dc.contributor.author |
Mausbach, Jelena
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Goncalves, Ines Braga
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Heistermann, Michael
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Ganswindt, Andre
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Manser, Marta B.
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2017-09-04T07:32:29Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2017-09-04T07:32:29Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2017-05-03 |
|
dc.description |
S1 Table. Ethogram with recorded activities. All behaviors were mutually exclusive. (With
permission adjusted from Engesser, 2011.) |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S2 Table. P-values for post-hoc Tukey tests run for factors with significant (or significant
trend) effects. |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S3 Table. Demographic group composition of 9 sampled groups during the reproductive
andnon-reproductive season. Focal individuals are marked in bold. The first 2 individuals
listed per group are the dominant individuals. F: Female, M: Male. |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S4 Table. Sample dates for data collection of focal individuals. |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S5 Table. Individual median close call rate, GCs level, dry fecal weight, mean body weight
and close call rate and dry fecal weight range. rep: reproductive season, nonrep: non-reproductive
season; SUB: subordinate, DOM: dominant; F: female, M: male. |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S6 Table. Pearson correlation test for structural close call parameters in relation to fGCM
levels. rep = reproductive season, nonrep = non-reproductive season. |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S1 Fig. Correlation of individual mean close call duration per season, and individual
median fGCM level per season. (reproductive (black, dashed line) and non-reproductive season
(white, black line)). |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S2 Fig. Correlation of individual mean pulse close call duration per and individual median
fGCM level per season. (reproductive (black, dashed line) and non-reproductive season
(white, black line)). |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S3 Fig. Correlation of individual mean IPI close call duration per and individual median
fGCM level per season. (reproductive (black, dashed line) and non-reproductive season
(white, black line)). |
en_ZA |
dc.description |
S4 Fig. Correlation of individual mean F0 per and individual median fGCM level per season
for the reproductive (black, dashed line) and non-reproductive season (white, black
line). |
en_ZA |
dc.description.abstract |
It is well established that animal vocalizations can encode information regarding a sender's
identity, sex, age, body size, social rank and group membership. However, the association
between physiological parameters, particularly stress hormone levels, and vocal behavior is
still not well understood. The cooperatively breeding African meerkats (Suricata suricatta)
live in family groups with despotic social hierarchies. During foraging, individuals emit close
calls that help maintain group cohesion. These contact calls are acoustically distinctive and
variable in rate across individuals, yet, information on which factors influence close calling
behavior is missing. The aim of this study was to identify proximate factors that influence
variation in call rate and acoustic structure of meerkat close calls. Specifically, we investigated
whether close calling behavior is associated with sex, age and rank, or stress hormone
output (i.e., measured as fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations) as
individual traits of the caller, as well as with environmental conditions (weather) and reproductive
seasonality. To disentangle the effects of these factors on vocal behavior, we analyzed
sound recordings and assessed fGCM concentrations in 64 wild but habituated
meerkats from 9 groups during the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons. Dominant
females and one-year old males called at significantly higher rates compared to other social
categories during the reproductive season. Additionally, dominant females produced close
calls with the lowest mean fundamental frequencies (F0) and the longest mean pulse durations.
Windy conditions were associated with significantly higher call rates during the nonreproductive
season. Fecal GCM concentrations were unrelated to close calling behavior.
Our findings suggest that meerkat close calling behavior conveys information regarding the
sex and social category of the caller, but shows no association with fGCM concentrations.
The change in call rate in response to variation in the social and ecological environments individuals experience indicates some degree of flexibility in vocal production. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Anatomy and Physiology |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Mammal Research Institute |
en_ZA |
dc.description.librarian |
am2017 |
en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship |
The Swiss
National Science Foundation (grant no.
31003A_13676, http://www.snf.ch) to Marta B.
Manser. The long term field site KMP was financed
by Cambridge University (https://www.cam.ac.uk/),
Zurich University (http://www.uzh.ch/en.html) and
Earthwatch (http://eu.earthwatch.org/about). |
en_ZA |
dc.description.uri |
http://www.plosone.org |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation |
Mausbach J, Braga Goncalves I,
Heistermann M, Ganswindt A, Manser MB (2017)
Meerkat close calling patterns are linked to sex,
social category, season and wind, but not fecal
glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations. PLoS
ONE 12(5): e0175371. https://DOI.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0175371. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
1932-6203 (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.1371/journal.pone.0175371 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/62171 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_ZA |
dc.publisher |
Public Library of Science |
en_ZA |
dc.rights |
© 2017 Mausbach et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License. |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Vocal production |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Foraging |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Reproductive season |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Behaviour |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Mole-rat |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Body-size |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Reproductive biology |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Individual recognition |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Wild meerkats |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Cortisol levels |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
African meerkats (Suricata suricatta) |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) |
en_ZA |
dc.title |
Meerkat close calling patterns are linked to sex, social category, season and wind, but not fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations |
en_ZA |
dc.type |
Article |
en_ZA |