of their own and other groups and biased their response based on the sex of the caller. They responded more quickly and for longer, and approached more closely, for calls of foreign females than calls of female group mates. This is the first time that sex specificity has been demonstrated in the vocalization of an herpestid, and we suggest that dwarf mongooses eavesdrop on the calls of isolated foreigners and may use isolation calls to attract and identify potential mates.

10aacoustic analysis10adwarf mongoose10afamiliarity10aHelogale parvula10aindividuality10aisolation vocalizations10aplaybacks10asex specificity1 aRubow, Janneke1 aCherry, Michael, I.1 aSharpe, Lynda, L. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730066002611nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001300041245011700054210006900171260001600240300001100256490000800267520180900275653002202084653002102106653001902127653002502146653002102171653001202192653002202204100001902226700002402245700002202269856006602291 2017 eng d a0003347200aCalling for help: dwarf mongoose recruitment calls inform receivers about context and elicit disparate responses0 aCalling for help dwarf mongoose recruitment calls inform receive cJan-05-2017 a7 - 140 v1273 a

Social complexity and communicative complexity appear to have coevolved in terrestrial vertebrates. Understanding the information conveyed within the social signals of group-living taxa can illuminate the selection pressures impacting on a species and help to identify the factors promoting sociality. Within vocal communication, recruitment calls are of great importance to many social species, helping to maintain group cohesion and facilitating cooperative behaviour. Yet recruitment vocalizations have received limited scientific attention and it is not clear whether they convey context-specific information to receivers. We investigated the recruitment calls of wild dwarf mongooses, Helogale parvula, to ascertain whether they showed context-specific acoustic differences and whether receivers displayed context-specific responses to recruitment calls in the absence of external cues. We recorded recruitment calls (from four wild groups of dwarf mongooses) from two contexts: when an individual became separated from its group and when an individual encountered a snake. Acoustic analysis revealed that calls from the two contexts differed in acoustic structure and were distinguishable with a discriminant function analysis. Playbacks of calls from both contexts successfully recruited target mongooses, but snake calls elicited a stronger reaction (with mongooses vigilant for longer and approaching the speaker more closely). More importantly, target mongooses also displayed behaviours that were unique to call context, exhibiting head bobbing, creeping and searching of the vegetation during snake call playbacks but never during isolation call playbacks. We conclude that dwarf mongoose recruitment calls refer to context and are perceived as functionally referential by receivers.

10aacoustic analysis10acontext-specific10adwarf mongoose10afunctional reference10aHelogale parvula10amobbing10arecruitment calls1 aRubow, Janneke1 aCherry, Michael, I.1 aSharpe, Lynda, L. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730065902184nas a2200193 4500008004100000245007800041210006900119260001600188300001400204490000800218520156700226653001101793653003201804653002501836100002701861700002401888700002401912856005401936 2017 eng d00aSubharmonics increase the auditory impact of female koala rejection calls0 aSubharmonics increase the auditory impact of female koala reject cJan-08-2017 a571 - 5790 v1233 a

Although non-linear phenomena are common in human and non-human animal vocalisations, their functional relevance remains poorly understood. One theory posits that non-linear phenomena generate unpredictability in vocalisations, which increases the auditory impact of vocal signals, and makes animals less likely to habituate to call repetition. Female koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) produce vocal signals when they reject male copulation attempts that contain relatively high levels of non-linear phenomena, and thus may function as attention grabbing vocal signals during the breeding season. To test this hypothesis, we used playback experiments: firstly, to determine whether female rejection calls induce heightened behavioural responses in free-ranging male koalas during the breeding season, and secondly, to examine how the relative amount of non-linear phenomena in rejection calls influences male behavioural response. The results show that male koalas look for longer towards speakers broadcasting playback sequences of male bellows followed by a series of female rejection calls than those broadcasting only male bellows. In addition, female rejection call sequences with more subharmonics, higher harmonics-to-noise ratios, and less biphonation produced the greatest male looking responses. Our findings support the hypothesis that female koala rejection calls function to grab male attention during the breeding season, and indicate that subharmonics are the main acoustic feature that increases the auditory impact of these vocal signals.

