02116nas a2200157 4500008004100000245007400041210006900115260001600184300001300200490000700213520162500220100002501845700001601870700002001886856005201906 2019 eng d00aDeer browsing alters sound propagation in temperate deciduous forests0 aDeer browsing alters sound propagation in temperate deciduous fo cJan-02-2020 ae02115690 v143 a

The efficacy of animal signals is strongly influenced by the structure of the habitat in which they are propagating. In recent years, the habitat structure of temperate forests has been increasingly subject to modifications from foraging by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Increasing deer numbers and the accompanying browsing have been shown to alter vegetation structure and thus the foraging, roosting, and breeding habitats of many species. However, despite a large body of literature on the effects of vegetation structure on sound propagation, we do not yet know what impact deer browsing may have on acoustic communication. Here we used playback experiments to determine whether sound fidelity and amplitude of white noise, pure tones, and trills differed between deer-browsed and deer-excluded plots. We found that sound fidelity, but not amplitude, differed between habitats, with deer-browsed habitats having greater sound fidelity than deer-excluded habitats. Difference in sound propagation characteristics between the two habitats could alter the efficacy of acoustic communication through plasticity, cultural evolution or local adaptation, in turn influencing vocally-mediated behaviors (e.g. agonistic, parent-offspring, mate selection). Reduced signal degradation suggests vocalizations may retain more information, improving the transfer of information to both intended and unintended receivers. Overall, our results suggest that deer browsing impacts sound propagation in temperate deciduous forest, although much work remains to be done on the potential impacts on communication.

1 aBoycott, Timothy, J.1 aGao, Jingyi1 aGall, Megan, D. uhttp://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.021156903492nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001300041245013000054210006900184260001600253300001400269490000700283520249700290653001802787653002702805653002502832653001902857653003202876100001802908700002202926700001502948700002202963700002002985856023303005 2019 eng d a1470160X00aAn evaluation of the efficiency of passive acoustic monitoring in detecting deer and primates in comparison with camera traps0 aevaluation of the efficiency of passive acoustic monitoring in d cJan-03-2019 a753 - 7620 v983 a

In recent years, camera traps have rapidly become popular for the large-scale monitoring of wildlife distributionand population; however, we should not ignore the uncertainty regarding the reliability of camera-basedmonitoring by inexperienced data gatherers. This study introduces passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) as aneasier technique for monitoring terrestrial mammals that uses the sound cues that they produce. To validate theefficacy of PAM, we quantitatively compared the detection areas and rates between sound cues (from PAM) andvisual cues (from camera traps) of two mammals—the sika deerCervus nipponand the Japanese macaqueMacacafuscata—across seven study sites in eastern Japan with different population densities. To collect sound cues, weset up multiple autonomous recording units at the sites and continuously recorded ambient sounds, following apre-determined schedule. The total recording time reached 9081 h for deer and 8235 h for macaques. We thenbuilt sound recognizers to automatically detect eight target call types from the recorded data. To collect visualcues, we also set multiple camera traps at the same sites and for the same observation periods. The keyfindingswere as follows: (1) the fully automated procedures that only used the recognizers to detect sound cues producednumerous false positive detections when the call type possessed vocal plasticity and variations; (2) the semi-automated procedures, which included an additional step to validate the automated detections by manualscreening, exhibited a great improvement in the detectability and recall rates of the half of the target calls,reaching > 0.70; (3) when using the semi-automated procedures, the frequency of deer and macaque detectionsper trap-day derived from the sound cues were in most cases approximately dozens of times and several times,respectively, higher than that derived from the visual cues; (4) the main advantage of PAM may be its superiordetection areas, which were 100–7000 times wider than those of camera traps; and (5) the current success of therecognition of different call types of each species could broaden the use of PAM, which is not possible for cameratraps. PAM could provide socio-behavioral data (i.e., the frequencies and types of inter-individual vocal com-munications) that could help understand the status of population dynamics and the group compositions, inaddition to information related to the presence or absence of species.

