29 results on '"Laurie L. Bloomfield"'
Search Results
2. Neural correlates of threat perception: neural equivalence of conspecific and heterospecific mobbing calls is learned.
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Marc T Avey, Marisa Hoeschele, Michele K Moscicki, Laurie L Bloomfield, and Christopher B Sturdy
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Songbird auditory areas (i.e., CMM and NCM) are preferentially activated to playback of conspecific vocalizations relative to heterospecific and arbitrary noise. Here, we asked if the neural response to auditory stimulation is not simply preferential for conspecific vocalizations but also for the information conveyed by the vocalization. Black-capped chickadees use their chick-a-dee mobbing call to recruit conspecifics and other avian species to mob perched predators. Mobbing calls produced in response to smaller, higher-threat predators contain more "D" notes compared to those produced in response to larger, lower-threat predators and thus convey the degree of threat of predators. We specifically asked whether the neural response varies with the degree of threat conveyed by the mobbing calls of chickadees and whether the neural response is the same for actual predator calls that correspond to the degree of threat of the chickadee mobbing calls. Our results demonstrate that, as degree of threat increases in conspecific chickadee mobbing calls, there is a corresponding increase in immediate early gene (IEG) expression in telencephalic auditory areas. We also demonstrate that as the degree of threat increases for the heterospecific predator, there is a corresponding increase in IEG expression in the auditory areas. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the amount IEG expression between conspecific mobbing calls or heterospecific predator calls that were the same degree of threat. In a second experiment, using hand-reared chickadees without predator experience, we found more IEG expression in response to mobbing calls than corresponding predator calls, indicating that degree of threat is learned. Our results demonstrate that degree of threat corresponds to neural activity in the auditory areas and that threat can be conveyed by different species signals and that these signals must be learned.
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- 2011
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3. Avian Vocal Perception: Bioacoustics and Perceptual Mechanisms
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Christopher B. Sturdy, Allison H. Hahn, Lauren M. Guillette, Marisa Hoeschele, Neil McMillan, Laurie L. Bloomfield, and Marc T. Avey
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Bioacoustics ,Acoustics ,Perception ,media_common.quotation_subject ,medicine ,Biology ,Audiology ,media_common - Published
- 2017
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4. Acoustic transmission of the chick-a-dee call of the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus): forest structure and note function
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Darren S. Proppe, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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Black-capped chickadee ,Ecology ,Poecile ,Forest structure ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Forestry ,Biology ,Sound production ,biology.organism_classification ,Acoustic transmission ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Parus atricapillus - Abstract
The acoustic adaptation hypothesis predicts that bird vocalizations will be structured to optimize their transmis- sion through native vegetation. In cases where communication with distant individuals is needed, optimal transmission im- plies maximal propagation. In other cases, vocal signals are intended for nearby conspecifics and optimal transmission may be only a few metres. The ''chick-a-dee'' call of the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766)) is a complex call used in both long- and short-range communication. Here we test whether this call transmits optimally in the locally preferred forests composed of a mix of deciduous and coniferous vegetation, or in either pure deciduous or conifer- ous forest stands. In addition, we examine whether notes that putatively function in short-range communication transmit shorter distances than those used in long-range communication. We found differential transmission rates for the highest and lowest frequencies in the chick-a-dee call in different forest types, and an overall improvement in call transmission in mixed forests. Note-type transmission correlated with putative note function with one notable exception. In summary, our results suggest that the chick-a-dee call conforms to the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, and that the forms of its note types are in line with their function. Resume´ : L'hypothese de l'adaptation acoustique predit que les vocalises d'oiseaux sont structurees de maniere aoptimi- ser leur transmission atravers la vegetation indigene. Lorsqu'une communication avec des individus eloignes est neces- saire, la transmission optimale implique une propagation maximale. Dans les autres cas, les signaux vocaux sont destinesa ` des oiseaux de meme espece aproximiteet la transmission optimale peut n'etre que de quelques metres. L'appel « chick- a-dee » (« qui-es-tu-tu-tu ») de la mesange atete noire (Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766)) est complexe et sert ala communi- cation tant de courte que de longue portee. Nous verifions ici si cet appel se transmet de facon optimale dans les forets lo- cales preferees composees d'un melange de vegetation decidue et de coniferes ou alors s'il le fait mieux dans les peuplements purs de decidus ou de coniferes. De plus, nous examinons si les notes que l'on croit servir a la communica- tion de courte portee se transmettent sur des distances plus courtes que celles utilisees dans la communication a longue portee. Nous observons des taux de transmission differents pour les frequences les plus elevees et les plus basses de l'appel « chick-a-dee » dans les divers types de forets et une amelioration globale de la transmission des appels dans les forets mixtes. Il existe une correlation entre la transmission du type de note et la fonction presumee de la note, avec une exception importante. En resume ´, nos resultats indiquent que l'appel « chick-a-dee » se conforme al'hypothese de l'adap- tation acoustique et que les formes de ses types de notes correspondent a leur fonction. (Traduit par la Redaction)
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- 2010
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5. Absolute pitch in boreal chickadees and humans: Exceptions that test a phylogenetic rule
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Laura-Lee Balkwill, Christopher B. Sturdy, Ronald G. Weisman, Michele K. Moscicki, Marisa Hoeschele, and Laurie L. Bloomfield
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Communication ,Health (social science) ,Phylogenetic tree ,business.industry ,Research methodology ,Absolute pitch ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Education ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,Boreal ,Statistics ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,Octave ,Psychology ,business ,psychological phenomena and processes - Abstract
This research examined generality of the phylogenetic rule that birds discriminate frequency ranges more accurately than mammals. Human absolute pitch chroma possessors accurately tracked transitions between frequency ranges. Independent tests showed that they used note naming (pitch chroma) to remap the tones into ranges; neither possessors nor nonpossessors were accurate at octave (pitch height) naming. Boreal chickadees discriminated frequency ranges less accurately than other birds; they tracked reward across several lower frequency ranges but failed at frequencies over 4000 Hz. The results revealed the error of describing species differences solely in terms of their discrimination of frequency ranges. Exceptions to the rule disappear when the rule is restated in terms of underlying mechanism: birds are superior to mammals in the ability to use absolute pitch height perception to discriminate pitches and ranges of pitches.
