Award Abstract # 2148760
HRRBAA: Infrasonic Communication in a Cryptic Primate

NSF Org: BCS
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
Initial Amendment Date: April 7, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: April 7, 2022
Award Number: 2148760
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Rebecca Ferrell
rferrell@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7850
BCS
 Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
SBE
 Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
Start Date: April 15, 2022
End Date: March 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $14,343.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $14,343.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $14,343.00
History of Investigator:
  • Michelle Brown (Principal Investigator)
    brow7100@umn.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of California-Santa Barbara
3227 CHEADLE HALL
SANTA BARBARA
CA  US  93106-0001
(805)893-4188
Sponsor Congressional District: 24
Primary Place of Performance: University of California-Santa Barbara
Office of Research
Santa Barbara
CA  US  93106-2050
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
24
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): G9QBQDH39DF4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Biological Anthropology
Primary Program Source: 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1392, 7342, 9178
Program Element Code(s): 139200
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.075

ABSTRACT

There is widespread evidence that social and vocal complexity co-evolve: animals have larger repertoires of call types when they need to manage more long-term social relationships. By this logic, the very quiet L?Hoest?s monkeys are an anomaly because, despite being highly social, they appear to produce only 10% of the expected number of call types. New preliminary evidence contradicts previous assumptions that this species is merely quiet. Instead, most of its communication may be concentrated within such low frequencies that they are inaudible to humans ? i.e., infrasound. This study is designed to produce high-quality recordings of L'Hoest's monkey calls to document routine use of infrasound for within-group communication. The recordings can be disseminated through publicly accessible, online repositories. The data can inform future studies of physical mechanisms by which relatively small-bodied mammals produce and perceive such signals, the environmental and social pressures likely to have shaped this communication system, and whether related species also use infrasound. The project will advance training and mentoring of undergraduates, including individuals from underrepresented groups in STEM.

L?Hoest?s monkeys face two conflicting challenges: as relatively small-bodied, terrestrial animals, they need to reduce the severe risk of predation by felids and other carnivores; yet the dense vegetation of their preferred habitats limits their visual contact with group-mates, necessitating reliance on acoustic signals to maintain group cohesion. This species may have adapted to these pressures through the use of low-frequency vocalizations that are likely to be inaudible to predators. Specialized equipment is necessary to create sound files as evidence of these signals and to explore their characteristics, because standard equipment is unable to reliably detect signals outside the range of human hearing. These audio files are paired with simultaneous video and distance measurements to nearby animals. Together, these records are used to (1) make a preliminary assessment of the number of call types that occur in the infrasonic (<20Hz) and near-infrasonic (20-40Hz) frequencies, (2) describe the acoustic characteristics of these calls, (3) document the behavioral context associated with specific calls, and (3) determine the transmission distance of low-frequency signals. This study is an initial assessment of a novel communication system and establishes a foundation for future research into this topic.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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