Intraspecific variability in the “vowel”‐like sounds of beluga whales (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>): Intra‐ and interpopulation comparisons

Panova, E. M.; Belikov, R. A.; Agafonov, A. V.; Kirillova, O. I.; Chernetsky, A. D.; Bel’kovich, V. M.

doi:10.1111/mms.12266

“…Our findings on beluga SCC differences across populations that were most dissimilar across geographically summering areas are consistent with the observed geographic variation of median PRR in beluga whale “vowel” calls (Panova et al, 2016). This comparative study of three geographically separate Russian beluga populations reported that the “vowel” like sounds varied the most significantly between the two most remote populations, while the geographically closer populations had less pronounced variation (Panova et al, 2016). Our results closely mirror their findings, where geographically close populations displayed greater degrees of similarity in call structure, while the two most distant populations of EBS and the SLE were most dissimilar in LDA space.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Although geographic variation in the vocal repertoire of beluga whales has not been widely examined, differences in acoustic communication signals among White Sea and Okhotsk Sea belugas in terms of time‐frequency parameters have been reported (Bel'kovich & Sh'ekotov, 1993). A comparative study by Panova et al (2016) examined three wild Russian beluga populations and found significant intraspecific variation in a short‐duration, pulsed beluga signal type they refer to as “vowel.” More recently, Panova et al (2019) detected microgeographic variability among some whistle signals produced by belugas inhabiting different locations of the White Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic variation in simple contact calls of Canadian beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

Booy,

Vergara,

Loseto

et al. 2023

Marine Mammal Science

0

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Beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, are a highly social species with a complex and diverse vocal repertoire. Although extensively studied and classified, to date few attempts have been made to examine geographic variation in their calls. In this study, we examined geographic variation in simple contact calls (SCCs), specifically those that consist only of broadband pulsed trains, among four Canadian beluga populations from the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS), the Eastern High Arctic‐Baffin Bay, St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE), and the Western Hudson Bay. Five acoustic parameters were measured for each call and compared among populations using multivariate discriminant analysis. Results of our study indicate that there is a degree of variation in SCCs among these four populations, with the most geographically distant populations of the SLE and EBS displaying the greatest degrees of dissimilarity in SCC structure relative to geographically closer populations. Further, these results align with genetic variation of Canadian beluga populations previously described in the literature. This study is the first descriptive population comparison of SCCs for beluga and establishes a baseline for continued work into this developing area of research.

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“…Using echolocation predictors for species classification is an effective approach, particularly given its primary sensory role for odontocetes. There is evidence for individual and group-specific call types among belugas 81 – 84 and narwhals 85 , which contributes to the variation in their vocal repertoire but also makes acoustic classification challenging. However, it is likely that echolocation clicks are characterized by more stable features due to their sensory function.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic differentiation and classification of wild belugas and narwhals using echolocation clicks

Zahn

¹

,

Rankin

²

,

McCullough

³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are highly social Arctic toothed whales with large vocal repertoires and similar acoustic profiles. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) that uses multiple hydrophones over large spatiotemporal scales has been a primary method to study their populations, particularly in response to rapid climate change and increasing underwater noise. This study marks the first acoustic comparison between wild belugas and narwhals from the same location and reveals that they can be acoustically differentiated and classified solely by echolocation clicks. Acoustic recordings were made in the pack ice of Baffin Bay, West Greenland, during 2013. Multivariate analyses and Random Forests classification models were applied to eighty-one single-species acoustic events comprised of numerous echolocation clicks. Results demonstrate a significant difference between species’ acoustic parameters where beluga echolocation was distinguished by higher frequency content, evidenced by higher peak frequencies, center frequencies, and frequency minimums and maximums. Spectral peaks, troughs, and center frequencies for beluga clicks were generally > 60 kHz and narwhal clicks < 60 kHz with overlap between 40–60 kHz. Classification model predictive performance was strong with an overall correct classification rate of 97.5% for the best model. The most important predictors for species assignment were defined by peaks and notches in frequency spectra. Our results provide strong support for the use of echolocation in PAM efforts to differentiate belugas and narwhals acoustically.

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“…Using echolocation predictors for species classification is an effective approach, particularly given its primary sensory role for odontocetes. There is evidence for individual and group-specific call types among belugas [81][82][83][84] and narwhals 85 , which contributes to the variation in their vocal repertoire but also makes acoustic classification challenging. However, it is likely that echolocation clicks are characterized by more stable features due to their sensory function.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic differentiation and classification of wild belugas and narwhals using echolocation clicks

Zahn

¹

,

Rankin

²

,

McCullough

³

et al. 2021

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are highly social Arctic toothed whales with large vocal repertoires and similar acoustic profiles. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) that uses multiple hydrophones over large spatiotemporal scales has been a primary method to study their populations, particularly in response to rapid climate change and increasing underwater noise. This study marks the first acoustic comparison between wild belugas and narwhals from the same location and reveals that they can be acoustically differentiated and classified solely by echolocation clicks. Acoustic recordings were made in the pack ice of Baffin Bay, West Greenland, during 2013. Multivariate analyses and Random Forests classification models were applied to eighty-one singlespecies acoustic events comprised of numerous echolocation clicks. Results demonstrate a significant difference between species' acoustic parameters where beluga echolocation was distinguished by higher frequency content, evidenced by higher peak frequencies, center frequencies, and frequency minimums and maximums. Spectral peaks, troughs, and center frequencies for beluga clicks were generally > 60 kHz and narwhal clicks < 60 kHz with overlap between 40-60 kHz. Classification model predictive performance was strong with an overall correct classification rate of 97.5% for the best model. The most important predictors for species assignment were defined by peaks and notches in frequency spectra. Our results provide strong support for the use of echolocation in PAM efforts to differentiate belugas and narwhals acoustically.Only three species of cetaceans occupy the Arctic year-round: the beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), narwhal (Monodon monoceros), and bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). As toothed whales (odontocetes), the beluga and narwhal are closely related and are the only two members of the Monodontidae family. They use echolocation to identify objects and locate prey, unlike the bowhead whale, a baleen whale, that has not evolved this sense 1,2 . Belugas are circumpolar in their distribution with approximately 22 subpopulations, or stocks, some of which are highly migratory and others resident in both Arctic and sub-Arctic waters [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . Most populations migrate from wintering regions among the pack ice and return to the same estuarine summering areas to feed, molt, and give birth 8,10,11 . In contrast, narwhals occur in approximately 12 stocks and have a more restricted distribution occupying waters of the Canadian Arctic, West and East Greenland, and western Russia within the Atlantic Arctic [12][13][14] . Narwhals in the Canadian Arctic and West Greenland undergo extensive annual migrations with high site fidelity from their summer ranges in fjords of Greenland and Baffin Island to their wintering grounds in Baffin Bay and northern Davis Strait 3,13,15 . Across their respective distributions, belugas and most of the world's narwhals overlap for much of the year in the waters of the Canadian Arctic and Baffin Bay,...

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Intraspecific variability in the “vowel”‐like sounds of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas): Intra‐ and interpopulation comparisons

Cited by 7 publications

References 44 publications

Geographic variation in simple contact calls of Canadian beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

Geographic variation in simple contact calls of Canadian beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

Acoustic differentiation and classification of wild belugas and narwhals using echolocation clicks

Acoustic differentiation and classification of wild belugas and narwhals using echolocation clicks

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