Next-generation acoustic recorders for studies of animal communication, vocal learning, and cultural evolution

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Recent developments in digital acoustic technology have given rise to field-portable recorders capable of long deployments in all-weather field conditions. In this proposal, I request NSERC RTI support for next-generation autonomous digital recorders that I will use with a large and diverse team of students and collaborators to study vocal learning and cultural evolution in wild birds. In only eight groups of animals, including humans and songbirds, young animals learn to vocalize by listening to adults. Culturally inherited vocal traits play a vital role in animal survival and mating. With a team of students and postdoctoral researchers, I will use the requested digital recorders to study vocal learning in two study systems: temperate sparrows where males use songs to defend territories and attract mates; and tropical wrens where both sexes use solo songs and coordinated vocal duets in diverse contexts. After teaching novel songs to young birds using our recently developed experimental approach, we will use the requested digital recorders to conduct long-term acoustic monitoring, at broad geographic and temporal scales, to assess the ecological and evolutionary consequences of vocal learning. The next-generation digital recorders will allow us to test new hypotheses about vocal learning and animal culture, through a series of three projects. In Project A, on temperate birds, the requested equipment will allow us to test the hypotheses that (1) the presence of a physical tutor enhances vocal learning, (2) young birds learn songs based on frequency of exposure, and (3) young birds refine their vocal learning by rejecting suboptimal songs. In Project B, on duetting tropical birds, we will test the hypotheses that (1) learning is sex-specific in tropical birds, (2) duets facilitate vocal learning, and (3) birds learn duetting behaviour from nearby animals. Finally, in Project C, we will study cultural evolution in both study systems by documenting patterns of acoustic changes through time and space. Due to the high number of recordings needed to test these hypotheses, and the large number of locations where acoustic sampling is necessary, none of these projects are possible without the requested equipment. This body of research will provide ground-breaking insights into the behaviour, ecology, and evolution of animals, and will answer novel questions about vocal learning and animal culture. This research will also allow me to train many diverse Canadian scientists and further develop innovative recording technologies for studying wild animals; many previous HQP from my team now use their experience with automated recorders to work for government and non-government agencies. My laboratory is widely recognized as a pioneering source of novel methods for studying wild animals, and the requested next-generation recorders are vital for my research team to continue this innovation.