Campbell's monkeys concatenate vocalizations into context-specific call sequences

Ouattara, Karim; Lemasson, Alban; Zuberbühler, Klaus

doi:10.1073/pnas.0908118106

Cited by 263 publications

(203 citation statements)

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“…Specifically, there was no evidence that Diana monkeys' combinations of social calls carried strong semantic content relating to specific events, such as a falling tree, the approach of a neighbouring group (Ouattara et al 2009b) or a signal for group progression (Arnold and Zuberbühler 2006). Instead, the combinations of social calls seen in Diana monkeys appear to convey the individual identity of the caller (most likely, though not exclusively, to be found in the arched frequency modulation) and something about the immediate motivational state the caller finds herself in, that is, whether she assesses the current situation as positive, negative or neutral (found in the introductory call).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For example, male putty-nosed monkeys (C. nictitans) combine two types of loud calls into sequences that reliably predict forthcoming group progression (Arnold and Zuberbühler 2008). Similarly, male Campbell's monkeys (C. campbelli) transform highly specific alarm calls into general alert calls by an affixation mechanism (Ouattara et al 2009a) and concatenate individual calls into sequences that are context-specific and related to external events (Ouattara et al 2009b). However, a largely unaddressed question is whether close-range social calls in primates show similar or even increased flexibility in terms of acoustic properties and sequential structure, as hypothesised by Lemasson and Hausberger (2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Context-related call combinations in female Diana monkeys

2011

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Non-human primates possess species-specific repertoires of acoustically distinct call types that can be found in adults in predictable ways. Evidence for vocal flexibility is generally rare and typically restricted to acoustic variants within the main call types or sequential production of multiple calls. So far, evidence for context-specific call sequences has been mainly in relation to external disturbances, particularly predation. In this study, we investigated extensively the vocal behaviour of free-ranging and individually identified Diana monkeys in non-predatory contexts. We found that adult females produced four vocal structures alone ('H', 'L', 'R' and 'A' calls, the latter consisting of two subtypes) or combined in non-random ways ('HA', 'LA' and 'RA' call combinations) in relation to ongoing behaviour or external events. Specifically, the concatenation of an introductory call with the most frequently emitted and contextually neutral 'A' call seems to function as a contextual refiner of this potential individual identifier. Our results demonstrate that some non-human primates are able to increase the effective size of their small vocal repertoire not only by varying the acoustic structure of basic call types but also by combining them into more complex structures. We have demonstrated this phenomenon for a category of vocalisations with a purely social function and discuss the implications of these findings for evolutionary theories of primate vocal communication.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context-related call combinations in female Diana monkeys

2011

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“…Semantic information for different combinations of calls has been demonstrated to occur in some primate species for which detailed behavioral observations are easier to obtain (e.g., Campbell's monkeys, Cercopithecus campbelli campbelli; Ouattara et al, 2009). Male Campbell's monkeys combine six stereotyped call types to produce nine unique sequences that convey information to conspecifics about such things as group cohesion and travel (Ouattara et al, 2009). In the present study, the potential for contextual differences in the use of call bouts could only be explored broadly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales

Rekdahl¹,

Dunlop²,

Goldizen³

et al. 2015

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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The use of stereotyped calls within structured bouts has been described for a number of species and may increase the information potential of call repertoires. Humpback whales produce a repertoire of social calls, although little is known about the complexity or function of these calls. In this study, digital acoustic tag recordings were used to investigate social call use within bouts, the use of bouts across different social contexts, and whether particular call type combinations were favored. Call order within bouts was investigated using call transition frequencies and information theory techniques. Call bouts were defined through analysis of inter-call intervals, as any calls within 3.9 s of each other. Bouts were produced significantly more when new whales joined a group compared to groups that did not change membership, and in groups containing multiple adults escorting a female and calf compared to adult only groups. Although social calls tended to be produced in bouts, there were few repeated bout types. However, the order in which most call types were produced within bouts was non-random and dependent on the preceding call type. These bouts appear to be at least partially governed by rules for how individual components are combined.

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“…Until recently, most research in this area focused on how a range of birds and mammals classify other animal predators, demonstrating complex abilities to differentiate between predators with different hunting styles and respond with appropriate escape tactics (2,3,(6)(7)(8). However, for many wild populations, humans represent a significant predatory threat (5,9,10) and this threat is rapidly increasing as areas for wildlife decrease and humananimal conflict grows.…”

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confidence: 99%

Elephants can determine ethnicity, gender, and age from acoustic cues in human voices

McComb

Shannon

Sayialel

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

128

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Animals can accrue direct fitness benefits by accurately classifying predatory threat according to the species of predator and the magnitude of risk associated with an encounter. Human predators present a particularly interesting cognitive challenge, as it is typically the case that different human subgroups pose radically different levels of danger to animals living around them. Although a number of prey species have proved able to discriminate between certain human categories on the basis of visual and olfactory cues, vocalizations potentially provide a much richer source of information. We now use controlled playback experiments to investigate whether family groups of free-ranging African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Amboseli National Park, Kenya can use acoustic characteristics of speech to make functionally relevant distinctions between human subcategories differing not only in ethnicity but also in sex and age. Our results demonstrate that elephants can reliably discriminate between two different ethnic groups that differ in the level of threat they represent, significantly increasing their probability of defensive bunching and investigative smelling following playbacks of Maasai voices. Moreover, these responses were specific to the sex and age of Maasai presented, with the voices of Maasai women and boys, subcategories that would generally pose little threat, significantly less likely to produce these behavioral responses. Considering the long history and often pervasive predatory threat associated with humans across the globe, it is likely that abilities to precisely identify dangerous subcategories of humans on the basis of subtle voice characteristics could have been selected for in other cognitively advanced animal species.T he ability to recognize predators and assess the level of threat that they pose is a crucial cognitive skill for many wild animals that has very direct and obvious fitness consequences (1-5). Until recently, most research in this area focused on how a range of birds and mammals classify other animal predators, demonstrating complex abilities to differentiate between predators with different hunting styles and respond with appropriate escape tactics (2, 3, 6-8). However, for many wild populations, humans represent a significant predatory threat (5, 9, 10) and this threat is rapidly increasing as areas for wildlife decrease and humananimal conflict grows. Moreover, as it is typically the case that not all humans pose the same risk to prey species, distinguishing between different human subgroups to identify those associated with genuinely threatening situations could present a major cognitive challenge. The extent of behavioral flexibility that different species may exhibit in correctly classifying human predators-and the degree of sophistication possible in such abilities-is therefore of considerable interest.Most research on the abilities of animals to classify human predators has focused on discrimination through facial features or general differences in behavior and appear...

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Campbell's monkeys concatenate vocalizations into context-specific call sequences

Cited by 263 publications

References 56 publications

Context-related call combinations in female Diana monkeys

Context-related call combinations in female Diana monkeys

Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales

Elephants can determine ethnicity, gender, and age from acoustic cues in human voices

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