Behaviour 142, Issue 4
http://oberon.ingentaconnect.com/vl=11452828/cl=59/nw=1/rpsv/cw/www/brill/00057959/v142n4/contp1-1.htm
(Abstracts below)
Crockford, C & C Boesch (2005) Call combinations in wild chimpanzees.
Behaviour 142: 397-421.
Gorissen, L & M Eens (2005) Complex female vocal behaviour of great and blue
tits inside the nesting cavity. Behaviour 142: 489-506.
Matessi, G, PK McGregor, TM Peake & T Dabelsteen (2005) Do male birds
intercept and use rival courtship calls to adjust paternity protection
behaviours? Behaviour 142: 507-524.
Abstracts:
Crockford, C & C Boesch (2005) Call combinations in wild chimpanzees.
Behaviour 142: 397-421.
By combining different call types, such as barks with screams, individuals
have the potential to vastly increase the range of information that can be
decoded by listeners. Few animal studies, however, have examined the
information content of call combinations compared with the information
conveyed by each call singularly. We examined several aspects of call
combinations in the repertoire of wild chimpanzees in the Taï Forest, Ivory
Coast, including the types of combinations, the contexts and possible
functions and compared these with the use of single calls. Almost half of
all vocalisations produced by the Taï chimpanzees occurred in combination
with other vocalisations or with drumming. A total of 88 different types of
combinations were used. Single calls and call combinations were each
produced in specific contexts. The contexts in which six of ten combinations
were produced differed from the contexts of at least one of the component
calls. The contexts in which the combinations were produced varied from the
component calls in five different ways, three having potentially novel
functions. Two of the three may have an additive function, such that two
pieces of information can be conveyed simultaneously, increasing message
complexity. This analysis clearly shows that call combinations are an
important part of chimpanzee communication. The implications with regard to
the evolution of human language are discussed. Testing of the information
conveyed by single calls and of call combinations, using playback
experiments, is advocated.
Gorissen, L & M Eens (2005) Complex female vocal behaviour of great and blue
tits inside the nesting cavity. Behaviour 142: 489-506.
Up to now, little is known about female vocal behaviour and about vocal
communication between male and female songbirds in the northern temperate
zone. However, raising a brood together requires successful communication
between both members of a pair. By placing small microphones inside the
nesting cavity of great and blue tits, we were able to record several novel
female sounds that have not been described previously. These recordings also
provided evidence of vocal interactions between the female inside and the
male outside the nest hole. Females produced on average 2.7 different
vocalisation categories during each recording session, ranging from one to
seven. With only one exception, all females used the same vocalisation type
when vocally interacting with their mate. The acoustical properties of these
sounds suggest that they are designed for short range communication and
sonographic representation revealed remarkable similarities in the vocal
signals of blue and great tit females. We discuss the possible functions and
selection pressures shaping female vocal signals and we provide a possible
mechanism promoting vocal mimicry in blue tits. We present a recording
approach that might help studying short range communication and vocal
behaviour in female (song)birds which are otherwise difficult to observe.
Matessi, G, PK McGregor, TM Peake & T Dabelsteen (2005) Do male birds
intercept and use rival courtship calls to adjust paternity protection
behaviours? Behaviour 142: 507-524.
We tested whether male rock sparrows (Petronia petronia) change behaviours
directed at their females when played back courtship display calls
simulating a potential cuckolding event in the vicinity of their nests. We
compared the behaviour of males before, during and after such playback with
the behaviour of males who received a control playback, territorial song.
After playback of courtship display calls male rock sparrows increased the
frequency of courtship displays directed towards their mate, as predicted,
but not mate guarding. These results illustrate the interplay of
reproductive and communication strategies, and extend our knowledge of how
the social environment can affect within-pair dynamics.
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