Coordinated rhythms in animal species, including humans: Entrainment from bushcricket chorusing to the philharmonic orchestra

Greenfield, Michael D.; Merker, Bjorn

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105382

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 160 publications

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“…Male listener sensitivity without preference may be akin to the ability of eavesdropping non-human males to detect others' courtship signals [37,39]. The observed differences for the homophonic Chorale and the polyphonic Fugue are reminiscent of distinct forms of non-human chorusing characterized by synchrony or alternation [32,48]. These two coordination modes are prominent in human music [49], where multi-part textural variations range from rhythmic unison (with voices singing different pitches in harmony or the same pitches, as in chanting) to complex interlocking rhythms [50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-related communicative functions of voice spectral energy in human chorusing

Keller,

Lee,

König

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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Music is a human communicative art whose evolutionary origins may lie in capacities that support cooperation and/or competition. A mixed account favouring simultaneous cooperation and competition draws on analogous interactive displays produced by collectively signalling non-human animals (e.g. crickets and frogs). In these displays, rhythmically coordinated calls serve as a beacon whereby groups of males ‘cooperatively’ attract potential female mates, while the likelihood of each male competitively attracting an actual mate depends on the precedence of his signal. Human behaviour consistent with the mixed account was previously observed in a renowned boys choir, where the basses—the oldest boys with the deepest voices—boosted their acoustic prominence by increasing energy in a high-frequency band of the vocal spectrum when girls were in an otherwise male audience. The current study tested female and male sensitivity and preferences for this subtle vocal modulation in online listening tasks. Results indicate that while female and male listeners are similarly sensitive to enhanced high-spectral energy elicited by the presence of girls in the audience, only female listeners exhibit a reliable preference for it. Findings suggest that human chorusing is a flexible form of social communicative behaviour that allows simultaneous group cohesion and sexually motivated competition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-related communicative functions of voice spectral energy in human chorusing

Keller,

Lee,

König

et al. 2023

Biol. Lett.

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“…Moreover, marmosets spent longer in a behavioural state before changing their behaviour when together, effectively slowing down head oscillations compared to when alone (figure 3D). Such slowing down of oscillations has been proposed to be a phase-delay mechanism of attaining anti-phase synchrony and has been described in case of alternating singing in several insect and frog species [1,19]. In katydid pairs for example, it has been proposed that a chirp from one individual delays the chirping of the other individual by a tiny bit (less than one cycle), thus inducing a phase-delay [75].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rhythmic phenomena involving multiple animals are widespread in nature [1][2][3]. From synchronised flashings of fireflies [4,5], call synchronisation in frogs [6,7] to coupled neuronal activity in bats [8] or synchronised heart rates in humans [9] -synchronicity can be found in a huge variety of organisms in different behavioural contexts, at varying levels and serving multiple functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Phaniraj,

Brügger,

Burkart

2023

Preprint

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Synchronisation is widespread in animals, and studies have often emphasised how this seemingly complex phenomenon can emerge from very simple rules. However, the amount of flexibility and control that animals might have over synchronisation properties, such as the strength of coupling, remains underexplored. Here, we studied how pairs of marmoset monkeys coordinated vigilance while feeding. By modelling them as coupled oscillators, we noted that (1) individual marmosets do not show perfect periodicity in vigilance behaviours, (2) even then, pairs of marmosets developed a tendency to take turns being vigilant, a case of anti-phase synchrony, (3) marmosets could couple flexibly; the coupling strength varied with every new joint feeding bout, and (4) marmosets could control the coupling strength; dyads showed increased coupling if they began in a more desynchronised state. Such flexibility and control over synchronisation require more than simple interaction rules. Minimally, animals must estimate the current degree of asynchrony and adjust their behaviour accordingly. Moreover, the fact that each marmoset is inherently non-periodic adds to the cognitive demand. Overall, our study taps into the cognitive aspects of synchronisation and provides a mathematical framework to investigate the phenomenon more widely, where individuals may not display perfectly rhythmic behaviours.

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“…These types of behaviours seem more tractable for understanding how synchronous mating systems repeatedly evolve. Being clear about the behavioural mechanisms that produce synchrony in diverse clades, and measuring analogous variables across clades in similar ways will be key in making studies comparable in a phylogenetic framework to understand the evolutionary pressures that produce emergent behaviour [5,[64][65][66].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…tidal, circadian, another organism's oscillatory mechanism, etc. ), and is sometimes called 'rhythmic synchrony' [66]. Previous descriptions of ostracod signalling describe entrainment as 'loose synchrony' [37,44], seemingly invoked to provide a logical comparison with other synchronous displays like in terrestrial fireflies [69].…”

Section: Methods (A) a Comment On Synchrony Versus Entrainment In Ost...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective synchrony of mating signals modulated by ecological cues and social signals in bioluminescent sea fireflies

Hensley,

Rivers,

Gerrish

et al. 2023

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Individuals often employ simple rules that can emergently synchronize behaviour. Some collective behaviours are intuitively beneficial, but others like mate signalling in leks occur across taxa despite theoretical individual costs. Whether disparate instances of synchronous signalling are similarly organized is unknown, largely due to challenges observing many individuals simultaneously. Recording field collectives and ex situ playback experiments, we describe principles of synchronous bioluminescent signals produced by marine ostracods (Crustacea; Luxorina) that seem behaviorally convergent with terrestrial fireflies, and with whom they last shared a common ancestor over 500 Mya. Like synchronous fireflies, groups of signalling males use visual cues (intensity and duration of light) to decide when to signal. Individual ostracods also modulate their signal based on the distance to nearest neighbours. During peak darkness, luminescent ‘waves’ of synchronous displays emerge and ripple across the sea floor approximately every 60 s, but such periodicity decays within and between nights after the full moon. Our data reveal these bioluminescent aggregations are sensitive to both ecological and social light sources. Because the function of collective signals is difficult to dissect, evolutionary convergence, like in the synchronous visual displays of diverse arthropods, provides natural replicates to understand the generalities that produce emergent group behaviour.

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Coordinated rhythms in animal species, including humans: Entrainment from bushcricket chorusing to the philharmonic orchestra

Cited by 9 publications

References 160 publications

Sex-related communicative functions of voice spectral energy in human chorusing

Sex-related communicative functions of voice spectral energy in human chorusing

Marmosets mutually compensate for differences in rhythms when coordinating vigilance

Collective synchrony of mating signals modulated by ecological cues and social signals in bioluminescent sea fireflies

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