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- 2010
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6. Using network models of absolute pitch to compare frequency-range discriminations across avian species
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Marisa Hoeschele, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Ronald G. Weisman, Christopher B. Sturdy, and Douglas J. K. Mewhort
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Male ,Auditory perception ,Neural substrate ,Range (biology) ,Sensory system ,Biology ,Birds ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,Discrimination, Psychological ,Species Specificity ,Discriminative model ,Animals ,Learning ,Pitch Perception ,Network model ,Sex Characteristics ,Communication ,business.industry ,Component (thermodynamics) ,Absolute pitch ,Pattern recognition ,General Medicine ,Acoustic Stimulation ,Auditory Perception ,Female ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Neural Networks, Computer ,Artificial intelligence ,Vocalization, Animal ,business ,Algorithms - Abstract
The spectral frequency ranges of song notes are important for recognition in avian species tested in the field. Frequency-range discriminations in both the field and laboratory require absolute pitch (AP). AP is the ability to perceive pitches without an external referent. The authors provided a network model designed to account for differences in AP among avian species and evaluated it against discriminative performance in eight-frequency-range laboratory tests of AP for five species of songbirds and two species of nonsongbirds. The model's sensory component describes the neural substrate of avian auditory perception, and its associative component handles learning of the discrimination. Using only two free parameters to describe the selectivity and the sensitivity of each species’ auditory sensory filters, the model provided highly accurate predictions of frequency-range discrimination in songbirds and in a parrot species, but performance and its prediction were less accurate in pigeons: the only species tested that does not learn its vocalizations. Here for the first time, the authors present a model that predicted individual species’ performance in frequency-range discriminations and predicted differences in discrimination among avian species with high accuracy.
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- 2010
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7. Comparing black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli): use of geometric and featural information in a spatial orientation task
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Emily R. Batty, Marcia L. Spetch, Laurie L. Bloomfield, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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Male ,Computer science ,Spatial Behavior ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Task (project management) ,Species Specificity ,Orientation ,Animals ,Passeriformes ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Communication ,Landmark ,biology ,business.industry ,Orientation (computer vision) ,Association Learning ,Recognition, Psychology ,Space perception ,Pattern recognition ,biology.organism_classification ,Salient ,Spatial behavior ,Space Perception ,Poecile ,Spatial learning ,Female ,Artificial intelligence ,business - Abstract
Since Cheng (Cognition 23:149-178, 1986) first proposed the "geometric module" in rats, a great deal of research has focused on how other species use geometric information and how geometric encoding may differ across species. Here, hand-reared and wild-caught black-capped chickadees and wild-caught mountain chickadees searched for food hidden in one corner in a rectangular environment. Previous research has shown that mountain chickadees do not spontaneously encode geometric information when a salient feature is present near the goal location. Using a slightly different training and testing procedure, we found that both hand-reared and wild-caught black-capped chickadees encoded geometric information, even in the presence of a salient landmark. Some, but not all, mountain chickadees also encoded geometric information. Overall, our results suggest that use of geometric information may be a less preferred strategy for mountain chickadees than for either wild-caught or hand-reared black-capped chickadees. To our knowledge, this is the first direct interspecies comparison of use of geometric information in a spatial orientation task.
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- 2009
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8. All 'chick-a-dee' calls are not created equally
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, and Tara M. Farrell
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Sympatry ,Ecology ,Allopatric speciation ,Zoology ,General Medicine ,Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,Chickadee ,Geographic distribution ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,ALARM ,Sympatric speciation ,Genus Poecile ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Flock - Abstract
The 'chick-a-dee' call, common to all members of the genus Poecile, is used by both sexes throughout the year to putatively co-ordinate flock movements and register alarm. In some regions, two or more chickadee species occupy overlapping territories, and therefore it is essential that these sympatric species learn to discriminate between the acoustically similar calls of the species. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that black-capped (P. atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (P. gambeli) discriminate between the species' calls and treat each species' calls as belonging to separate open-ended categories. In the current set of experiments we use an operant conditioning paradigm to gain an understanding of (1) how the birds perform this discrimination and (2) whether birds with different levels of experience with heterospecific calls perform this task differently. We use natural recordings of chick-a-dee calls and perform several manipulations to test the importance of the introductory 'chick-a' portion and the terminal 'dee' portion for discriminating among the calls of the two species. Evidence suggests that birds mainly use the terminal 'dee' portion, as all groups of birds responded similarly to these probe stimuli and control chick-a-dee calls. We propose that the terminal 'dee' portion, consisting of lower frequency notes, is more likely to be resistant to degradation, and therefore a more reliable species-specific marker.
