Towards the evolutionary roots of vocal flexibility in primate communication: dynamics of vocal production development and vocal mechanics in a basal nonhuman primate (Microcebus murinus)

灵长类交流中声音灵活性的进化根源：基础非人类灵长类动物（Microcebus murinus）发声发展的动态和发声机制

• 批准号: 396600232
• 负责人: Dr. Marina Scheumann, since 7/2019
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Zoologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2016-12-31 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/396600232?language=en
• 关键词: Towards; evolutionary; roots; vocal; flexibility

The aim of this project is to explore for the first time the processes underlying vocal flexibility of a highly vocal and phylogenetically basal primate across development. Previous research of our group revealed that the mouse lemur, a phylogenetically basal primate, exhibits an unexpectedly high degree of vocal flexibility in early ontogeny, which decreases in further development. Our project proposes three different and interrelated work packages by which we will address major components of these unexplored processes. The presence and role of babbling and vocal turn-taking during development, as well as potential determinants, modifying vocal output during development, will be assessed by early and dense sampling of vocal production and standardized bioacoustic and videografic behavioral approaches, using a dataset of 26 developing infants and their 13 mothers. Machine learning, including deep neural network approaches, will be applied to investigate the extent to which the dynamics of vocal development and potential rules can be assessed automatically. Excised larynx experiments and related anatomical and MicroCT-studies of the vocal tract as well as high-speed videorecordings of mouth and tongue movements during vocal production will be performed to uncover the mechanics of vocal production and potential biomechanical constraints in vocal flexibility. Integrating of datasets will allow the validation of the respective methods. The project provides an important empirical basis for comparative research on mammalian vocal communication and contributes to unravel the evolutionary roots of vocal flexibility in primate communication as an important building block for the evolution of human speech and language.

这个项目的目的是首次探索在发育过程中高度发声和具有系统发育基础的灵长类动物的发声灵活性的潜在过程。本课题组之前的研究表明，小鼠狐猴是一种基于系统发育的灵长类动物，在个体发育的早期表现出出人意料的高发声灵活性，随着发育的进一步发展，这种灵活性会下降。我们的项目提出了三个不同且相互关联的工作包，通过这些工作包，我们将解决这些未探索过程的主要组成部分。将利用26名发育中婴儿及其13名母亲的数据集，通过早期和密集的声音产生采样以及标准化的生物声学和视频行为方法来评估发育过程中喋喋不休和声音轮换的存在和作用，以及在发育过程中影响声音输出的潜在决定因素。机器学习，包括深度神经网络方法，将被应用于调查声音发展的动力学和潜在规则可以被自动评估的程度。将进行切除的喉部实验和相关的声道解剖和MicroCT研究，以及在发声过程中嘴巴和舌头运动的高速录像，以揭示发声的机制和发声灵活性的潜在生物力学限制。整合数据集将允许对各自的方法进行验证。该项目为哺乳动物发声交流的比较研究提供了重要的经验基础，并有助于揭示灵长类发声灵活性作为人类言语和语言进化的重要基石的进化根源。