10.5061/DRYAD.C2VM2
Akre, Karin L.
Duke University
Bernal, Ximena
Purdue University
Rand, A. Stanley
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Ryan, Michael J.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Data from: Harmonic calls and indifferent females: no preference for human
consonance in an anuran
Dryad
dataset
2014
music
Physalaemus pustulosus
Animal communication
consonance
signal evolution
receiver psychology
2014-06-10T14:35:21Z
2014-06-10T14:35:21Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0986
91467 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The human music faculty might have evolved from rudimentary components
that occur in non-human animals. The evolutionary history of these
rudimentary perceptual features is not well understood and rarely extends
beyond a consideration of vertebrates that possess a cochlea. One such
antecedent is a preferential response to what humans perceive as consonant
harmonic sounds, which are common in many animal vocal repertoires. We
tested the phonotactic response of female túngara frogs (Physalaemus
pustulosus) to variations in the frequency ratios of their harmonically
structured mating call to determine whether frequency ratio influences
attraction to acoustic stimuli in this vertebrate that lacks a cochlea. We
found that the ratio of frequencies present in acoustic stimuli did not
influence female response. Instead, the amount of inner ear stimulation
predicted female preference behaviour. We conclude that the harmonic
relationships that characterize the vocalizations of these frogs did not
evolve in response to a preference for frequency intervals with
low-integer ratios. Instead, the presence of harmonics in their mating
call, and perhaps in the vocalizations of many other animals, is more
likely due to the biomechanics of sound production rather than any
preference for ‘more musical’ sounds.
Data for Experiment 1An excel file listing individuals, stimuli, and
choice outcomesData for Experiment 2An excel file listing individuals,
stimuli, and choice outcomes
Panama