Abstract
Abstract
Stemming from the traditional use of field observers to score states and events, the study of animal behaviour often relies on analyses of discrete behavioural categories. Many studies of acoustic communication record sequences of animal sounds, classify vocalizations, and then examine how call categories are used relative to behavioural states and events. However, acoustic parameters can also convey information independent of call type, offering complementary study approaches to call classifications. Animal-attached tags can continuously sample high-resolution behavioural data on sounds and movements, which enables testing how acoustic parameters of signals relate to parameters of animal motion. Here, we present this approach through case studies on wild common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Using data from sound-and-movement recording tags deployed in Sarasota (FL), we parameterized dolphin vocalizations and motion to investigate how senders and receivers modified movement parameters (including vectorial dynamic body acceleration, “VeDBA”, a proxy for activity intensity) as a function of signal parameters. We show that (1) VeDBA of one female during consortships had a negative relationship with centroid frequency of male calls, matching predictions about agonistic interactions based on motivation-structural rules; (2) VeDBA of four males had a positive relationship with modulation rate of their pulsed vocalizations, confirming predictions that click-repetition rate of these calls increases with agonism intensity. Tags offer opportunities to study animal behaviour through analyses of continuously sampled quantitative parameters, which can complement traditional methods and facilitate research replication. Our case studies illustrate the value of this approach to investigate communicative roles of acoustic parameter changes.
Significance statement
Studies of animal behaviour have traditionally relied on classification of behavioural patterns and analyses of discrete behavioural categories. Today, technologies such as animal-attached tags enable novel approaches, facilitating the use of quantitative metrics to characterize behaviour. In the field of acoustic communication, researchers typically classify vocalizations and examine usage of call categories. Through case studies of bottlenose dolphin social interactions, we present here a novel tag-based complementary approach. We used high-resolution tag data to parameterize dolphin sounds and motion, and we applied continuously sampled parameters to examine how individual dolphins responded to conspecifics’ signals and moved while producing sounds. Activity intensity of senders and receivers changed with specific call parameters, matching our predictions and illustrating the value of our approach to test communicative roles of acoustic parameter changes. Parametric approaches can complement traditional methods for animal behaviour and facilitate research replication.
Funder
Dolphin Quest, Inc.
School of Biology, University of St Andrews
Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance
Office of Naval Research
Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program
Horizon 2020
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Reference144 articles.
1. Altmann J (1974) Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour 49:227–266
2. Andrews RD, Baird RW, Calambokidis J et al (2019) Best practice guidelines for cetacean tagging. J Cetacean Res Manage 20:27–66
3. Arranz P, DeRuiter SL, Stimpert AK, Neves S, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Visser F, Calambokidis J, Southall BL, Tyack PL (2016) Discrimination of fast click-series produced by tagged Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) for echolocation or communication. J Exp Biol 219:2898–2907
4. Au WWL (1993) The sonar of dolphins. Springer, New York
5. August PV, Anderson JG (1987) Mammal sounds and motivation-structural rules: a test of the hypothesis. J Mammal 68:1–9
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献