10akoalas10amammal vocal communication10anon-linear phenomena1 aCharlton, Benjamin, D.1 aWatchorn, Darcy, J.1 aWhisson, Desley, A. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-801999nas a2200265 4500008004100000245014600041210006900187260001600256300001400272490000800286520117800294653001001472653002601482653002201508653002401530653001401554100001501568700001601583700001901599700001301618700001601631700001601647700001601663856005401679 2017 eng d00aThe effects of cultural drift on geographic variation in echolocation calls of the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus sinicus)0 aeffects of cultural drift on geographic variation in echolocatio cJan-08-2017 a532 - 5410 v1233 a

Drift, selection, or their combined effects commonly drive geographic variation in traits. Clarifying the relative roles of each process is a long-standing research goal in evolutionary biology. Acoustic signals of bats are a phenotypic characteristic that plays an important role in social organization and species recognition. We extensively sampled the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sinicus) throughout China and Vietnam and reconstructed a species phylogeny to better understand the patterns and causes of the geographic variation of acoustic signals. Our results showed that the resting frequency (RF) of calls varied with latitude, sex, and distance among different colony locations. RF differences were not correlated with genetic distance (based on only one nuclear locus and the mitochondrial locus), climatic factors (mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitable water), or body size, although differences in calls increased with distance among various populations. This suggests that cultural drift may play more important roles than genetic drift and acoustic adaptation in shaping acoustic differences within regions in R. sinicus.

10adrift10ageographic variation10aresting frequency10aRhinolophus sinicus10aselection1 aXie, Lifen1 aSun, Keping1 aJiang, Tinglei1 aLiu, Sen1 aLu, Guanjun1 aJin, Longru1 aFeng, Jiang uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2017.123.issue-802742nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245011000054210007100164260001600235300001400251490000800265520188700273653001702160653002702177653001102204653001502215653003202230653002002262653002402282653001202306100002202318700002002340700002002360700001802380856006602398 2017 eng d a0003347200aConflict or consensus? Synchronous change in mother–young vocal communication across weaning in the cat0 aConflict or consensus Synchronous change in mother–young vocal c cJan-08-2017 a233 - 2400 v1303 a

Since parent–offspring conflict theory was first proposed, a number of studies in a range of mammalian species have questioned its importance, suggesting that coordination, rather than conflict, occurs during weaning. In this study we propose a set of behaviours for studying the development of the mother–offspring relationship: offspring separation calls and the corresponding maternal response, which can be used to describe the continually developing motivational changes in both parties accompanying weaning. We recorded and analysed separation calls of kittens of the domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus, during the first two postnatal months, and performed playback experiments to observe their mothers' behavioural response. Three different stimuli were played back: calls of the mothers' kittens at their correct age, calls of their kittens from an earlier age (1 week old) and a control sound. We found that kittens' separation calls changed in several respects across the 8 weeks of the study. After the first postnatal month, the number, intensity and fundamental frequency of calls declined markedly, while kittens' latency to call increased. In parallel, we found that during playback tests, mothers' willingness to return to the nest or reunite with their kittens decreased notably as the kittens approached weaning age. Since this decline was present even when mothers were played back the calls of their own kittens previously recorded at an earlier age, we conclude that the decline in responsiveness was not due to a change in the kittens' vocalizations, but rather to a change in the mothers' motivational state. Our findings support the view that weaning in the domestic cat is a well-synchronized process between mothers and offspring, at least under the favourable nutritional conditions of the present study.

10adomestic cat10aFelis silvestris catus10amammal10amotivation10aparent–offspring conflict10aseparation call10avocal communication10aweaning1 aBánszegi, Oxána1 aSzenczi, Péter1 aUrrutia, Andrea1 aHudson, Robyn uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730200202327nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001300041245007100054210006900125260001600194300001200210490000800222520161100230653001401841653002601855653002801881653001001909653001801919653002401937100001801961700002401979700001602003856006602019 2017 eng d a0003347200aTennis grunts communicate acoustic cues to sex and contest outcome0 aTennis grunts communicate acoustic cues to sex and contest outco cJan-08-2017 a47 - 550 v1303 a

