Whistle communication in mammal-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca): further evidence for acoustic divergence between ecotypes

Abstract

Deecke, Volker B. and Riesch, Rüdiger (2011) Whistle communication in mammal-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca): further evidence for acoustic divergence between ecotypes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 65 (7). pp. 1377-1387.Downloaded from: http://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/1975/ Usage of any items from the University of Cumbria's institutional repository 'Insight' must conform to the following fair usage guidelines.Any item and its associated metadata held in the University of Cumbria's institutional repository Insight (unless stated otherwise on the metadata record) may be copied, displayed or performed, and stored in line with the JISC fair dealing guidelines (available here) for educational and not-for-profit activities provided that• the authors, title and full bibliographic details of the item are cited clearly when any part of the work is referred to verbally or in the written form• a hyperlink/URL to the original Insight record of that item is included in any citations of the work • the content is not changed in any way• all files required for usage of the item are kept together with the main item file. You may not• sell any part of an item• refer to any part of an item without citation • amend any item or contextualise it in a way that will impugn the creator's reputation• remove or alter the copyright statement on an item.The full policy can be found here. Alternatively contact the University of Cumbria Repository Editor by emailing insight@cumbria.ac.uk. Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA; Tel.: 919-513-16 7552; Fax: 919-515-5327; e-mail: ruedigerriesch@web.de Orcinus orca, coexist in sympatry (Ford et al. 1998;Saulitis et al. 2000). Divergence 75 between these ecotypes seems to be primarily driven by differences in feeding ecology, 76with 'resident' killer whales feeding exclusively on fish and 'transient' killer whales 77 foraging for mammals and the occasional seabird (Ford et al. 1998;Saulitis et al. 2000). which are thought to help maintain group cohesion, coordinate behaviors, and mediate 85 group recognition (Ford 1989(Ford , 1991Miller 2002;Thomsen et al. 2002). Based on 86 spectrographic contour and signal repetitiveness, they can be classified as discrete, 87 aberrant, or variable (Ford 1989;Rehn et al. 2007). Each resident killer whale kin-group 88 (matriline) has a matriline-specific dialect, a unique set of discrete pulsed call types (Ford 89 1989(Ford 89 , 1991

Quantifying humpback whale song sequences to understand the dynamics of song exchange at the ocean basin scale

“…Previous studies investigating the performance of human classifiers against different quantitative methods have also found that human classifiers performed as well, if not better, at classification than did computer methods (Janik, 1999;Riesch and Deecke, 2011). While there is a need to create more robust methods of analysis, we should not forget that humans are capable of complex categorization, especially when processing graded signals.…”

“…Within cetaceans, sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) form acoustic clans over large geographic areas that are composed of multiple, matrilineal groups that share distinct dialects of patterned clicking sounds (see Whitehead, 2009;Rendell et al, 2012). Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are also organized into matrilineal pods, each with a distinct vocal dialect that overlaps to varying degrees with the dialects of other pods in the area to again form acoustic clans (Deecke et al, 2000;Riesch and Deecke, 2011). These dialects can undergo cultural evolution as the call types or sounds have been documented to gradually change over time, with these changes maintained by different matrilines within the acoustic clan (Deecke et al, 2000).…”

Vocal behaviour and feeding ecology of killer whales Orcinus orca around Shetland, UK

“…Many pulsed calls and some whistles are stereotyped, show population-specific and group-specific variation, and can thus be used to identify acoustic lineages (Ford & Fisher 1982, Yurk et al 2002, Riesch et al 2006. In addition, mammal-hunting killer whales in the northeastern Pacific produce echolocation clicks, pulsed calls and whistles at significantly lower rates compared to sympatric fish eaters (Barrett-Lennard et al 1996, Riesch et al 2006, Riesch & Deecke 2011. Whereas many fishes have poor hearing sensitivity at the frequencies of killer whale vocalisations, marine mammals can detect killer whale vocalisations at significant distances, and this eavesdropping makes vocal behaviour costly for mammalhunting killer whales (Barrett-Lennard et al 1996, Deecke et al 2002.…”

Cultural evolution of killer whale calls: background, mechanisms and consequences

“…NE Pacific resident (fish-eating) killer whales vocalize frequently in any activity state except resting (Ford 1989;Holt et al, 2013). In contrast, NE Pacific transient (mammal-eating) killer whales mostly call and whistle only after a kill or when socializing and are predominantly silent during all other activity states (Deecke et al, 2005;Saulitis et al, 2005;Riesch & Deecke, 2011). Individuals belonging to the AT1 transient population (a small population of whales inhabiting Prince William Sound and adjacent areas in Alaska) are known to produce high-amplitude pulsed calls while traveling alone.…”