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- 2008
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9. Note types and coding in parid vocalizations. III: The chick-a-dee call of the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
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Ronald G. Weisman, Christopher B. Sturdy, Laurie L. Bloomfield, and Leslie S. Phillmore
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Baeolophus ,Syntax (programming languages) ,biology ,Evolutionary biology ,Poecile ,Sound analysis ,Genus Poecile ,Animal Science and Zoology ,biology.organism_classification ,Chickadee ,Canto ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Coding (social sciences) - Abstract
Species of the genus Poecile Kaup, 1829 (the chickadees) are well suited to comparative studies of acoustic communication because their songs and calls occur in similar contexts and are acoustically similar. Here we provide careful, reliable descriptions and spectrographic exemplars for seven note types observed in the chick-a-dee calls of the Carolina chickadee, Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834). The note types include A, C, and D notes similar to those found in the chick-a-dee calls of the black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), a complex of three B-note subtypes (B1, B2, and B3) and a rare note type previously identified as high-tee-chick. In common with black-capped chickadees, the organization of note types in Carolina chickadees follows a stringent syntax; the position of note types within a call is fixed. In contrast with black-capped chickadees, the chick-a-dee call syntax of the Carolina chickadee includes a B-note complex composed of three acoustically distinct subtypes of B notes, and follows a strict syntax: A→(B1→B2→B3)→C→D. Analysis of call variability suggests that the B-note complex (in particular, the most commonly sung note, B2) and the D note may provide reliable cues for species and individual recognition.
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- 2005
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10. Effects of songs and calls on ZENK expression in the auditory telencephalon of field- and isolate-reared black capped chickadees
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Leslie S. Phillmore, Ronald G. Weisman, and Laurie L. Bloomfield
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Male ,Telencephalon ,Auditory Pathways ,Time Factors ,animal structures ,Captivity ,Feedback ,Songbirds ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,Poecile atricapilla ,Sex Factors ,medicine ,Animals ,Interpersonal Relations ,Animal communication ,Analysis of Variance ,Communication ,biology ,Cerebrum ,business.industry ,biology.organism_classification ,Immunohistochemistry ,Play and Playthings ,Songbird ,Animal Communication ,DNA-Binding Proteins ,Sexual dimorphism ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Acoustic Stimulation ,Social Isolation ,nervous system ,Expression (architecture) ,Dorsal region ,behavior and behavior mechanisms ,Female ,business ,Neuroscience ,Transcription Factors - Abstract
We examined the effects of hearing two different conspecific vocalizations on expression of the immediate-early gene ZENK in the caudomedial neostriatum (NCM) and the caudomedial portion of the ventral hyperstriatum (cmHV) in male and female black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla). Both the fee-bee song and the chick-a-dee call induced Zenk protein expression in NCM and in cmHV, however, patterns of expression to songs and calls varied across brain region. In the dorsal region of NCM, fee-bee songs induced more Zenk expression than chick-a-dee calls. In ventral NCM and cmHV, Zenk expression did not differ between songs and calls. We found that sex of the listener also affected Zenk expression: there was more robust ZENK response in males than in females. Finally, we compared field- and isolate-reared chickadees and found similar Zenk expression to fee-bee song in each group. These findings indicated that the type of conspecific vocalization, as well as the sex of the listener, appear to modulate IEG expression in the songbird ascending auditory pathway.
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- 2003
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11. Open-ended categorization of chick-a-dee calls by black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla)
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Leslie S. Phillmore, Christopher B. Sturdy, and Ronald G. Weisman
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Male ,Sound Spectrography ,Fourier Analysis ,Transfer, Psychology ,Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ,Animal Communication ,Discrimination Learning ,Songbirds ,Poecile atricapilla ,Species Specificity ,Categorization ,Mental Recall ,Auditory Perception ,Animals ,Conditioning, Operant ,Female ,Psychology (miscellaneous) ,Vocalization, Animal ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The authors trained black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) in an operant discrimination with exemplars of black-capped and Carolina chick-a-dee calls, with the goal of determining whether the birds memorized the calls of conspecifics and heterospecifics or classified the calls by species. Black-capped calls served as both rewarded (S+) and unrewarded (S-) stimuli (the within-category discrimination), whereas Carolina chick-a-dee calls served as S-s (the between-category discrimination) in the black-capped chick-a-dee call S+ group. The Carolina call S+ group had Carolina calls as S+s and S-s (within-category) and black-capped calls as S-s (between-category). Both groups discriminated between call categories faster than within a call category. In 2 subsequent experiments, both S+ groups showed transfer to novel calls and propagation back to between-category calls. The results favor the hypothesis that the acoustically similar social calls of the 2 species constitute separate open-ended categories.
