Like Father Like Son: Cultural and Genetic Contributions to Song Inheritance in an Estrildid Finch.

Social learning of vocalizations is integral to song inheritance in oscine passerines. However, other factors, such as genetic inheritance and the developmental environment, can also influence song phenotype. The relative contributions of these factors can have a strong influence on song evolution and may affect important evolutionary processes such as speciation. However, relative contributions are well-described only for a few species and are likely to vary with taxonomy. Using archived song data, we examined patterns of song inheritance in a domestic population of Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora), some of which had been cross-fostered. Six-hundred and seventy-six songs from 73 birds were segmented and classified into notes and note subtypes (N = 22,972), for which a range of acoustic features were measured. Overall, we found strong evidence for cultural inheritance of song structure and of the acoustic characteristics of notes; sons' song syntax and note composition were similar to that of their social fathers and were not influenced by genetic relatedness. For vocal consistency of note subtypes, a measure of vocal performance, there was no apparent evidence of social or genetic inheritance, but both age and developmental environment influenced consistency. These findings suggest that high learning fidelity of song material, i.e., song structure and note characteristics, could allow novel variants to be preserved and accumulate over generations, with implications for evolution and conservation. However, differences in vocal performance do not show strong links to cultural inheritance, instead potentially serving as condition dependent signals.

The uses and implications of avian vocalizations for conservation planning.

There is a growing recognition that animal behavior can affect wildlife conservation, but there have been few direct studies of animal behavior in conservation programs. However, a great deal of existing behavioral research can be applied in the context of conservation. Research on avian vocalizations provides an excellent example. The conspicuous nature of the vocal behavior of birds makes it a useful tool for monitoring populations and measuring biodiversity, but the importance of vocalizations in conservation goes beyond monitoring. Geographic song variants with population-specific signatures, or dialects, can affect territory formation and mate choice. Dialects are influenced by cultural evolution and natural selection and changes can accumulate even during the timescale of conservation interventions, such as translocations, reintroductions, and ex situ breeding. Information from existing research into avian vocalizations can be used to improve conservation planning and increase the success of interventions. Vocalizations can confer a number of benefits for conservation practitioners through monitoring, providing baseline data on populations and individuals. However, the influence of cultural variation on territory formation, mate choice, and gene flow should be taken into account because cultural differences could create obstacles for conservation programs that bring birds from multiple populations together and so reduce the success of interventions.

Implicaciones y Usos de las Vocalizaciones de Aves para la Conservación de la Planeación Resumen Hay un creciente reconocimiento de que el comportamiento animal puede afectar a la conservación de la fauna, pero ha habido pocos estudios directos del comportamiento animal en los programas de conservación. Sin embargo, una gran cantidad de la investigación existente sobre el comportamiento puede aplicarse en el contexto de la conservación. Las investigaciones sobre las vocalizaciones de aves son un excelente ejemplo. La naturaleza conspicua del comportamiento vocal de las aves hace que sea una herramienta útil para el monitoreo de las poblaciones y las medidas de la biodiversidad, pero la importancia de las vocalizaciones en la conservación va más allá del monitoreo. Las variantes geográficas de canto con firmas específicas para cada población, también conocidas como dialectos, pueden afectar a la formación del territorio y a la elección de pareja. Los dialectos están influenciados por la evolución cultural y la selección natural y los cambios pueden acumularse incluso durante la escala de tiempo de las intervenciones de conservación, como las reubicaciones, las reintroducciones y la reproducción ex situ. La información disponible a partir de las investigaciones existentes sobre las vocalizaciones de aves puede usarse para mejorar la planeación de la conservación e incrementar el éxito de las intervenciones. Las vocalizaciones pueden otorgar un número de beneficios para quienes practican la conservación a través del monitoreo, proporcionando información de la línea base de las poblaciones y los individuos. Sin embargo, la influencia de la variación cultural sobre la formación del territorio, la elección de pareja y el flujo génico deberían considerarse ya que las diferencias culturales podrían crear obstáculos para los programas de conservación que agrupan a aves de diferentes poblaciones y con ello reducen el éxito de las intervenciones.

The effect of visitors on the behavior of zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Primates, especially apes, are popular with the public, often attracting large crowds. These crowds could cause behavioral change in captive primates, whether positive, neutral, or negative. We examined the impact of visitors on the behavior of six western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), observing the troop over 6 weeks during high season (4.5 hr/day, 35 days, May-July 2016). We used focal scan sampling to determine activity budget and enclosure usage, and focal continuous sampling to identify bouts of anxiety-related behavior (visitor-directed vigilance, self-scratching, and aggression). Both daily zoo-entry numbers (VGATE ) and instantaneous crowds at the exhibit (VDENSITY ) were measured. Overall, VGATE had little effect across behaviors. However, consistent with the more acute time frame of measurement, VDENSITY was a better predictor of behavior; at high crowd volumes, we observed significant group-level changes in activity budget (increased inactivity, increased locomotion, and decreased environment-related behaviors), increase in some anxiety-related behaviors, and decreased enclosure usage. Although contributing similar effects, it could not be determined if crowd numbers, composition, or noise most affected the troop, nor any chronic effects of exposure to large crowds. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that measures to minimize the impacts of large crowds at the exhibit would be beneficial. Furthermore, we highlight potential discrepancies between common methods for measuring visitor numbers: VGATE is less sensitive to detecting visitor effects on behavioral indices than VDENSITY . Future studies should appropriately match the biological time frame of welfare indicators and visitor measures used to ensure the reliability of findings.

Bioacoustics in cognitive research: Applications, considerations, and recommendations.

The multifaceted ability to produce, transmit, receive, and respond to acoustic signals is widespread in animals and forms the basis of the interdisciplinary science of bioacoustics. Bioacoustics research methods, including sound recording and playback experiments, are applicable in cognitive research that centers around the processing of information from the acoustic environment. We provide an overview of bioacoustics techniques in the context of cognitive studies and make the case for the importance of bioacoustics in the study of cognition by outlining some of the major cognitive processes in which acoustic signals are involved. We also describe key considerations associated with the recording of sound and its use in cognitive applications. Based on these considerations, we provide a set of recommendations for best practices in the recording and use of acoustic signals in cognitive studies. Our aim is to demonstrate that acoustic recordings and stimuli are valuable tools for cognitive researchers when used appropriately. In doing so, we hope to stimulate opportunities for innovative cognitive research that incorporates robust recording protocols. This article is categorized under: Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Theory and Methods Neuroscience > Behavior Neuroscience > Cognition.