10aCervus nippon10aEcoacoustic monitoring10aLag-phase management10aMacaca fuscata10apassive acoustic monitoring1 aEnari, Hiroto1 aEnari, Haruka, S.1 aOkuda, Kei1 aMaruyama, Tetsuya1 aOkuda, Kana, N. uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X18309257https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1470160X18309257?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S1470160X18309257?httpAccept=text/plain02207nas a2200169 4500008004100000245012600041210006900167260001600236300001400252490000800266520162100274100002601895700002201921700002401943700001501967856005501982 2018 eng d00aAdvertising individual identity by mother and adolescent contact calls in Siberian wapiti Cervus elaphus sibiricus0 aAdvertising individual identity by mother and adolescent contact cJan-10-2018 a733 - 7420 v1243 a

Individualistic contact calls facilitate mother‐offspring reunion after separation. However, in many mammals, both the acoustic structure and individuality of contact calls differ between mother and young. In contrast, in Siberian wapiti Cervus elaphus sibiricus, contact calls are similar in the acoustics between mother and young, whereas effects of this similarity on vocal individuality were not investigated. In this study, we analyzed acoustic differences between closed‐mouth (nasal) and open‐mouth (oral) contact calls and examined individuality of the most usual oral calls of 19 Siberian wapiti (9 hinds and 10 5–6‐month adolescents) emitted in response to mother‐offspring separation. In the oral calls, the values of frequency and power variables were higher than in the nasal calls. Calls of hinds and adolescents did not differ by the maximum fundamental frequency and duration, whereas the peak frequency was higher in the young. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) based on 11 acoustic variables of oral calls accurately classified to individual 92.5% of hind calls and 96.9% of adolescent calls (chi‐square test for differences between hinds and adolescents, p = 0.19). Variables mainly contributing to vocal identity (duration, start, and maximum fundamental frequency) were the same in calls of mothers and adolescents. We conclude that similarities in the acoustics calls of mothers and adolescents mean that they do not differ in their potential for encoding individual identity, suggesting a mutual process of mother‐offspring vocal recognition in Siberian wapiti.

1 aSibiryakova, Olga, V.1 aVolodin, Ilya, A.1 aVolodina, Elena, V.1 aWright, J. uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/eth.2018.124.issue-1002078nas a2200217 4500008004100000245006500041210006200106260001600168490000700184520135800191100002201549700002601571700002401597700002401621700002401645700002401669700003601693700002201729700003201751856007701783 2018 eng d00aBetween-year vocal aging in female red deer (Cervus elaphus)0 aBetweenyear vocal aging in female red deer Cervus elaphus cJan-12-20180 v113 a

Objectives

Studying animal vocal aging has potential implication in the field of animal welfare and for modeling human voice aging. The objective was to examine, using a repeated measures approach, the between-year changes of weight, social discomfort score (bites of other hinds on hind pelt), body condition score (fat reserves) and acoustic variables of the nasal (closed-mouth) and the oral (open-mouth) contact calls produced by farmed red deer hinds (Cervus elaphus) toward their young.

Results

Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that with an increase of hind age for 1 year, the acoustic variables of their nasal contact calls (the beginning and maximum fundamental frequencies, the depth of frequency modulation and the peak frequency) decreased, whereas in their oral contact calls only the end fundamental frequency decreased. Duration and power quartiles did not change in any call type. Body weight and body condition score increased between years, whereas discomfort score decreased. Results of this study revealed directly the short-term effects of aging on the acoustics of the nasal contact calls in the same hinds. This study also confirmed that elevated emotional arousal during emission of the oral contact masks the effects of aging on vocalization in female red deer.

1 aVolodin, Ilya, A.1 aSibiryakova, Olga, V.1 aVasilieva, Nina, A.1 aVolodina, Elena, V.1 aMatrosova, Vera, A.1 aGarcia, Andrés, J.1 aPérez-Barbería, Francisco, J.1 aGallego, Laureano1 aLandete-Castillejos, Tomás uhttps://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3833-4