Despite their ubiquity in human behaviour, the communicative functions of nonverbal vocalizations remain poorly understood. Here, we analysed the acoustic structure of tennis grunts, nonverbal vocal- izations produced in a competitive context. We predicted that tennis grunts convey information about the vocalizer and context, similar to nonhuman vocal displays. Speci fi cally, we tested whether the fundamental frequency (F0) of tennis grunts conveys static cues to a player's sex, height, weight, and age, and covaries dynamically with tennis shot type (a proxy of body posture) and the progress and outcome of male and female professional tennis contests. We also performed playback experiments (using natural and resynthesized stimuli) to assess the perceptual relevance of tennis grunts. The F0 of tennis grunts predicted player sex, but not age or body size. Serve grunts had higher F0 than forehand and backhand grunts, grunts produced later in contests had higher F0 than those produced earlier, and grunts produced during contests that players won had a lower F0 than those produced during lost contests. This difference in F0 between losses and wins emerged early in matches, and did not change in magnitude as the match progressed, suggesting a possible role of physiological and/or psychological factors manifesting early or even before matches. Playbacks revealed that listeners use grunt F0 to infer sex and contest outcome. These fi ndings indicate that tennis grunts communicate information about both the vocalizer and contest, consistent with nonhuman mammal vocalizations.

10adominance10afundamental frequency10anonverbal vocalizations10apitch10atennis grunts10avocal communication1 aRaine, Jordan1 aPisanski, Katarzyna1 aReby, David uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730197502673nas a2200325 4500008004100000022001300041245008200054210006900136260001600205300001200221490000800233520172900241653001101970653001601981653001201997653002402009653001302033653001302046653001502059653002902074653001802103653003702121100001602158700001902174700001702193700002502210700002102235700002502256856006602281 2017 eng d a0003347200aFeeling anxious? The mechanisms of vocal deception in tufted capuchin monkeys0 aFeeling anxious The mechanisms of vocal deception in tufted capu cJan-08-2017 a37 - 460 v1303 a

An ability to deceive conspeci fi cs is thought to have favoured the evolution of large brains in social animals, but evidence that such behaviours require cognitive complexity is lacking. Tufted capuchin monkeys ( Sapajus spp.) have been documented to use false alarm calls during feeding in a manner that functions to deceive competitors. However, comparative evidence suggests that the production of vo- calizations by nonhuman primates is largely underpinned by emotional mechanisms, calling into question more cognitive interpretations of this behaviour. To determine whether emotional states are plausibly necessary and suf fi cient to proximately explain deceptive alarm call production, we examined the association between self-directed behaviours (SDBs), as a proxy for anxiety, and the production of spontaneous false alarm calls among tufted capuchins. Speci fi cally, we predicted that if anxiety is necessary for the production of false alarms, then individuals that produce spontaneous false alarms should exhibit more SDBs in those contexts in which they call. If anxiety is also suf fi cient to explain the false alarm call production, then we predicted that individuals that call more in a given context would show higher rates of SDBs in that context, and that high rates of calling would be temporally associated with high rates of SDBs. Our results support the contention that states of anxiety are necessary for an individual to spontaneously produce false alarms, but that such states are not suf fi cient to explain patterns of calling. The link between anxiety and deceptive calling thus appears complex, and cognitively based decision-making processes may play some role in call production.

10aaffect10aalarm calls10aanxiety10adeceptive behaviour10aemotions10aprimates10ascratching10aself-directed behaviours10avocalizations10awithin-group contest competition1 aKean, Donna1 aTiddi, Barbara1 aFahy, Martin1 aHeistermann, Michael1 aSchino, Gabriele1 aWheeler, Brandon, C. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730183502069nas a2200217 4500008004100000022001400041245010400055210006900159260001600228300001600244490000800260520139900268100001701667700001901684700002101703700001801724700002101742700001701763700002001780856005101800 2017 eng d a0001-496600aUsing nonlinear time warping to estimate North Pacific right whale calling depths in the Bering Sea0 aUsing nonlinear time warping to estimate North Pacific right wha cJan-05-2017 a3059 - 30690 v1413 a

Calling depth distributions are estimated for two types of calls produced by critically endangered eastern North Pacific right whales (NPRWs) in the Bering Sea, using passive acoustic data collected with bottom-mounted hydrophone recorders. Nonlinear time resampling of 12 NPRW “upcalls” and 20 “gunshots” recorded in a critical NPRW habitat isolated individual normal mode arrivals from each call. The relative modal arrival times permitted range estimates between 1 and 40 km, while the relative modal amplitudes permitted call depth estimates, provided that environmental inversions were obtained from high signal-to-noise ratio calls. Gunshot sounds were generally only produced at a few meters depth, while upcall depths clustered between 10 and 25 m, consistent with previously published bioacoustic tagging results from North Atlantic right whales. A Wilcoxon rank sum test rejected the null hypothesis that the mean calling depths of the two call types were the same (p = 2.9 × 10−5); the null hypothesis was still rejected if the sample set was restricted to one call per acoustic encounter (p = 0.02). Propagation modeling demonstrates that deeper depths enhance acoustic propagation and that source depth estimates impact both NPRW upcall source level and detection range estimates.

