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Vocal plasticity in harbour seal pups.

Laura Torres Borda1,2, Yannick Jadoul1,3, Heikki Rasilo3

  • 1Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|November 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Harbour seal pups, unlike most mammals, lowered their fundamental frequency (f0) when exposed to noise. This vocal plasticity in young seals offers insights into the evolution of vocal learning in mammals, including humans.

Keywords:
acoustic communicationpinnipedvocal modulationvocal production learningvolitional control

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior and Vocal Communication
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Marine Mammal Science

Background:

  • Vocal plasticity, the ability to modify vocalizations, is crucial for adaptation to environmental changes.
  • Pinnipeds, like harbour seals, exhibit vocal learning, making them valuable models for studying vocal plasticity's evolution.
  • Understanding early vocal development in mammals is key to tracing the evolutionary path of vocal learning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate vocal plasticity in young harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in response to acoustic challenges.
  • To determine if seal pups adjust fundamental frequency (f0), amplitude, or temporal characteristics of their calls under noise.
  • To explore the implications of early vocal development for the evolution of vocal plasticity and learning.

Main Methods:

  • Exposed 1-3 week-old harbour seal pups to tailored low- and high-intensity bandpass-filtered noise.
  • Recorded spontaneous vocalizations during noise playback to analyze fundamental frequency (f0), amplitude, and call characteristics.
  • Compared vocal responses to different noise intensities to assess adaptive modulation.

Main Results:

  • Harbour seal pups uniquely lowered their fundamental frequency (f0) in response to increased noise intensity.
  • This f0 modulation was precise and adapted to the specific noise conditions, with reduced dispersion at higher noise levels.
  • While amplitude adjustments were minimal, one pup exhibited Lombard effect characteristics (increased amplitude, flattened spectral tilt).

Conclusions:

  • Harbour seal pups demonstrate a rare form of vocal plasticity in neonates by lowering f0 in noise, contrasting with typical mammalian responses.
  • This f0 modulation suggests active phonatory control and offers insights into the early evolution of vocal adaptation.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the evolutionary trajectory of vocal plasticity and vocal learning across mammalian species, including humans.