Goat kid recognition of their mothers' calls is not impacted by changes in fundamental frequency or formants
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Goat kid recognition of their mothers' calls is not impacted by changes in fundamental frequency or formants. / Perroux, T. A.; McElligott, A. G.; Briefer, E. F.
I: Journal of Zoology, Bind 318, Nr. 4, 2022.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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T1 - Goat kid recognition of their mothers' calls is not impacted by changes in fundamental frequency or formants
AU - Perroux, T. A.
AU - McElligott, A. G.
AU - Briefer, E. F.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Zoology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Features varying more between than within individuals are considered as potential cues for individual recognition. According to the source-filter theory of vocal production, the fundamental frequency of mammals' vocalizations depends on the characteristics of vocal folds, while Formants are determined by the characteristics of the vocal tract. Goat mothers and their kids (Capra hircus) display mutual recognition, and both source-related parameters (f0) and filter-related ones (Formants) have been shown to be individualized. Here, we aimed to identify if f0 and Formants are used by goat kids to recognize their mother's vocalizations. To do this, we independently modified these parameters in calls of goat mothers to different degrees (within or exceeding the range of natural intra-individual variability), and we played back these modified calls to their kids. We found no effect of f0 or Formants modification on the kids' reactions. Further analyses revealed that goat kids emitted fewer calls when modifications to f0 resulted in higher values of the first energy quartile, suggesting a role of the distribution of energy in the spectrum in maternal recognition. We propose that either: (i) f0 and Formants are not involved in goats' maternal recognition; (ii) goat kids have a tolerance for variation when recognizing their mother's calls that exceeds the performed shifts in these parameters; or (iii) goat kid maternal recognition is based on a combination of features and might be more flexible than previously thought, such that when one feature is modified, kids focus on other features. The effect of the spectral energy distribution modification on the kid responses, which depends both on f0 and Formant heights, suggests that (iii) is a likely explanation. Our findings support the hypothesis of complex individual acoustic recognition from the early stages of development in ungulates.
AB - Features varying more between than within individuals are considered as potential cues for individual recognition. According to the source-filter theory of vocal production, the fundamental frequency of mammals' vocalizations depends on the characteristics of vocal folds, while Formants are determined by the characteristics of the vocal tract. Goat mothers and their kids (Capra hircus) display mutual recognition, and both source-related parameters (f0) and filter-related ones (Formants) have been shown to be individualized. Here, we aimed to identify if f0 and Formants are used by goat kids to recognize their mother's vocalizations. To do this, we independently modified these parameters in calls of goat mothers to different degrees (within or exceeding the range of natural intra-individual variability), and we played back these modified calls to their kids. We found no effect of f0 or Formants modification on the kids' reactions. Further analyses revealed that goat kids emitted fewer calls when modifications to f0 resulted in higher values of the first energy quartile, suggesting a role of the distribution of energy in the spectrum in maternal recognition. We propose that either: (i) f0 and Formants are not involved in goats' maternal recognition; (ii) goat kids have a tolerance for variation when recognizing their mother's calls that exceeds the performed shifts in these parameters; or (iii) goat kid maternal recognition is based on a combination of features and might be more flexible than previously thought, such that when one feature is modified, kids focus on other features. The effect of the spectral energy distribution modification on the kid responses, which depends both on f0 and Formant heights, suggests that (iii) is a likely explanation. Our findings support the hypothesis of complex individual acoustic recognition from the early stages of development in ungulates.
KW - acoustic recognition
KW - bioacoustics
KW - Capra hircus
KW - maternal calls
KW - mother-offspring relationships
KW - source-filter theory
KW - vocal communication
KW - vocal recognition
U2 - 10.1111/jzo.13017
DO - 10.1111/jzo.13017
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85140100150
VL - 318
JO - Journal of Zoology
JF - Journal of Zoology
SN - 0952-8369
IS - 4
ER -
ID: 324317992