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Vocal production by terrestrial mammals: source, filter and function

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posted on 2023-06-08, 21:58 authored by Anna M Taylor, Benjamin D Charlton, David Reby
In little over two decades, researchers have moved from a situation in which most studies of terrestrial mammal vocal signals focused on conspicuous characteristics, such as their rate of occurrence, and where the spectral acoustic variation was largely ignored or poorly quantified, to a field of study in which there is a much better understanding of the nature and function of the acoustic parameters that compose vocalizations. The source-filter theory, originally developed for the analysis of speech signals, has played a large role in this progress. Understanding how the acoustic variability of vocalizations is grounded within their mechanism of production has enabled researchers to predict the type of information that vocal signals are likely to contain, and to predict their co-variation with morphological and/or physiological attributes of callers. Moreover, the powerful theoretical platform derived from the source-filter theory not just conceptually supports the formulation of multilevel hypotheses, but also paves the way to develop the corresponding methodologies needed to address them. Although the full range of acoustic diversity of terrestrial mammal signals has yet to be explored, this chapter draws together a wealth of research conducted over the last two decades, and describes how source- and filter-related acoustic components encode functionally relevant information in the vocal communication systems of terrestrial mammal and how selection pressures have led to the evolution of anatomical innovations that enable animals to produce exaggerated vocal traits.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Publisher

Springer

Page range

229-260

Pages

328.0

Book title

Vertebrate Sound Production and Acoustic Communication

ISBN

9783319277219

Series

Springer Handbook of Auditory Research

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Editors

W T Fitch, R Suthers, D Fay, A Popper

Legacy Posted Date

2015-08-04

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-05-24

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