Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-95).

The extent to which individuals of Eigenmannia virescens modulate their electric organ discharge frequencies to accommodate the frequencies of others of the same species during social interactions was investigated. Recordings of the fish's discharge frequencies, taken with Tektronix 3L5 and 5L4N spectrum analyzers, showed that, although movements of up to 60 Hz in a day may be made, the frequency movements would be made more or less synchronously by all fish in the group. An apparent preference for, and a tendency of the fish to follow one another in frequency, at frequency ratios of 2:3 (a musical fifth), 3:4 (fourth), and even 4:5 (major third) was observed. The appearance of a circadian rhythm was also noticed.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Science, 1969.

Identifying the sensory systems animals employ to communicate chemically and the function of the chemical signals facilitates further understanding of chemical communication. Increased knowledge of how animals use the olfactory and vomeronasal systems in order to interpret the meaning of body odors will aid in developing a more detailed organization of chemosensory pathways. The message that each body odor contains can change from species to species. The purpose of this thesis was to study three previously untested body odors in house mice (M musculus) for their role in gender recognition of conspecifics. These odors are the anogenital (feces, urine, and preputial gland secretions), the Harderian gland (Harderian gland sebaceous secretion; gland located at inner comer of eye), and mouth/nose (saliva, mucus, and food). The amount of time in seconds and the number of sniffs were measured in an habituation paradigm which involved four trials per odor. The means of the amount of time spent sniffing and the number of sniffs per odor showed that the mice sniffed the novel odor the most, the non-novel an intermediate amount, and the control the least amount. The mice recognized the novel as foreign and the non-novel as familiar and the mice could not determine the gender of the odor-donor from any of the three odors.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-131). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99145

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Restricted until November 2001. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-99). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This study uses data from three free-ranging and one caged troop to describe the visual signals identified in the South African subspecies of vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus) and to then compare them to those seen at other localities and in other species. It further assesses some signals used specifically by adult males - those involving secondary sexual characters - in terms of male social strategies. In the pursuance of this four aspects of the literature were reviewed in detail. It is concluded that: 1. Natal vervets use fewer visual signals that do other species living in more open habitat. These signals are, however, very similar to those recorded in East Africa, while differing more from those isolated in the West African representitive of the vervet group. 2. Vervet troops are not closed units and migration - both into and out of the troop - occurs frequently. The data suggest that it is a male phenomenon related to the availability of females. 3. The signalling function of the genitals does not accord with that ascribed to them by Wickler (1967). Penile extensions are closely associated with aggressive behaviour by the signaller, and scrotal retractions with submissive behaviour. Associated with these structures are displays that facilitate their presentation to the recipients. 4. While males yawn more than any other age-sex class, largely for social and not physiological reasons, there is no clear evidence that yawns serve specifically to display the canines. Nevertheless, by being strongly associated with certain interactions they are presumed to accrue signal value. 5. As males move into troops where they must compete with unrelated males for the same resources, it is concluded that the genital signalling system has evolved to mediate male relationships. This is of special significance as the "multimale" system of vervets is regarded as being less developed than those of Papio or Macaca monkeys. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1982.

