The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals
The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour. We analysed frequency contou...
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| Format: | Article |
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PeerJ Inc.
2019-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/6670.pdf |
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| author | Gabriel Melo-Santos Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin Israel de Sá Maciel Miriam Marmontel Maria Luisa Da Silva Laura Johanna May-Collado |
| author_facet | Gabriel Melo-Santos Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin Israel de Sá Maciel Miriam Marmontel Maria Luisa Da Silva Laura Johanna May-Collado |
| author_sort | Gabriel Melo-Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour. We analysed frequency contours of 727 signals (sampled at 10 ms temporal resolution). These contours were analyzed using an adaptive resonance theory neural network combined with dynamic time-warping (ARTwarp). Using a critical similarity value of 96%, frequency contours were categorized into 237 sound-types. The most common types were emitted when calves were present suggesting a key role in mother-calf communication. Our findings show that the acoustic repertoire of river dolphins is far from simple. Furthermore, the calls described here are similar in acoustic structure to those produced by social delphinids, such as orcas and pilot whales. Uncovering the context in which these signals are produced may help understand the social structure of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in whales. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:38:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e50f226ba4ef4785a6ef56b1bbb9f685 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:38:43Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-e50f226ba4ef4785a6ef56b1bbb9f6852023-12-03T10:55:23ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-04-017e667010.7717/peerj.6670The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signalsGabriel Melo-Santos0Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues1Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin2Israel de Sá Maciel3Miriam Marmontel4Maria Luisa Da Silva5Laura Johanna May-Collado6Sea Mammal Research Unit/Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United KingdomBioMA—Biology and Conservation of Amazonian Aquatic Mammals, Belém, Pará, BrazilDepartment of Ecology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLaboratory of Bioacoustics and Cetacean Ecology, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilResearch Group on Amazonian Aquatic Mammals, Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Amazonas, BrazilGraduate program in Theory and Research of Behavior, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, BrazilDepartment of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States of AmericaThe recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour. We analysed frequency contours of 727 signals (sampled at 10 ms temporal resolution). These contours were analyzed using an adaptive resonance theory neural network combined with dynamic time-warping (ARTwarp). Using a critical similarity value of 96%, frequency contours were categorized into 237 sound-types. The most common types were emitted when calves were present suggesting a key role in mother-calf communication. Our findings show that the acoustic repertoire of river dolphins is far from simple. Furthermore, the calls described here are similar in acoustic structure to those produced by social delphinids, such as orcas and pilot whales. Uncovering the context in which these signals are produced may help understand the social structure of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in whales.https://peerj.com/articles/6670.pdfBotoBehaviorAcoustic communicationMother-calf pairsNon-linear phenomena |
| spellingShingle | Gabriel Melo-Santos Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin Israel de Sá Maciel Miriam Marmontel Maria Luisa Da Silva Laura Johanna May-Collado The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals PeerJ Boto Behavior Acoustic communication Mother-calf pairs Non-linear phenomena |
| title | The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| title_full | The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| title_fullStr | The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| title_full_unstemmed | The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| title_short | The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartiodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| title_sort | newly described araguaian river dolphins inia araguaiaensis cetartiodactyla iniidae produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals |
| topic | Boto Behavior Acoustic communication Mother-calf pairs Non-linear phenomena |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/6670.pdf |
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