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- 2003
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12. Development of a contact call in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) hand-reared in different acoustic environments
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Emily R. Batty, Michael R. W. Dawson, Lauren M. Guillette, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, University of St Andrews. School of Biology, and University of St Andrews. Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution
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Male ,Sound Spectrography ,Time Factors ,Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,Zoology ,Environment ,Songbirds ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,Learning ,Interpersonal Relations ,Animal Husbandry ,QL ,biology ,Discriminant Analysis ,Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ,Acoustics ,QL Zoology ,biology.organism_classification ,Contact call ,Chickadee ,Social Isolation ,Poecile ,Female ,Vocalization, Animal - Abstract
The tseet contact call, common to black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (P. gambeli), is the most frequently produced vocalization of each species. Previous work has characterized the tseet call of black-capped and mountain chickadees from different geographic locations in terms of nine acoustic features. In the current study, using similar methods, the tseet call of black-capped chickadees that were hand reared with either conspecifics, heterospecifics (mountain chickadees), or in isolation from adult chickadees are described. Analysis of call features examined which acoustic features were most affected by rearing environment, and revealed that starting frequency and the slope of the descending portion of the tseet call differed between black-capped chickadees reared with either conspecific or heterospecific adults. Birds reared in isolation from adults differed from the other hand-reared groups on almost every acoustic feature. Chickadee tseet calls are more individualized when they are reared with adult conspecifics or heterospecifics compared to chickadees that are reared in isolation from adults. The current results suggest a role of learning in this commonly used contact call. Publisher PDF
- Published
- 2011
13. Note types and coding in Parid vocalizations: the chick-a-dee call of the boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Maria Modanu, Marisa Hoeschele, Michele K. Moscicki, Isabelle Charrier, Christopher B. Sturdy, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Equipe 8 : Communications Acoustiques, Centre de Neurosciences Paris-Sud (CNPS), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
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0106 biological sciences ,Male ,Future studies ,Sound Spectrography ,Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,Sound production ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Songbirds ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,biology ,05 social sciences ,Acoustics ,biology.organism_classification ,Chickadee ,Geography ,Poecile hudsonicus ,Boreal ,Evolutionary biology ,Poecile ,Functional significance ,[SDV.NEU]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC] ,Female ,Vocalization, Animal ,Coding (social sciences) - Abstract
International audience; An important first step in characterizing a vocalization is to classify, describe, and measure the elements of that vocalization. Here, this methodology is employed to study the chick-a-dee call of the boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus). The note types (A, B, C, D, and D(h)) in a sample of boreal chickadee calls are identified and described, spectral and temporal features of each note type are analyzed, and production phenomena in each note type are identified and quantified. Acoustic variability is compared across note types and individuals to determine potential features used for note-type and individual discrimination. Frequency measures appear to be the most useful features for identifying note types and individuals, though total duration may also be useful. Call syntax reveals that boreal chick-a-dee calls follow a general rule of note-type order, namely A-B-C-D(h)-D, and that any note type in this sequence may be repeated or omitted. This work provides a thorough description of the boreal chickadee chick-a-dee call and will serve as a foundation for future studies aimed at elucidating this call's functional significance within this species, as well as for studies comparing chick-a-dee calls across Poecile species.
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- 2011
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14. Neural correlates of threat perception: neural equivalence of conspecific and heterospecific mobbing calls is learned
- Author
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Christopher B. Sturdy, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Michele K. Moscicki, Marc T. Avey, and Marisa Hoeschele
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Male ,lcsh:Medicine ,Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Nervous System ,Mobbing (animal behavior) ,Predation ,Songbirds ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,0302 clinical medicine ,Learning and Memory ,Ornithology ,Psychology ,Nervous System Physiological Phenomena ,lcsh:Science ,Predator ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Animal Behavior ,Ecology ,Systems Biology ,Experimental Psychology ,Fear ,Neuroethology ,Chickadee ,Sensory Systems ,Auditory System ,Auditory Perception ,Female ,Sensory Perception ,Research Article ,Auditory perception ,Auditory area ,03 medical and health sciences ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,Learning ,Biology ,030304 developmental biology ,Early Growth Response Protein 1 ,Neural correlates of consciousness ,Communication ,Behavior ,business.industry ,lcsh:R ,biology.organism_classification ,Animal Cognition ,Songbird ,Acoustic Stimulation ,lcsh:Q ,Vocalization, Animal ,Molecular Neuroscience ,business ,Zoology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Neuroscience - Abstract
Songbird auditory areas (i.e., CMM and NCM) are preferentially activated to playback of conspecific vocalizations relative to heterospecific and arbitrary noise [1]–[2]. Here, we asked if the neural response to auditory stimulation is not simply preferential for conspecific vocalizations but also for the information conveyed by the vocalization. Black-capped chickadees use their chick-a-dee mobbing call to recruit conspecifics and other avian species to mob perched predators [3]. Mobbing calls produced in response to smaller, higher-threat predators contain more “D” notes compared to those produced in response to larger, lower-threat predators and thus convey the degree of threat of predators [4]. We specifically asked whether the neural response varies with the degree of threat conveyed by the mobbing calls of chickadees and whether the neural response is the same for actual predator calls that correspond to the degree of threat of the chickadee mobbing calls. Our results demonstrate that, as degree of threat increases in conspecific chickadee mobbing calls, there is a corresponding increase in immediate early gene (IEG) expression in telencephalic auditory areas. We also demonstrate that as the degree of threat increases for the heterospecific predator, there is a corresponding increase in IEG expression in the auditory areas. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the amount IEG expression between conspecific mobbing calls or heterospecific predator calls that were the same degree of threat. In a second experiment, using hand-reared chickadees without predator experience, we found more IEG expression in response to mobbing calls than corresponding predator calls, indicating that degree of threat is learned. Our results demonstrate that degree of threat corresponds to neural activity in the auditory areas and that threat can be conveyed by different species signals and that these signals must be learned.