The major question addressed by this project was to determine if the long-necked, freshwater turtle Chelodina oblonga, vocalise underwater and whether their vocal activity could be related to behavioural or ecological aspects of their lives. These turtles often live in wetlands where visibility is restricted due to habitat complexity or light limitation caused by factors such as tannin-staining, or turbidity. For many aquatic animals, sound is a useful means of communication over distances beyond their visual acuity. This thesis gives the first detailed account of the underwater vocal repertoire of C. oblonga. In total, over 230 days were spent in the field and more than 500 hours of tape recordings were made for this research. Initially, a number of recordings took place in three wetlands known to support turtle populations: Blue Gum Lake; Glen Brook Dam; and Lake Leschenaultia in Perth, Western Australia; in order to determine the nature of the freshwater sound field and place turtle vocalisations into the context in which they were vocalising. The wetlands differed in terms of degree of enrichment, substrate material, water depth and habitat complexity. Recordings were made over a four-week period in the last month of summer and the first week of autumn (Feb-Mar 2003). Invertebrate sweeps were also taken over a two-week period at each recording site to determine if invertebrate distributions were related to patterns of sonic activity. To determine the influence of wind on ambient noise; recordings were undertaken on winter mornings (June-August, 2003) at Blue Gum Lake and Glen Brook Dam at locations north, south, west and east for four different wind speeds – Beaufort Wind Scale (BWS) 0,1,2 & 3. There were seven distinctive calls recognised in the recordings. The frequency bandwidth most utilised by organisms was between 3 kHz up to around 14 kHz, with the exception of the ‘bird-like song’; which extended from 500 Hz up to around 10 kHz. Blue Gum Lake contained a more diverse and abundant assemblage of invertebrates than Lake Leschenaultia and Glen Brook Dam. Correspondingly, a greater diversity of calls was recorded at Blue Gum Lake, as well as the presence of chorus activity, which was not heard at the two less-enriched sites. The periods of greatest diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates was synonymous with the increased sonic activity at dusk and midnight with noise levels greatest at dusk in particular, and to a lesser extent at midnight. There was no difference in ambient noise at Blue Gum Lake or Glen Brook Dam at wind speeds of Beaufort Wind Scale 0, 1 and 2. Turtles from three populations were recorded in artificial environments: consisting of round, plastic, above-ground ponds (1.8m dia. x 0.65m depth), which were set up to recreate small wetlands. Recordings occurred from September to October, 2003 and from February to December, 2004 as well as January, 2005. Seven hatchling and five juvenile turtles (CL <10cm) were also recorded in order to ascertain whether very young turtles vocalised. Hatchlings were recorded in a glass aquarium (35.5cm length x 20cm width x 22.0cm depth) and juveniles were placed into a below-ground outdoor pond (1m length x 0.5m width x 0.4m depth). Recordings occurred from as early as 4.30am (dawn recordings) to as late as 1.30am (evening recordings). The recordings revealed that turtles utilise an underwater acoustic communication system (calling at the water’s surface was also noted but these were not recorded or a part of this research) involving a repertoire of both complex and percussive sounds with short, medium and potentially long-range propagation characteristics. Complex structures included harmonically related elements (richly or sparsely) and different rates of frequency modulation. Frequency use extended beyond the in-air auditory sensitivity known for a single species of turtle studied from the family Chelidae; with calls ranging from around 100 Hz in some of the percussive displays, to as high as 3.5 kHz in some complex calls, with ‘clicks’ extending beyond the 20 kHz upper limit of the recording system. However, most of C. oblonga’s vocalisations had dominant frequencies below 1 kHz. Turtles were intermittent callers with an extensive vocal repertoire of seventeen (17) vocal categories - highly suggestive of complex social organisation. Vocalisations included: a) clacks; b) clicks; c) squawks; d) hoots; e) short chirps; f) high short chirps; g) medium chirps; h) long chirps; i) high calls; j) cries or wails; k) cat whines; l) grunts; m) growls; n) blow bursts; o) staccatos; p) a wild howl; and q) drum rolling. Also, two sustained ‘pulse-bouts’ were recorded during the breeding months, hypothesised to function as acoustic advertisement displays – possibly ‘calling songs’. Hatchling turtles were not heard to vocalise within the audible range. Only a single complex vocalisation was heard produced by the juvenile turtles, with a number of percussive calls. Preliminary playback trials were conducted under free-field conditions and within an artificial environment, which consisted of a below ground rectangular tank (2.4m length x 0.8m width x 0.6m deep). A number of turtle calls recorded in the artificial ponds were selected for playback. A UW 30 speaker was used for broadcast of calls. The free-field playbacks occurred at Mabel Talbot Lake and Blue Gum Lake during the months of April and May, 2005. Playback using 14 seconds of an artificially constructed sequence from the sustained ‘pulse-bout’ occurred in the artificial channels. This sequence consisted of some of the first phase pulses followed by a section of the ‘vibrato’. The preliminary free-field playback trials indicated that turtles had some interest in the calls being played by responding with an ‘alert posture’. Turtles were shown to remain in the alert posture for a significantly longer time than when no sound was played or when white noise was played. The extensive repertoire and initial responses to the free-field playbacks indicated that sound has some biological importance for C. oblonga, although results of playbacks under artificial conditions were inconclusive.