1 aThode, Aaron1 aBonnel, Julien1 aThieury, Margaux1 aFagan, Aileen1 aVerlinden, Chris1 aWright, Dana1 aCrance, Jessica uhttp://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.498220001931nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245009000055210006900145260001600214300001600230490000800246520137800254100001701632700001601649700001501665700001801680856005101698 2017 eng d a0001-496600aHorseshoe bats and Old World leaf-nosed bats have two discrete types of pinna motions0 aHorseshoe bats and Old World leafnosed bats have two discrete ty cJan-05-2017 a3011 - 30170 v1413 a

Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae) and the related Old World leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideridae) both show conspicuous pinna motions as part of their biosonar behaviors. In the current work, the kinematics of these motions in one species from each family (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Hipposideros armiger) has been analyzed quantitatively using three-dimensional tracking of landmarks placed on the pinna. The pinna motions that were observed in both species fell into two categories: In “rigid rotations” motions the geometry of the pinna was preserved and only its orientation in space was altered. In “open–close motions” the geometry of the pinna was changed which was evident in a change of the distances between the landmark points. A linear discriminant analysis showed that motions from both categories could be separated without any overlap in the analyzed data set. Hence, bats from both species have two separate types of pinna motions with apparently no transitions between them. The deformations associated with open–close pinna motions in Hipposideros armiger were found to be substantially larger compared to the wavelength associated with the largest pulse energy than in Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (137% vs 99%). The role of the two different motions in the biosonar behaviors of the animals remains to be determined.

1 aYin, Xiaoyan1 aQiu, Peiwen1 aYang, Lili1 aMüller, Rolf uhttp://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.498204201367nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245014200055210006900197260001600266300001800282490000800300520075400308100001801062700001701080700001801097700001901115856005101134 2017 eng d a0001-496600aThree-dimensional sonar beam-width expansion by Japanese house bats ( Pipistrellus abramus ) during natural foraging0 aThreedimensional sonar beamwidth expansion by Japanese house bat cJan-05-2017 aEL439 - EL4440 v1413 a

Three-dimensional directivity patterns of sonar sounds emitted by Japanese house bats (Pipistrellus abramus) during natural foraging were measured by a 44-channel microphone array. Just before prey capture, the terminal frequency (TF) of emitted sounds decreased, and the beam width (mean ± standard deviation) expanded from 40 ± 10° to 63 ± 9° (horizontal) and from 32 ± 10° to 52 ± 7° (vertical). P. abramus decrease the TF to simultaneously expand the beam width in both the horizontal and vertical planes, while retaining the target within the three-dimensional acoustic field of view at the final stage of capture.

1 aMotoi, Kazuya1 aSumiya, Miwa1 aFujioka, Emyo1 aHiryu, Shizuko uhttp://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.498193400584nas a2200145 4500008004100000245014600041210006900187260001600256100002800272700002100300700002200321700002500343700002700368856004300395 2017 eng d00aUpcall production by southern right whale ( Eubalaena australis) mother-calf pairs may be independent of diel period in a nursery area0 aUpcall production by southern right whale iEubalaena australisi  cJan-02-20171 aDombroski, Julia, R. G.1 aParks, Susan, E.1 aGroch, Karina, R.1 aFlores, Paulo, A. C.1 aSousa-lima, Renata, S. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.1238202098nas a2200229 4500008004100000245010100041210006900142260001600211520135800227653003101585653002501616653002001641653002001661653001601681653001201697653002201709100002301731700002401754700001901778700002801797856004301825 2017 eng d00aEstimation of minke whale abundance from an acoustic line transect survey of the Mariana Islands0 aEstimation of minke whale abundance from an acoustic line transe cJan-03-20173 a

