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Species-specific and shared features in vocal repertoires of three Eurasian ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus)

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Abstract

Along to alarm calls, Eurasian ground squirrels of the genus Spermophilus also produce other call types toward potential predators and rival conspecifics. Individually identified 50 speckled (Spermophilus suslicus), 18 European (S. citellus) and 59 yellow (S. fulvus) ground squirrels were examined for interspecies differences in their vocal repertoires. A separate sample of 116 (90 adult and 26 juvenile) S. suslicus was examined for presence of ultrasound in their alarm calls. In addition, all tonal calls in all the three species were checked for presence of nonlinear phenomena. Calls were elicited by approaching animals in live-traps or near burrows; some types of vocalizations were also recorded during handling. Eight call types, three tonal and five wideband ones, were described. Vocal repertoires were remarkably similar between species, excluding the alarm calls, which were species-specific. Alarm calls with ultrasonic components were found in two individuals of S. suslicus. Concerning nonlinear phenomena, biphonation in alarm calls of S. suslicus, frequency jumps and sidebands in screams of S. citellus, frequency jumps and subharmonics in screams of S. fulvus were found. Results are discussed with literature evidence on audible and ultrasonic vocalizations in ground squirrels.

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Acknowledgments

We thank S.A. Shilova, A.V. Tchabovsky, L.E. Savinetskaya, O.N. Shekarova, A.F. Babitsky, S.V. Pivanova, N.A. Vasilieva, J. Matějů and P. Schnitzerová for help with data collection and to V. Vohralík and R. Frey for help with literature. We are sincerely grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for very constructive comments. This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant 09-04-00416 (for VAM, IAV, EVV), and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (project No. 0021620828) and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic (project No. SP/2d4/61/08) (for IS).

Conflict of interest

The authors do not have any conflict of interest. All funding sources are declared in the Acknowledgements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 12/1, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Vera A. Matrosova & Ilya A. Volodin

  2. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology RAS, Vavilov Str., 32, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Vera A. Matrosova

  3. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Viničná, 7, Prague 2, 128 44, Czech Republic

    Irena Schneiderová

  4. Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, B. Gruzinskaya, 1, Moscow, 123242, Russia

    Ilya A. Volodin & Elena V. Volodina

Authors
  1. Vera A. Matrosova
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  2. Irena Schneiderová
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  3. Ilya A. Volodin
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  4. Elena V. Volodina
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Correspondence to Vera A. Matrosova.

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Communicated by: Jan M. Wójcik

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Matrosova, V.A., Schneiderová, I., Volodin, I.A. et al. Species-specific and shared features in vocal repertoires of three Eurasian ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus). Acta Theriol 57, 65–78 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-011-0046-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-011-0046-9

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