- Published
- 2011
15. Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) contact call contains species, sex, and individual identity features
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Emily R. Batty, Michael R. W. Dawson, Lauren M. Guillette, Laurie L. Bloomfield, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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Male ,Sound Spectrography ,Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,Allopatric speciation ,Animals, Wild ,Environment ,Songbirds ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,Social Behavior ,Sex Characteristics ,biology ,Discriminant Analysis ,Acoustics ,biology.organism_classification ,Linear discriminant analysis ,Contact call ,Chickadee ,Geography ,Sympatric speciation ,Evolutionary biology ,Poecile ,Identity (object-oriented programming) ,Linear Models ,Female ,Vocalization, Animal - Abstract
The tseet contact call, common to both black-capped and mountain chickadees, is among the most frequently produced call of each species, but has remained little studied until now. In the current study, the authors characterized the tseet call of adult allopatric and sympatric black-capped and mountain chickadees in terms of nine acoustic features in a fashion similar to descriptive accounts of both species’ chick-a-dee calls. Summary statistics, the potential for individual coding, and classification by linear discriminant analysis were used to describe the tseet call. The authors were able to correctly classify tseet calls in terms of which group or individual produced it with high accuracy. Furthermore, several acoustic features are highly individualized, indicating that the chickadees may use these features to identify signalers as individuals or members of a particular group.
- Published
- 2010
16. Feature weighting in ‘chick-a-dee' call notes of Poecile atricapillus
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Isabelle Charrier, Carly M. Nickerson, Christopher B. Sturdy, Michael R. W. Dawson, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), and Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
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0106 biological sciences ,Sound Spectrography ,Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,Computer science ,Transfer, Psychology ,Speech recognition ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,Context (language use) ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Generalization, Psychological ,Pitch Discrimination ,Songbirds ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Feature (machine learning) ,Animals ,Computer Simulation ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,biology ,Artificial neural network ,05 social sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Chickadee ,Degree (music) ,Weighting ,Poecile ,Spectrogram ,Neural Networks, Computer ,Vocalization, Animal - Abstract
International audience; Artificial neural networks were trained to discriminate between different note types from the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) "chick-a-dee" call. Each individual note was represented as a vector of summary features taken from note spectrograms and networks were trained to respond to exemplar notes of one type and to fail to respond to exemplar notes of another type. Following initial network training, the network was presented novel notes in which individual acoustic features had been modified. The strength of the response of the network to each novel and shifted note was recorded. When network responses were plotted as a function of the degree of acoustic feature modification and training context, it became clear that modifications of some acoustic features had significant effects on network responses, while others did not. Moreover, the training context of the network also played a role in the responses of networks to manipulated test notes. The implications of using artificial neural networks to generate testable hypotheses for animal research and the role of context are discussed.
- Published
- 2007
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17. Categorization and discrimination of 'chick-a-dee' calls by wild-caught and hand-reared chickadees
- Author
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Laurie L. Bloomfield, Tara M. Farrell, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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Male ,Sound Spectrography ,Allopatric speciation ,Zoology ,Animals, Wild ,Social Environment ,Memorization ,Discrimination Learning ,Songbirds ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,Animal Husbandry ,Communication ,Analysis of Variance ,biology ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,Classification ,Chickadee ,Housing, Animal ,Wild caught ,Categorization ,Sympatric speciation ,Animals, Domestic ,Poecile ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Vocal learning ,Female ,Vocalization, Animal ,business ,Psychology - Abstract
Bloomfield and Sturdy [Bloomfield, L.L., Sturdy, C.B. All chick-a-dee calls are not created equally. Part I. Open-ended categorization by sympatric and allopatric chickadees. Behav. Proc., in press] previously reported that black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) discriminate conspecific from heterospecific (mountain chickadee, P. gambeli) 'chick-a-dee' calls, and their ability to accurately discriminate and classify the calls as belonging to separate species' defined categories was largely unaffected by their prior experience with mountain chickadees and their calls. To further examine the potential influence of experience on discrimination and categorization, we compare wild-caught black-capped chickadees, wild-caught mountain chickadees, and black-capped chickadees hand-reared among either adult laboratory-housed black-capped chickadees or adult laboratory-housed mountain chickadees on a true category/pseudo category chick-a-dee call discrimination task. Irrespective of group assignment, hand-reared birds performed as well as wild-caught birds and did not show a conspecific- or rearing-specific advantage in discrimination, categorization or memorization of chick-a-dee calls. While vocal learning is under the influence of ontogenetic experience, the results derived from the current methods suggest that experience (or a lack thereof) does not affect categorization and memorization abilities.
