A computational model of the dolphin auditory system was developed to describe how multiple discrimination cues may be represented and employed during echolocation discrimination tasks. The model consisted of a bank of gammatone filters followed by half-wave rectification and low pass filtering. The output of the model resembles a spectrogram; however, the model reflects temporal and spectral resolving properties of the dolphin auditory system. Model outputs were organized to represent discrimination cues related to spectral, temporal and intensity information. Two empirical experiments, a phase discrimination experiment [Johnson et al., Animal Sonar Processes and Performance (Plenum, New York, 1988)] and a cylinder wall thickness discrimination tasks [Au and Pawolski, J. Comp. Physiol. A 170, 41-47 (1992)] were then simulated. Model performance was compared to dolphin performance. Although multiple discrimination cues were potentially available to the dolphin, simulation results suggest temporal information was used in the former experiment and spectral information in the latter. This model's representation of sound provides a more accurate approximation to what the dolphin may be hearing compared to conventional spectrograms, time-amplitude, or spectral representations.
Background. Knowledge of species-specific vocalization characteristics and their associated active communication space, the effective range over which a communication signal can be detected by a conspecific, is critical for understanding the impacts of underwater acoustic pollution, as well as other threats. Methods. We used a two-dimensional cross-shaped hydrophone array system to record the whistles of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in shallow-water environments of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and Beibu Gulf (BG), China. Using hyperbolic position fixing, which exploits time differences of arrival of a signal between pairs of hydrophone receivers, we obtained source location estimates for whistles with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR≥10 dB) and not polluted by other sounds and back-calculated their apparent source levels. Combining with the masking levels (including simultaneous noise levels, masking tonal threshold, and the Sousa auditory threshold) and the custom made site-specific sound propagation models, we further estimated their active communication space (ACS). Results. Humpback dolphins produced whistles with average root-mean-square apparent source levels (ASL) of 138.5 ± 6.8 (mean ± standard deviation) and 137.2 ± 7.0 dB re 1μPa in PRE (N=33) and BG (N=209), respectively. We found statistically significant differences in ASLs among different whistle contour types. The mean and maximum ACS of whistles were estimated to be 14.7 ± 2.6 (median ± quartiledeviation) and 17.1± 3.5 m in PRE, and 34.2 ± 9.5 and 43.5 ± 12.2 m in BG. Using just the auditory threshold as the masking level produced the mean and maximum ACSat of 24.3 ± 4.8 and 35.7± 4.6 m for PRE, and 60.7 ± 18.1 and 74.3 ± 25.3 m for BG. The small ACSs were due to the high ambient noise level. Significant differences in ACSs were also observed among different whistle contour types. Discussion. Besides shedding some light for evaluating appropriate noise exposure levels and information for the regulation of underwater acoustic pollution, these baseline data can also be used for aiding the passive acoustic monitoring of dolphin populations, defining the boundaries of separate groups in a more biologically meaningful way during field surveys, and guiding the appropriate approach distance for local dolphin-watching boats and research boat during focal group following.
The ability of the dolphin to detect pure tone signals presented from directly ahead, with noise presented from various vertical angles was determined behaviorally for pure tone frequencies of 30, 60, and 120 kHz. The animal's position at the centerpoint era 3.5-cm arc was fixed by requiring firm contact on a biteplate. Using a yes-no response procedure, vertical directional sensitivity was examined by varying the noise levels and determining masked thresholds via a tracking method of stimulus presentation. Polar plots of the threshold points for the three frequencies generally showed a narrowing of receiving beam patterns with increased frequency. Maximum sensitivity occurred between five and ten degrees above the midline of the mouth. Sensitivity dropped more sharply with increasing angle above the midline rather than below, as might be expected with an animal that hears via the lower jaw. These receiving beam patterns show close agreement with the echolocation pulse transmitting beam patterns reported by Au, Floyd, and Haun [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 411–422 (1978)]
A study of the humpback whale song in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) during the 2009 season suggests that humpback whale song may be more variable than previously suggested. Data from five autonomous acoustic recorders deployed at locations in the NWHI and MHI were analyzed to compare the frequency of occurrence of song units by whales in the island chain. There appears to be a gradient of differences in song units throughout the Hawaiian Island chain, rather than the previously assumed, more discrete differences between breeding populations. Recordings from each site were randomly selected. Song units were classified as one of 23 units and counted to compare between sites. Changes in the frequency of occurrence in a few of the most abundant units suggest a gradual change throughout the island chain. However, this may be confounded by changes that occur throughout the season throughout the ocean basin. Further work examining the amount of variation both between and within humpback whale breeding populations should be conducted.
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