Tomasz S. Osiejuk, Agnieszka Bielecka & Micha? Skierczynski (2012): What
exactly is ?local song? in a population of ortolan buntings with a common
dialect? J. Ethol. 30 (1), 133-142.
Abstract: Previous studies have shown that ortolan buntings (Emberiza
hortulana) exhibit apparent dialect variation. Neighbouring males typically
share the same final phrase of a simple two-part song. Consequently, the
final phrase was considered to be the dialect cue important for
discriminating between males from a local population and strangers.
Recently, it was shown that in an isolated and fragmented population of the
ortolan buntings in Norway there was no local dialect in the above-mentioned
sense. Norwegian males often had song types with different final phrases in
their repertoire, and had larger repertoires and a lower level of song type
sharing than in other populations. It was experimentally revealed that only
local songs (L) evoked a strong response in Norwegian males, while these
birds did not respond strongly to foreign (F) or hybrid songs composed of
local and foreign initial and final phrases in any composition (i.e. both FL
and LF songs). These results suggest that, in the Norwegian population, the
final phrase of the song is not a sufficient cue for local song dialect
recognition. This paper is a further study in which we tested the response
of the ortolan bunting males to L, F, FL and LF songs in a typical
continuous population (in Poland) in which males share the same single final
phrase, i.e. have a common dialect. We found that ortolan bunting males in
Poland responded with similar strength to L, FL and LF songs. The majority
of males did not respond as strongly to playback of only F songs. Our
results suggest that a common final phrase for a population should not be
treated as the only signal of ?locality?. Our results show clear asymmetry
in response to hybrid songs with non-local phrases in different populations.
URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/5551r26818283127/
For reprints please contact Tomasz Osiejuk (email:
Frauke Hoffmann, Kerstin Musolf & Dustin J. Penn (2012): Ultrasonic
courtship vocalizations in wild house mice: spectrographic analyses. J.
Ethol. 30 (1), 173-180.
Abstract: House mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during courtship,
which are sexually dimorphic and function to attract mates. Spectrographic
analyses of laboratory mice show that USVs are surprisingly complex and have
features of song. In this study, we conducted the first spectral and
temporal analyses of recordings from wild house mice (F1 from wild-caught
Mus musculus musculus). Inspection of the spectral shape of syllables shows
that the USVs from wild mice can be classified by both frequency and
duration, and the most apparent distinction is between low- versus
high-frequency calls. High-frequency calls of wild mice seem to be emitted
at a much higher frequency range than previously found in some laboratory
mice. Interestingly, we found that 20% of males do not vocalize at all,
though the reason for their behaviour is unclear. Future studies are needed
to determine what kind of information is conveyed in these complex
vocalizations, and why some males appear to be non-vocalizers.
URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/wwn16304334p7625/
For reprints please contact Frauke Hoffmann (email:
Marco Gamba, Camilla Colombo & Cristina Giacoma (2012): Acoustic cues to
caller identity in lemurs: a case study. J. Ethol. 30 (1), 191-196.
Abstract: This study investigated the acoustic structure of grunt
vocalizations in red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer) and its potential
for individual discrimination. Acoustic analyses were performed on 1,605
grunts recorded from seven lemurs belonging to two captive groups. From the
perspective of sound-filter theory, we described the acoustic structure of
grunts, measuring two sets of parameters: fundamental frequency
characteristics as larynx-related variables and four formant frequencies as
filter-related features. Formants were effective in assigning 80.5% of the
vocalizations to the correct emitter against 24.9% scored by the model based
on larynx-related variables. We concluded that vocal tract resonances might
potentially provide conspecifics with individual cues.
URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/b82541562r407321/
For reprints please contact Marco Gamba (email:
Kind regards
Sonja Amoser
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Dr. Sonja Amoser
Steinrieglstraße 286
3400 Weidlingbach
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