This was sent by Sonja Amoser:
The following bioacoustic articles have been published in the International
Journal of Primatology, Vol 27(1). As it seems, some of the articles in this
issue are from graduate students that were invited to speak at a special
graduate-student symposium on July 31, 2003, at the Twenty-sixth Annual
Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) in Calgary, Canada.
Roberto A. Delgado (2006): Sexual Selection in the Loud Calls of Male
Primates: Signal Content and Function. International Journal of Primatology,
27(1), 5-25
DOI: 10.1007/s10764-005-9001-4
Abstract: Researchers have used sexual selection theory and hypotheses based
on intersexual mate choice and intrasexual mate competition to explain the
role of spontaneous long-distance vocalizations emitted by adult male
primates, relying on the tacit assumption that assessment or identity cues
are encoded in the vocalizations. I review the published literature and aim
to substantiate a relationship between sexual selection and long-distance
vocal communication in primates. First, I review findings from nonprimate
taxa to determine the relative importance of inter- and intrasexual
selection and to provide a background for examining primates. Next, I
describe several hypotheses for signal content and function in adult male
loud calls. Then, I examine the available data across Primates for evidence
to support or to refute these hypotheses and to determine if they meet
proposed criteria for demonstrating sexual selection [Snowdon, C. T. (2004).
Sexual Selection in Primates: New and Comparative Perspectives]. Signal
content refers to patterns of acoustic features within vocalizations from
which listeners might extract cues or information about the signaler. I
interpret signal function, in turn, from behavioral responses of receivers
and assume it has ultimate effects on the evolution and design of acoustic
signals if direct fitness consequences exist. After the general review
across primates, I propose orangutans as a candidate species for further
evaluation of sexual selection in vocal communication. The available
evidence corroborates a demonstrable relationship between sexual selection
and adult male loud calls based on individual recognition, but it is
necessary to obtain additional data to affirm a direct benefit to
reproductive success.
Julie Gros-Louis (2006): Acoustic Analysis and Contextual Description of
Food-Associated Calls in White-Faced Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus).
International Journal of Primatology, 27(1), 273-294.
DOI: 10.1007/s10764-005-9012-1
Abstract: Since early studies of primates that identified vocalizations that
attracted others to a food source, the assumed function of food-associated
calls has been to inform others of the presence of food. The label
food-associated calls and its implied function has led to a focus in
research on many species of the costs/benefits for the signaler and
recipient of informing others about the presence of food; however, without
clearly identifying the calls contextually or acoustically, it is unclear if
calls are specific to a feeding context and thus whether calls provide
specific information about the presence of food. If calls occur exclusively
in the context of feeding, information about individual identity would allow
listeners to decide whether or not to approach a calling individual. I
conducted acoustic and contextual analyses on food-associated calls in
white-faced capuchins. I identified the calls as distinct vocalizations that
occur almost exclusively in a feeding context. Discriminant function
analyses demonstrate that information about caller sex and identity are
encoded in the calls. Therefore, there is the potential for individuals to
use acoustic information when responding to food-associated calls; however,
playback experiments are necessary to test more explicitly the hypothesis
that recipients are able to recognize the calls of specific individuals.
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University of Vienna, Dept. of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology
Sonja Amoser
PhD Student, Research Associate
Althanstrasse 14
1090 Vienna
Austria
tel: +43 (1) 4277 54467
fax: +43 (1) 4277 54506
mobile: +43 (664) 500 61 06
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