Dear colleagues,
We are glad to announce a new publication on the perception of
geographical vocal variations in bearded seals.
Charrier I, Mathevon N and Aubin T (2013) Bearded seal males perceive
geographic variation in their trills. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-013-1578-6#
Abstract
Geographic variation in animal vocalisations, ranging from micro- to
macro-variations, has now been widely documented. These dialects can
impair communication between separated groups or populations and thus
may play a role in speciation processes. Although the existence of
geographical variation has been already shown in some pinnipeds species,
the extent to which individuals perceive it is poorly understood. Here,
we studied this question in the bearded seal Erignatus barbatus, a
species found across different arctic regions. As in other phocids,
bearded seal males emit sophisticated acoustic displays while defending
an aquatic territory during the breeding season. First, we used
playbacks to demonstrate that the trill has a function in territorial
defence. Second, we used synthetic trills from two distinct populations
(Nunavut and Greenland), to show that bearded seal males perceived the
geographic variation in the trills. Males from Greenland responded more
strongly to trills from local males than those from a distant area
(Nunavut). This study provides the first experimental evidence that
phocid males can perceive geographic variation in their vocalisations.
Acoustic analyses combined with playback experiments can help to
identify distinct populations in bearded seals. This may then provide
information on both strength and scale of breeding site fidelity in this
and potentially other species.
Best regards,
Isabelle Charrier
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Isabelle CHARRIER
Equipe Communications Acoustiques, CNPS-CNRS UMR 8195
Université Paris Sud, Bat.446, 91405 Orsay, FRANCE
Tel:(33-1).69.15.68.26 Fax:(33-1).69.15.77.26
Email: [email protected]
new Isabelle's website: http://www.cb.u-psud.fr/pinniped/
Bioacoustics Team website: http://www.cb.u-psud.fr/
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