The minke whale is one of the most abundant species of baleen whales worldwide, yet is rarely sighted in subtropical waters. In the North Pacific, they produce a dis- tinctive sound known as the “boing,” which can be used to acoustically localize indi- viduals. A vessel-based survey using both visual and passive acoustic monitoring was conducted during the spring of 2007 in a large (616,000 km 2 ) study area encom- passing the Mariana Islands. We applied line transect methods to data collected from a towed hydrophone array to estimate the abundance of calling minke whales in our study area. No minke whales were sighted, but there were hundreds of acoustic detections of boings. Computer algorithms were developed to localize calling minke whales from acoustic recordings, resulting in over 30 independent localizations, a six-fold increase over those estimated during the survey. The two best estimates of abundance of calling minke whales were determined to be 80 and 91 animals (0.13 and 0.15 animals per 1,000 km2, respectively; CV = 34%). These are the first den- sity and abundance estimates for calling minke whales using towed hydrophone array surveys, and the first estimates for this species in the Mariana Islands region. These are considered minimum estimates of the true number of minke whales in the study area.

10aBalaenoptera acutorostrata10adensity esti- mation10aMariana Islands10amarine mammals.10aminke whale10aPacific10apassive acoustics1 aNorris, Thomas, F.1 aDunleavy, Kerry, J.1 aYack, Tina, M.1 aFerguson, Elizabeth, L. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.1239703163nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245009800054210006900152260001600221300001400237490000800251520229700259653002702556653000902583653001402592653001602606653001802622653001702640653004202657653003802699653001802737653002102755100001802776700002502794856006602819 2017 eng d a0003347200aTo seek or speak? Dual function of an acoustic signal limits its versatility in communication0 aTo seek or speak Dual function of an acoustic signal limits its  cJan-05-2017 a135 - 1520 v1273 a

The perception of different attributes of conspecifics is an integral part of intraspecific communication. It can facilitate the recognition of interaction partners or the assessment of potential mates. Acoustic signals can encode fine-scaled information through the interplay of acoustic variability and specificity. A reliable vocal signature is both unique within a class and variable between classes. Therefore, acoustic complexity might be associated with the number of classes to be discriminated. We investigated the assumption that limitations to signal design may affect the communicative functionality of a signal. To do so, we chose a signal with potentially dual functionality which may therefore display such limitations. In bats, echolocation is used primarily for foraging and orientation but there is increasing support for its additional role in communication. An acoustic analysis of echolocation pulses of the bat Rhinolophus clivosus confirmed sex and individual vocal signatures in echolocation pulses. A habituation–dishabituation playback experiment suggested that bats perceived these signatures because listening bats clearly discriminated between the sexes (two classes) and between individuals (representatives of a multiclass category), although to different degrees. The simple acoustic structure of these vocalizations provides sufficient specificity for sex discrimination but has limitations for individual discrimination because pulse parameters of individuals increasingly overlapped with increasing group size. We conclude that selection for the primary function of echolocation restricts the acoustic space available for communication. However, we frequently observed echolocation pulses with conspicuous structural modifications. Statistical analyses revealed that these vocalizations yielded increased individual distinctiveness. Such added systematic variation may indicate a communicative function and perhaps a signalling intent of the emitter, although the latter has yet to be tested. The findings suggest that the required specificity for effective communication could be obtained through modification of echolocation variants when adaptations for orientation and foraging constrain the evolution of complex communication signatures.

10aacoustic communication10abats10aco-option10aconstraints10aeavesdropping10aecholocation10ahabituation–dishabituation playback10aindividual and sex discrimination10asignal design10avocal signatures1 aBastian, Anna1 aJacobs, David, Steve uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721730077502678nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001300041245010700054210006900161260001600230300001400246490000700260520191800267653001302185653001602198653001302214653002702227653001502254100001702269700001802286700001802304700001802322700001802340856006602358 2017 eng d a1470160X00aTesting the performances of automated identification of bat echolocation calls: A request for prudence0 aTesting the performances of automated identification of bat echo cJan-07-2017 a416 - 4200 v783 a

