Vocal repertoire, micro-geographical variation and within-species acoustic partitioning in a highly colonial pinniped, the Cape fur seal - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Royal Society Open Science Année : 2021

Vocal repertoire, micro-geographical variation and within-species acoustic partitioning in a highly colonial pinniped, the Cape fur seal

Résumé

Communication is fundamental for the survival of animal species as signals are involved in many social interactions (mate selection, parental care, collective behaviours). The acoustic channel is an important modality used by birds and mammals to reliably exchange information among individuals. In group-living species, the propagation of vocal signals is limited due to the density of individuals and the background noise. Vocal exchanges are, therefore, challenging. This study is the first investigation into the acoustic communication system of the Cape fur seal (CFS), one of the most colonial mammals with breeding colonies of hundreds of thousands of individuals. We described the acoustic features and social function of five in-air call types from data collected at two colonies. Intra-species variations in these vocalizations highlight a potential ability to convey information about the age and/or sex of the emitter. Using two classification methods, we found that the five call types have distinguishable frequency features and occupy distinct acoustic niches indicating acoustic partitioning in the repertoire. The CFS vocalizations appear to contain characteristics advantageous for discrimination among individuals, which could enhance social interactions in their noisy and confusing acoustic environment. This study provides a basis for our understanding of the CFS acoustic communication system.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Martin_etal_VocalRepertoire_CFS_RSOS_2021.pdf (1.13 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte

Dates et versions

hal-03617118 , version 1 (21-10-2022)

Identifiants

Citer

Mathilde Martin, Tess Gridley, Simon Harvey Elwen, Isabelle Charrier. Vocal repertoire, micro-geographical variation and within-species acoustic partitioning in a highly colonial pinniped, the Cape fur seal. Royal Society Open Science, 2021, 8 (10), pp.202241. ⟨10.1098/rsos.202241⟩. ⟨hal-03617118⟩
24 Consultations
32 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More