Intraspecific variability in the "vowel"‐like sounds of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas): Intra‐ and interpopulation comparisons. Issue 2 (21st September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Panova, Elena M.; Belikov, Roman A.; Agafonov, Alexandr V.; Kirillova, Olga I.; Chernetsky, Anton D.; Bel'kovich, Vsevolod M.
• Is Part Of: Marine mammal science. Volume 32:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 452
• Page End: 465
• Publication Date: 2015-09-21
• Subjects: beluga whale -- Delphinapterus leucas -- acoustic communication -- inter‐ and intrapopulation variability -- vocal dialect; Marine mammals -- Congresses; Marine mammals -- Periodicals; Marine mammals, Fossil -- Periodicals; Mammifères marins -- Périodiques; 599.5
• DOI: 10.1111/mms.12266
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0824-0469

Abstract

Abstract: The beluga whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ) has a rich and complicated vocal repertoire. However, different populations use similar and common types of signals. We studied physical features of one of these types, "vowels, " in three Russian populations: the White Sea population (European North), the Chukotka population (the Bering Sea, Chukotka), and the Okhotsk Sea population (Russian Far East) as well as in four summer aggregations of the White Sea belugas over several years in duration. The pulse repetition rate (PRR) at half of the duration of the signal was measured. We found that the PRR of "vowels" collected in the same summer aggregation during different years is stable in time but varies between locations. The degree of variation corresponds with the geographic distance between different locations. Significant differences were discovered between populations separated by thousands of kilometers, and to a lesser extent, between summer aggregations inhabiting different bays of the White Sea. The variation in PRR between the locations can be caused by the divergence of signals owing to the accumulation of random errors during transmission of these signals from generation to generation, which progressed independently in different summer aggregations and populations.