Presentation Details
| Effects of stress on vocal activity, social dynamics and acoustic fine structure in zebra finches Celia R McLean, Wangchen Pei, Nora H Prior. Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA |
Abstract
While stress is known to have profound effects on animal vocal behavior, these effects may vary greatly by the type of stressor experienced. Prior work has revealed that birds are extremely sensitive to acoustic fine structure (AFS) cues, which likely encode multiple types of information. This subtle variation in acoustic structure could more finely encode differences in the nature of stressors. Here we examine how zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata, n=30) encode different stressful experiences: being socially isolated or subject to a light restraint. We characterize calls in terms of vocal activity and the subtle differences in the individual periods extracted from call waveforms (AFS). Preliminary analyses reveal that stress experience is encoded in bird calls in multiple ways. Call output varied as a factor of stressor type as well as a bird’s role (focal or partner). Ongoing AFS analyses will reveal how the acoustic content of calls is affected by these different stressors. This is the first time this approach has been used to examine whether internal state is reflected in AFS, and it emphasizes the importance of not treating all stressors as equivalent.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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