- Published
- 2007
18. All 'chick-a-dee' calls are not created equally. Part I. Open-ended categorization of chick-a-dee calls by sympatric and allopatric chickadees
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Laurie L, Bloomfield and Christopher B, Sturdy
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Animal Communication ,Male ,Songbirds ,Sound Spectrography ,Echolocation ,Teaching ,Animals ,Conditioning, Operant ,Female ,Social Behavior - Abstract
Researchers trained 24 black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and 12 mountain (P. gambeli) chickadees in an operant conditioning task to determine if they use open-ended categorization to classify "chick-a-dee" calls, and whether black-capped chickadees that had experience with mountain chick-a-dee calls (sympatric group) would perform this task differently than inexperienced black-capped chickadees (allopatric group). All experimental birds learned to discriminate between species' call categories faster than within a category (Experiment 1), and subsequently classified novel and original between-category chick-a-dee calls in Experiments 2 and 3 following a change in the category contingency. These results suggest that regardless of previous experience, black-capped and mountain chickadees classify their own and the other species' calls into two distinct, yet open-ended, species-level categories.
- Published
- 2007
19. SYNOPSIS III: Complexities in vocal communication
- Author
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Todd M. Freeberg, Myron C. Baker, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Isabelle Charrier, David E. Gammon, Jack P. Hailman, Tiffany T.-Y. Lee, Jeffrey R. Lucas, Daniel J. Mennill, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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Life Sciences ,Biology - Published
- 2007
- Full Text
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20. Chickadee vocal production and perception: An integrative approach to understanding acoustic communication
- Author
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Christopher B. Sturdy, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Isabelle Charrier, and Tiffany T.-Y. Lee
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Artificial neural network discrimination of black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) call notes
- Author
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Carly M. Nickerson, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, and Michael R. W. Dawson
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Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,Artificial neural network ,biology ,Computer science ,Speech recognition ,biology.organism_classification ,Degree (music) ,Chickadee ,Black-capped chickadee ,Discrimination Learning ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Behavioral study ,Poecile ,Auditory Perception ,Animals ,Animal communication ,Neural Networks, Computer ,Passeriformes ,Vocalization, Animal - Abstract
Artificial neural networks were trained to discriminate between two different notes from the "chick-a-dee" call of the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). An individual note was represented as a vector of nine summary features taken from note spectrograms. A network was trained to respond to exemplar notes of one type (e.g., A notes) and to fail to respond to exemplar notes of another type (e.g., B notes). After this training, the network was presented novel notes of the two different types, as well as notes of the same two types that had been shifted upwards or downwards in frequency. The strength of the response of the network to each novel and shifted note was recorded. When network responses were plotted as a function of the degree of frequency shift, the results were very similar to those observed in birds that were trained in an analogous task [Charrier et al., J. Comp. Psychol. 119(4), 371-380 (2005)]. The implications of these results to simulating behavioral studies of animal communication are discussed.
- Published
- 2006
22. Frequency-range discriminations and absolute pitch in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli), and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
- Author
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Ronald G. Weisman, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, Isabelle Charrier, Tiffany T.-Y. Lee, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Queen's University Canada
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Male ,Range (music) ,Sound Spectrography ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,Transfer, Psychology ,Pitch Frequency ,Zoology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Pitch Discrimination ,Songbirds ,Species Specificity ,Animals ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Parus atricapillus ,Communication ,biology ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,Absolute pitch ,Poephila guttata ,biology.organism_classification ,Animal Communication ,Generalization, Stimulus ,Poecile ,Auditory Perception ,Conditioning, Operant ,Female ,Psychology (miscellaneous) ,Finches ,Seasons ,Vocalization, Animal ,business ,Taeniopygia ,Acoustic frequency - Abstract
International audience; The acoustic frequency ranges in birdsongs provide important absolute pitch cues for the recognition of conspecifics. Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli), and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) were trained to sort tones contiguous in frequency into 8 ranges on the basis of associations between response to the tones in each range and reward. All 3 species acquired accurate frequency-range discriminations, but zebra finches acquired the discrimination in fewer trials and to a higher standard than black-capped or mountain chickadees, which did not differ appreciably in the discrimination. Chickadees' relatively poorer accuracy was traced to poorer discrimination of tones in the higher frequency ranges. During transfer tests, the discrimination generalized to novel tones when the training tones were included, but not when they were omitted.
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Statistical classification of black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) call notes
- Author
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Michael R. W. Dawson, Isabelle Charrier, Christopher B. Sturdy, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), and Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Songbirds ,Species classification ,Species identification ,Animals ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,biology ,Ecology ,05 social sciences ,Discriminant Analysis ,Acoustics ,15. Life on land ,biology.organism_classification ,Linear discriminant analysis ,Chickadee ,Statistical classification ,Evolutionary biology ,Poecile ,Female ,Psychology (miscellaneous) ,Vocalization, Animal - Abstract
Both black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) produce a chick-a-dee call that consists of several distinct note types. In some regions, these 2 species live sympatrically, and it has been shown that 1 species will respond weakly to songs of the other. This suggests that chickadee song, and potentially other of their vocalizations, contains species-specific information. We tested the possibility that call notes were acoustically sufficient for species identification. Black-capped and mountain non-D notes were summarized as a set of 9 features and then analyzed by linear discriminant analysis. Linear discriminant analysis was able to use these notes to identify species with 100% accuracy. We repeated this approach, but with black-capped and mountain D notes that were summarized as a set of 4 features. Linear discriminant analysis was able to use these notes to identify species with 94% accuracy. This demonstrates that any of the note types in these chickadee calls possesses sufficient information for species classification.