Echolocating bats are surveyed and studied acoustically with bat detectors routinely and worldwide, yet identification of species from calls often remains ambiguous or impossible due to intraspecific call variation and/or interspecific overlap in call design. To overcome such difficulties and to reduce workload, automated classifiers of echolocation calls have become popular, but their performance has not been tested sufficiently in the field. We examined the absolute performance of two commercially available programs (SonoChiro and Kaleidoscope) and one freeware package (BatClassify). We recorded noise from rain and calls of seven common bat species with Pettersson real-time full spectrum detectors in Sweden. The programs could always (100%) distinguish rain from bat calls, usually (68–100%) identify bats to group ( Nyctalus/Vespertilio/Eptesicus, Pipistrellus, Myotis, Plecotus, Barbastella ) and usually (83–99%) recognize typical calls of some species whose echolocation pulses are structurally distinct ( Pipistrellus pygmaeus , Barbastella barbastellus ). Species with less characteristic echolocation calls were not identified reliably, including Vespertilio murinus (16–26%), Myotis spp. (4–93%) and Plecotus auritus (0–89%). All programs showed major although different shortcomings and the often poor performance raising serious concerns about the use of automated classifiers for identification to species level in research and surveys. We highlight the importance of validating output from automated classifiers, and restricting their use to specific situations where identification can be made with high confidence. For comparison we also present the result of a manual identification test on a random subset of the files used to test the programs. It showed a higher classification success but performances were still low for more problematic taxa.

10aBiosonar10amethodology10asoftware10aspecies identification10aultrasound1 aRydell, Jens1 aNyman, Stefan1 aEklöf, Johan1 aJones, Gareth1 aRusso, Danilo uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X1730140102740nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001400041245013300055210006900188260001600257490000800273520188400281653002702165653003502192653002302227653001902250100002602269700002202295700001702317700002002334700002502354700002802379700002402407856005502431 2017 eng d a0028-104200aRemarkable vocal identity in wild-living mother and neonate saiga antelopes: a specialization for breeding in huge aggregations?0 aRemarkable vocal identity in wildliving mother and neonate saiga cJan-04-20170 v1043 a

Saiga antelopes Saiga tatarica tatarica give birth in large aggregations, and offspring follow the herd soon after birth. Herding is advantageous as anti-predator strategy; however, communication between mothers and neonates is strongly complicated in large aggregations. Individual series of nasal and oral contact calls of mother and neonate saiga antelopes were selected from recordings made with automated recording systems placed near the hiding neonates on the saiga breeding grounds in Northern Kazakhstan during synchronized parturitions of 30,000 calving females. We used for comparison of the acoustic structure of nasal and oral contact calls 168 nasal calls of 18 mothers, 192 oral calls of 21 mothers, 78 nasal calls of 16 neonates, and 197 oral calls of 22 neonates. In the oral calls of either mothers or neonates, formant frequencies were higher and the duration was longer than in the nasal calls, whereas fundamental frequencies did not differ between oral and nasal calls. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) based on six acoustic variables, accurately classified individual identity for 99.4% of oral calls of 18 mothers, for 89.3% of nasal calls of 18 mothers, and for 94.4% of oral calls of 18 neonates. The average value of correct classification to individual was higher in mother oral than in mother nasal calls and in mother oral calls than in neonate oral calls; no significant difference was observed between mother nasal and neonate oral calls. Variables mainly responsible for vocal identity were the fundamental frequency and the second and third formants in either mothers or neonates, and in either nasal or oral calls. The high vocal identity of mothers and neonates suggests a powerful potential for the mutual mother-offspring recognition in dense aggregations of saiga antelopes as an important component of their survival strategy.

10amaternal care in herds10amother-offspring communication10aoffspring survival10avocal identity1 aSibiryakova, Olga, V.1 aVolodin, Ilya, A.1 aFrey, Roland1 aZuther, Steffen1 aKisebaev, Talgat, B.1 aSalemgareev, Albert, R.1 aVolodina, Elena, V. uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-017-1433-001892nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001300041245012200054210006900176260001600245300001400261490000800275520128200283100002201565700001801587700002101605700001801626856006601644 2017 eng d a0003682X00aTwo-stage detection of north Atlantic right whale upcalls using local binary patterns and machine learning algorithms0 aTwostage detection of north Atlantic right whale upcalls using l cJan-05-2017 a158 - 1660 v1203 a

In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of two-stage classification strategies in detecting north Atlantic right whale upcalls. Time-frequency measurements of data from passive acoustic monitoring devices are evaluated as images. Vocalization spectrograms are preprocessed for noise reduction and tone removal. First stage of the algorithm eliminates non-upcalls by an energy detection algorithm. In the second stage, two sets of features are extracted from the remaining signals using contour-based and texture based methods. The former is based on extraction of time–frequency features from upcall contours, and the latter employs a Local Binary Pattern operator to extract distinguishing texture features of the upcalls. Subsequently evaluation phase is carried out by using several classifiers to assess the effectiveness of both the contour-based and texture-based features for upcall detection. Comparing ROC curves of machine learning algorithms obtained from Cornell University’s dataset reveals that LBP features improved performance accuracy up to 43% over time–frequency features. Classifiers such as the Linear Discriminant Analysis, Support Vector Machine, and TreeBagger achieve highest upcall detection rates with LBP features.

