
NSF Org: |
BCS Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences |
Recipient: |
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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: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3227 CHEADLE HALL SANTA BARBARA CA US 93106-0001 (805)893-4188 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
Office of Research Santa Barbara CA US 93106-2050 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | Biological Anthropology |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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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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