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Acoustic Mechanisms of Note-Type Perception in Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Calls
- Author
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Christopher B. Sturdy, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Isabelle Charrier, Tiffany T.-Y. Lee, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), and Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Male ,Visual perception ,media_common.quotation_subject ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,MESH: Vocalization, Animal ,Human echolocation ,Sound production ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Black-capped chickadee ,Birds ,MESH: Discrimination, Psychological ,Discrimination, Psychological ,Perception ,Animals ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Animal communication ,MESH: Animals ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,10. No inequality ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,media_common ,Communication ,biology ,MESH: Visual Perception ,[SDV.NEU.PC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Psychology and behavior ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,[SDV.NEU.SC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Cognitive Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,MESH: Male ,Echolocation ,Poecile ,MESH: Birds ,Visual Perception ,Female ,Psychology (miscellaneous) ,Vocalization, Animal ,business ,Psychology ,MESH: Echolocation ,MESH: Female ,Animal Vocalizations ,psychological phenomena and processes ,Cognitive psychology - Abstract
International audience; Acoustic communication in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) has been studied intensively, the "chick-a-dee" call being among the most well described. This call consists of 4 note types; chickadees perceive these notes as open-ended categories and do so in a continuous manner, with As more similar to Bs and Bs more similar to Cs. Acoustic features contributing to the note-type differentiation are unknown. Recent analyses suggested that certain acoustic features may play a role in note-type classification. Here, the authors tested black-capped chickadees in an operant-conditioning paradigm to determine which features were controlling note-type perception. The results suggest that the note pitch and the frequency modulation in the initial portion of the note control the perception of note types.
- Published
- 2005
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Spatial encoding in mountain chickadees: features overshadow geometry
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Anne E. Ferrey, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Emily R. Gray, Marcia L. Spetch, and Christopher B. Sturdy
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biology ,Orientation (computer vision) ,Spatial encoding ,Spatial Behavior ,Geometry ,Geometric shape ,biology.organism_classification ,ENCODE ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Pattern Recognition, Visual ,Salient ,Encoding (memory) ,Orientation ,Space Perception ,Poecile ,Animals ,Passeriformes ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Research Article - Abstract
Encoding the global geometric shape of an enclosed environment is a principal means of orientation in human and non-human animals. Animals spontaneously encode the geometry of an enclosure even when featural information is available. Although features can be used, they typically do not overshadow geometry. However, all previously tested organisms have been reared in human-made environments with salient geometrical cues. Here, we show that wild-caught mountain chickadees ( Poecile gambeli ) do not spontaneously encode the geometry of an enclosure when salient features are present near the goal. However, chickadees trained without salient features encode geometric information, but this encoding is overshadowed by features.
- Published
- 2005
26. Note types and coding in parid vocalizations. I: The chick-a-dee call of the black-capped chickadee ( Poecile atricapillus )
- Author
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Isabelle Charrier, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Department of Psychology, University of Alberta
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,biology ,[SDV.NEU.PC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Psychology and behavior ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,05 social sciences ,[SDV.NEU.SC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Cognitive Sciences ,Context (language use) ,Sound production ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Chickadee ,Black-capped chickadee ,Poecile ,Sound analysis ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Animal Science and Zoology ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,Humanities ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The chick-a-dee call of the black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), consists of four note types and is used in a wide variety of contexts including mild alarm, contact between mates, and for mobilizing mem- bers of winter flocks. Because note-type composition varies with context and because birds need to identify flock mates and individuals by their calls, it is important that birds are able to discriminate between note types and birds. Moreover, previous experiments have shown that black-capped chickadees are able to discriminate their four note types, but the acoustical basis of this process is still unknown. Here, we present the results of a bioacoustic analysis that sug - gests which acoustic features may be controlling the birds' perception of note types and of individual identity. Several acoustic features show high note type and individual specificity, but frequency and frequency modulation cues (in par - ticular, those of the initial part of the note) appear more likely to be used in these processes. However, only future ex - periments testing the bird's perceptual abilities will determine which acoustic cues in particular are used in the discrimination of note types and in individual recognition. Resume : Le chant « chick-a-dee » de la mesange a tete noire, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), est compose de quatre types de notes et il est utilise dans de nombreux contextes, comme l'alarme, le contact entre partenaires et entre mem- bres du groupe. La composition en notes variant avec le contexte et les oiseaux ayant besoin de s'identifier entre eux par leurs vocalisations, il est important qu'ils soient capables de discriminer a la fois les differents types de notes, mais aussi les divers individus du groupe. La mesange a tete noire percoit les differents types de notes de son chant comme des categories ouvertes, cependant la base acoustique de cette categorisation est encore inconnue. Nous rapportons ici les resultats d'une analyse acoustique qui presente les parametres acoustiques susceptibles de controler la perception des types de notes et la reconnaissance individuelle. Plusieurs parametres sont specifiques a chaque type de note et a chaque individu, cependant seuls les parametres relatifs aux frequences et a la modulation de frequence, en particulier ceux de la partie initiale, semblent les plus susceptibles d'etre utilises dans ces processus. De futures experiences tes- tant les capacites de perception de l'oiseau permettront de determiner les parametres acoustiques effectivement utilises dans la discrimination des types de notes et dans la reconnaissance individuelle.
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Note types and coding in parid vocalizations. II: The chick-a-dee call of the mountain chickadee ( Poecile gambeli )
- Author
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Isabelle Charrier, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Neurobiologie de l'apprentissage, de la mémoire et de la communication (NAMC), and Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,biology ,[SDV.NEU.PC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Psychology and behavior ,[SDV.NEU.NB]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Neurobiology ,05 social sciences ,[SDV.NEU.SC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]/Cognitive Sciences ,Sound production ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Chickadee ,Poecile ,Sound analysis ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Animal Science and Zoology ,050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology ,Humanities ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
We describe the chick-a-dee call of the mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886), by classifying the various call notes into six types (A, A/B, B, C, Dh, and D). Note-type analyses identify a high degree of similarity among A and A/B notes in the ascending duration, descending duration, and note peak frequency, and among A/B and B notes in the end frequency. This statistical result paralleled disagreements between human sorters where A, A/B, and B notes were most often misclassified. Moreover, virtually all parameters measured showed significant variation across individuals. Therefore, the particular acoustic cues used in the discrimination of note types and individuals remain un - known, but it is likely that a constellation of features is used rather than one or two particularly salient features. Resume : Nous decrivons le chant d'appel de la mesange des montagnes, Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886), en classi- fiant les differentes notes en six categories (A, A/B, B, C, D h et D). Une analyse comparative de ces differents types de notes a permis d'identifier un haut degre de similarite entre les notes A et A/B dans la duree des parties ascendante et descendante, ainsi que dans la frequence la plus haute de la note et entre les notes A/B et B dans la frequence fi - nale. Ce resultat statistique corrobore les desaccords qui surviennent lors du tri visuel par des humains, ou les notes de type A, A/B et B sont souvent mal classees. Si toutes les caracteristiques mesurees presentent une variation significa- tive entre individus, on ne connait toujours pas celles qui sont effectivement utilisees dans la differenciation des notes et dans le processus de reconnaissance individuelle. Il semble plus probable qu'une combinaison de plusieurs caracte- ristiques soit utilisee plutot qu'une ou deux caracteristiques en particulier.
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. Birds and models: Not as different as you might think
- Author
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Lauren M. Guillette, Tara M. Farrell, Marisa Hoeschele, Carly M. Nickerson, Michael R. W. Dawson, Laurie L. Bloomfield, Christopher B. Sturdy, and Isabelle Charrier
- Subjects
Cognitive science ,Acoustics and Ultrasonics ,biology ,Artificial neural network ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Cognition ,biology.organism_classification ,Chickadee ,Vocal production ,Songbird ,Variety (cybernetics) ,Empirical research ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Perception ,Psychology ,media_common - Abstract
For some time, the Sturdy laboratory group has been studying chickadee vocal production and perception using a variety of approaches. These include, among others, bioacoustic analyses of vocalizations, operant conditioning studies, and, more recently, artificial neural networks. This multidisciplinary approach has been very fruitful. The addition of artificial neural networks to the standard empirical approaches has significantly enhanced the understanding of songbird behavior and has provided models of bird operant conditioning behavior, perception, and cognition, allowed the investigation of questions that would be difficult to carry out with animal studies, honed research questions and foci, and has inspired further empirical studies. This talk will provide a longitudinal review of these and related research findings capitalizing on this data‐model/model‐data interplay. Topics discussed will include models of bird note type perception, models that have directed the formation of hypotheses about importa...
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. ZENK activation in the nidopallium of black-capped chickadees in response to both conspecific and heterospecific calls.
- Author
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Marc T Avey, Laurie L Bloomfield, Julie E Elie, Todd M Freeberg, Lauren M Guillette, Marisa Hoeschele, Homan Lee, Michele K Moscicki, Jessica L Owens, and Christopher B Sturdy
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Neuronal populations in the songbird nidopallium increase in activity the most to conspecific vocalizations relative to heterospecific songbird vocalizations or artificial stimuli such as tones. Here, we tested whether the difference in neural activity between conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations is due to acoustic differences or to the degree of phylogenetic relatedness of the species producing the vocalizations. To compare differences in neural responses of black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, to playback conditions we used a known marker for neural activity, ZENK, in the caudal medial nidopallium and caudomedial mesopallium. We used the acoustically complex 'dee' notes from chick-a-dee calls, and vocalizations from other heterospecific species similar in duration and spectral features. We tested the vocalizations from three heterospecific species (chestnut-backed chickadees, tufted titmice, and zebra finches), the vocalizations from conspecific individuals (black-capped chickadees), and reversed versions of the latter. There were no significant differences in the amount of expression between any of the groups except in the control condition, which resulted in significantly less neuronal activation. Our results suggest that, in certain cases, neuronal activity is not higher in response to conspecific than in response to heterospecific vocalizations for songbirds, but rather is sensitive to the acoustic features of the signal. Both acoustic features of the calls and the phylogenetic relationship between of the signaler and the receiver interact in the response of the nidopallium.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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