1 aEsfahanian, Mahdi1 aErdol, Nurgun1 aGerstein, Edmund1 aZhuang, Hanqi uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003682X1730077403079nas a2200145 4500008004100000245011600041210006900157260001600226520256900242100002302811700001402834700001602848700002002864856004902884 2017 eng d00aPotential for coupling the monitoring of bush-crickets with established large-scale acoustic monitoring of bats0 aPotential for coupling the monitoring of bushcrickets with estab cJan-01-20173 a

Monitoring biodiversity over large spatial and temporal scales is crucial for assessing the impact of global changes and environmental mitigation measures. However, large-scale monitoring of invertebrates remains poorly developed despite the importance of these organisms in ecosystem functioning. Exciting possibilities applicable to professional and citizen science are offered by new recording techniques and methods of semi-automated species recognition based on sound detection.


Static broad-spectrum detectors deployed to record throughout whole nights have been recommended for standardised acoustic monitoring of bats, but they have the potential to also collect acoustic data for other species groups. Large-scale deployment of such systems is only viable when combined with robust automated species identification algorithms. Here we examine the potential of such a system for detecting, identifying and monitoring bush-crickets (Orthoptera of the family Tettigoniidae). We use incidental sound recordings generated by an extensive citizen science bat survey and recordings from intensive site surveys to test a semi-automated step-wise method with a classifier for assigning species identities. We assess species’ diel activity patterns to make recommendations for survey timing and interpretation of existing nocturnal data sets and consider the feasibility of determining site occupancy.

Of six species of bush-crickets, the species classifier achieved over 85% accuracy for three, speckled bush-cricket, dark bush-cricket and Roesel's bush-cricket. It should be possible to automatically scan recordings for these species with minimal manual validation. Further refinement of the classifier is required for the three remaining species, in particular for the acoustically similar short-winged conehead and long-winged conehead. Diel activity patterns are species specific and it may be necessary to adjust the hours over which the detectors record to increase detection of key species, but this must be weighed against the costs in terms of increased memory and battery use and equipment security during daytime.

We conclude that with logistical support and centralised semi-automated species identification it is now possible for the public to contribute to large-scale acoustic monitoring of Orthoptera while recording bats. Further innovation of sound classifier algorithms is needed and would be aided by improved reference sound libraries from multiple locations spanning species’ ranges.

