Limited geographic variation in the acoustic structure of and responses to adult male alarm barks of African green monkeys.

ABSTRACT: The global diversity of human languages is a remarkable feature of our species, which requires a capacity for rapid vocal learning. Given that primate alarm calling systems have played an important role in the language origin debate, identifying geographic variation in primate alarm calls and understanding the underlying causal mechanisms are important steps to help uncover evolutionary precursors to language. This study investigates geographic variation in the alarm bark of the widely distributed African green monkey (Chlorocebus). To quantify geographic variation in spectral and temporal call structure, acoustic analysis was used to compare the adult male barks of green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) and two subspecies of vervet (Chlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrus an

SUBMITTER: Price T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3986895 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature