Bioacoustic papers in Behaviour 147 vol. 7 (June 2010)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/beh/2010/00000147/00000007
(Abstracts below)
de Silva, S (2010) Acoustic communication in the Asian elephant, Elephas
maximus maximus. Behaviour 147: 825-852.
Colombelli-Negrel, D, J Robertson, FJ Sulloway & SJ Kleindorfer (2010)
Extended parental care of fledglings: parent birds adjust anti-predator
response according to predator type and distance. Behaviour 147: 853-870.
Abstracts
de Silva, S (2010) Acoustic communication in the Asian elephant, Elephas
maximus maximus. Behaviour 147: 825-852.
Existing knowledge of acoustic communication in elephants is based primarily
on African species (Loxodonta africana and Loxodonta cyclotis). There has
been comparatively less study of communication in Asian elephants (Elephas
maximus). In order to provide a basis for understanding the evolution and
function of acoustic communication in proboscideans, I present a
quantitative description of vocal communication in wild Asian elephants. I
classify calls by acoustic features into 8 'single' calls, 5 'combination'
calls and one possibly unique male call for a total of at least 14 distinct
call types. Some of these vocalizations have never before been described.
Certain low-frequency calls are individually distinct. Acoustic signals
occur in a wide range of social contexts, with some differences in call
production among age and sex classes.
Colombelli-Negrel, D, J Robertson, FJ Sulloway & SJ Kleindorfer (2010)
Extended parental care of fledglings: parent birds adjust anti-predator
response according to predator type and distance. Behaviour 147: 853-870.
Parent birds are expected to show anti-predator responses when predators are
in the vicinity of their fledglings and to modify their response in relation
to perceived risk posed by the predator. We used the superb fairy-wren
(Malurus cyaneus) to experimentally test predictions of the risk-based alarm
call hypothesis, whereby alarm vocalisation response is a proxy for predator
risk (type, distance). Our results showed that birds modified their response
to three factors: predator type (snake, fox, stationary and gliding
sparrowhawks), predator distance (close, distant) and fledgling presence. We
found evidence of post-fledging parental care in response to the fox, which
was significantly higher when fledglings were present irrespective of
predator distance. However, fledgling presence was not related to alarm
vocalisations to the snake or the sparrowhawks (only distance predicted
vocalisation response). A comparison of the different types of vocalisations
(terrestrial call, aerial call, alarm song) showed that alarm vocalisations
were significantly related to predator type. Fledgling presence also
affected the frequency of parental terrestrial alarm calls. We conclude that
anti-predator response is a dynamic process that reflects offspring presence
and perceived predation risk, with implications for understanding vocal
communication in birds.
|