1 aNewson, Stuart, E.1 aBas, Yves1 aMurray, Ash1 aGillings, Simon uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/2041-210X.1272000575nas a2200157 4500008004100000245012200041210006900163260001600232300001400248490000700262100002500269700002100294700002300315700002600338856005300364 2017 eng d00aCommon nonsong social calls of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) recorded off northern Angola, southern Africa0 aCommon nonsong social calls of humpback whales Megaptera novaean cJan-01-2017 a365 - 3750 v331 aRekdahl, Melinda, L.1 aTisch, Charlotte1 aCerchio, Salvatore1 aRosenbaum, Howard, C. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100667nas a2200193 4500008004100000245012900041210006900170260001600239300001400255490000700269100002000276700002000296700002100316700002100337700002300358700002100381700001800402856005300420 2017 eng d00aInsights into Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) echolocation ontogeny from recordings of mother-calf pairs0 aInsights into Blainvilles beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris e cJan-01-2017 a356 - 3640 v331 aDunn, Charlotte1 aClaridge, Diane1 aDurban, John, W.1 aShaffer, Jessica1 aMoretti, David, J.1 aTyack, Peter, L.1 aRendell, Luke uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100591nas a2200145 4500008004100000245018300041210006900224260001600293300001400309490000700323100001700330700002300347700002200370856005300392 2017 eng d00aSoutheastern Pacific humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae and their breeding grounds: Distribution and habitat preference of singers and social groups off the coast of Ecuador0 aSoutheastern Pacific humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae and  cJan-01-2017 a219 - 2350 v331 aOña, Javier1 aGarland, Ellen, C.1 aDenkinger, Judith uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100547nas a2200145 4500008004100000245012700041210006900168260001600237300001400253490000700267100002900274700001900303700002600322856005300348 2017 eng d00aSeasonal acoustic behavior of blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus ) in the Gulf of California, Mexico0 aSeasonal acoustic behavior of blue whales iBalaenoptera musculus cJan-01-2017 a206 - 2180 v331 aPaniagua-Mendoza, Aurora1 aGendron, Diane1 aRomero-Vivas, Eduardo uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100694nas a2200193 4500008004100000245014200041210006900183260001600252300001400268490000700282100002400289700001900313700002500332700002500357700002000382700002200402700002300424856005300447 2017 eng d00aUsing calls as an indicator for Antarctic blue whale occurrence and distribution across the southwest Pacific and southeast Indian Oceans0 aUsing calls as an indicator for Antarctic blue whale occurrence  cJan-01-2017 a172 - 1860 v331 aBalcazar, Naysa, E.1 aKlinck, Holger1 aNieukirk, Sharon, L.1 aMellinger, David, K.1 aKlinck, Karolin1 aDziak, Robert, P.1 aRogers, Tracey, L. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100536nas a2200145 4500008004100000245012100041210006900162260001600231300001400247490000700261100002900268700002200297700001800319856005300337 2017 eng d00aSpatial and temporal patterns in the calling behavior of beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, in Cook Inlet, Alaska0 aSpatial and temporal patterns in the calling behavior of beluga  cJan-01-2017 a112 - 1330 v331 aBlevins-Manhard, Rachael1 aAtkinson, Shannon1 aLammers, Marc uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-100578nas a2200157 4500008004100000245011600041210006900157260001600226300001200242490000700254100002800261700002300289700002500312700003000337856005300367 2017 eng d00aDifferent modes of acoustic communication in deep-diving short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus)0 aDifferent modes of acoustic communication in deepdiving shortfin cJan-01-2017 a59 - 790 v331 aPérez, Jacobo, Marrero1 aJensen, Frants, H.1 aRojano-Doñate, Laia1 ade Soto, Natacha, Aguilar uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.2017.33.issue-102493nas a2200265 4500008004100000245009300041210006900134260001600203520166400219653002601883653001801909653001701927653002001944653002101964653003101985653002302016653003202039653002102071653001002092100002102102700002702123700001502150700001302165856004902178 2017 eng d00aAcoustic monitoring for conservation in tropical forests: examples from forest elephants0 aAcoustic monitoring for conservation in tropical forests example cJan-01-20173 a

1. The accelerating loss of biodiversity worldwide demands effective tools for monitoring animal populations and informing conservation action. In habitats where direct observation is difficult (rain forests, oceans), or for cryptic species (shy, nocturnal), passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) provides cost-effective, unbiased data collec- tion. PAM has broad applicability in terrestrial environments, particularly tropical rain forests.


2. Using examples from studies of forest elephants in Central African rainforest,we show how PAM can be used to investigate cryptic behaviour, mechanisms of communication, estimate population size, quantify threats, and assess the efficacy of conservation strategies. We discuss the methodologies, requirements, and challenges of obtaining these data using acoustics. Where applicable, we compare these methods to more traditional approaches.


3. While PAM methods and associated analysis are maturing rapidly, mechanisms are needed for processing the dense raw data efficiently with standard computer hardware, speeding development of detection algorithms, and harnessing communication networks to move data from the field to research facilities.


4. Passive acoustic monitoring is a viable and cost-effective tool for conservation and should be incorporated in monitoring schemes much more broadly. The capability to quickly assess changes in behaviour, population size, and landscape use, simultaneously over large geographical areas, makes this approach attractive for detecting human-induced impacts and for assessing the success of conservation strategies.

10aanthropogenic impacts10aanti-poaching10abioacoustics10acryptic species10adensity estimate10alaw enforcement monitoring10aLoxodonta cyclotis10apassive acoustic monitoring10asignal detection10aSMART1 aWrege, Peter, H.1 aRowland, Elizabeth, D.1 aKeen, Sara1 aShiu, Yu uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/2041-210X.12730