Red squirrels,Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, produce predator-class specific alarm calls

Greene, Erick; Meagher, Tom

doi:10.1006/anbe.1997.0620

Cited by 102 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Therefore, it is crucial that information about the approaching predator type is encoded in the alarm call (Macedonia and Evans 1993). In the same way, the evolution of predator-specific calls in red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) has been explained (Greene and Meagher 1998). In contrast, species that live in relatively open habitats-for example, some ground-dwelling rodents-run to their burrows in response to any predator type (Blumstein and Armitage 1997a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Urgency‐Based and Functionally Referential Alarm Calls in Ground‐Dwelling Species

Furrer

Manser

2009

The American Naturalist

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A major evolutionary force driving functionally referential alarm calls is the need for different strategies to escape various predator types in complex structured habitats. In contrast, a single escape strategy appears to be sufficient in less-structured open habitats, and under such conditions urgency-dependent alarm calls may be favored. Nevertheless, some species, such as meerkats (Suricata suricatta), have evolved functionally referential alarm calls despite living in open areas, using only bolt-holes for retreat. To understand the evolution of different alarm call systems, we investigated the calls of sympatric Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) and compared their antipredator and foraging behavior with that of meerkats. Cape ground squirrels emitted urgency-dependent alarm calls and responded to playbacks depending on urgency, not predator type. Vigilance behavior and habitat use differed between the two species. Meerkats roam widely to find prey and for efficient foraging depend on coordinated predator vigilance and escape behavior. As herbivores with smaller territories, Cape ground squirrels depend less on coordinated antipredator behavior, and urgency-dependent alarm calls encode all essential information. We conclude that habitat complexity does not explain the evolution of functionally referential alarm calls in all species, and other constraints, such as the need to coordinate group movements to maintain foraging efficiency, could be more relevant. Meerkats roam widely to find prey and for efficient foraging depend on coordinated predator vigilance and escape behavior. As herbivores with smaller territories, Cape ground squirrels depend less on coordinated antipredator behavior, and urgency-dependent alarm calls encode all essential information. We conclude that habitat complexity does not explain the evolution of functionally referential alarm calls in all species, and other constraints, such as the need to coordinate group movements to maintain foraging efficiency, could be more relevant.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Urgency‐Based and Functionally Referential Alarm Calls in Ground‐Dwelling Species

Furrer

Manser

2009

The American Naturalist

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“…Tamiasciurus hudsonicus: Greene and Meagher, 1998). Although the F0 of alarm calls is not consistently mapped onto terrestrial (low) and areal (high) predators across species, elevation-pitch associations may be functionally relevant in the communication systems of these animals if they can direct receivers' attention to different elevations.…”

Section: Statistical Correspondencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-Modal Correspondences in Non-human Mammal Communication

2016

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For both humans and other animals, the ability to combine information obtained through different senses is fundamental to the perception of the environment. It is well established that humans form systematic cross-modal correspondences between stimulus features that can facilitate the accurate combination of sensory percepts. However, the evolutionary origins of the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms involved in these cross-modal associations remain surprisingly under-explored. In this review we outline recent comparative studies investigating how non-human mammals naturally combine information encoded in different sensory modalities during communication. The results of these behavioural studies demonstrate that various mammalian species are able to combine signals from different sensory channels when they are perceived to share the same basic features, either because they can be redundantly sensed and/or because they are processed in the same way.Moreover, evidence that a wide range of mammals form complex cognitive representations about signallers, both within and across species, suggests that animals also learn to associate different sensory features which regularly co-occur. Further research is now necessary to determine how multisensory representations are formed in individual animals, including the relative importance of low-level feature-related correspondences. Such investigations will generate important insights into how animals perceive and categorise their environment, as well as provide an essential basis for understanding the evolution of multisensory perception in humans.

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“…Alarm vocalizations are characterized by being high pitched to avoid the predator localizing the caller (Greene and Meagher, 1998). Alarm calls have been extensively studied in a wide variety of species (Seyfarth et al, 1980;Cheney and Seyfarth, 1985;Blumstein, 1999;Manser, 2001;Fichtel and van Schaik, 2006;Arnold and Zuberbühler, 2008;Stephan and Zuberbühler, 2008;Schel et al, 2010).…”

Section: Comparative Analysis Of Human and Animal Vocalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocal Interactivity in-and-between Humans, Animals, and Robots

2016

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Almost all animals exploit vocal signals for a range of ecologically motivated purposes: detecting predators/prey and marking territory, expressing emotions, establishing social relations, and sharing information. Whether it is a bird raising an alarm, a whale calling to potential partners, a dog responding to human commands, a parent reading a story with a child, or a business-person accessing stock prices using Siri, vocalization provides a valuable communication channel through which behavior may be coordinated and controlled, and information may be distributed and acquired. Indeed, the ubiquity of vocal interaction has led to research across an extremely diverse array of fields, from assessing animal welfare, to understanding the precursors of human language, to developing voice-based human-machine interaction. Opportunities for cross-fertilization between these fields abound; for example, using artificial cognitive agents to investigate contemporary theories of language grounding, using machine learning to analyze different habitats or adding vocal expressivity to the next generation of language-enabled autonomous social agents. However, much of the research is conducted within well-defined disciplinary boundaries, and many fundamental issues remain. This paper attempts to redress the balance by presenting a comparative review of vocal interaction within-and-between humans, animals, and artificial agents (such as robots), and it identifies a rich set of open research questions that may benefit from an interdisciplinary analysis.

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Red squirrels,Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, produce predator-class specific alarm calls

Cited by 102 publications

References 37 publications

The Evolution of Urgency‐Based and Functionally Referential Alarm Calls in Ground‐Dwelling Species

The Evolution of Urgency‐Based and Functionally Referential Alarm Calls in Ground‐Dwelling Species

Cross-Modal Correspondences in Non-human Mammal Communication

Vocal Interactivity in-and-between Humans, Animals, and Robots

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