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: m("u-psud.fr","isabelle.charrier");">
new Isabelle's website: http://www.cb.u-psud.fr/pinniped/
Bioacoustics Team website: http://www.cb.u-psud.fr/
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