Speech-like rhythm in a voiced and voiceless orangutan call

A.R.L. thanks the Menken Funds of the University of Amsterdam.The evolutionary origins of speech remain obscure. Recently, it was proposed that speech derived from monkey facial signals which exhibit a speech-like rhythm of ∼5 open-close lip cycles per second. In monkeys, these signals may also be vocalized, offering a plausible evolutionary stepping stone towards speech. Three essential predictions remain, however, to be tested to assess this hypothesis' validity; (i) Great apes, our closest relatives, should likewise produce 5Hz-rhythm signals, (ii) speech-like rhythm should involve calls articulatorily similar to consonants and vowels given that speech rhythm is the direct product of stringing together these two basic elements, and (iii) speech-like rhythm should be experience-based. Via cinematic analyses we demonstrate that an ex-entertainment orangutan produces two calls at a speech-like rhythm, coined "clicks" and "faux-speech." Like voiceless consonants, clicks required no vocal fold action, but did involve independent manoeuvring over lips and tongue. In parallel to vowels, faux-speech showed harmonic and formant modulations, implying vocal fold and supralaryngeal action. This rhythm was several times faster than orangutan chewing rates, as observed in monkeys and humans. Critically, this rhythm was seven-fold faster, and contextually distinct, than any other known rhythmic calls described to date in the largest database of the orangutan repertoire ever assembled. The first two predictions advanced by this study are validated and, based on parsimony and exclusion of potential alternative explanations, initial support is given to the third prediction. Irrespectively of the putative origins of these calls and underlying mechanisms, our findings demonstrate irrevocably that great apes are not respiratorily, articulatorilly, or neurologically constrained for the production of consonant- and vowel-like calls at speech rhythm. Orangutan clicks and faux-speech confirm the importance of rhythmic speech antecedents within the primate lineage, and highlight potential articulatory homologies between great ape calls and human consonants and vowels.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Molecular Epidemiology of Fonsecaea Species

These fungi disperse slowly, leading to changes in structure at different geographic locations

Food preparation with mucoralean fungi: A potential biosafety issue?

Mucorales have been used for production of fermented food in Asia and Africa since time immemorial. Particularly Rhizopus species are rapidly growing, active producers of lipases and proteases and occur naturally during the first stages of soybean fermentation. Two biosafety issues have been raised in recent literature: (1) pathogenicity, Rhizopus species being prevalent opportunists causing erosive infections in severely compromised patients, and (2) toxicity, strains harbouring endosymbiotic Burkholderia producing toxic secondary metabolites. At the molecular level, based on different gene markers, species identity was found between strains used for food processing and clinical strains. In this study, we screened for bacterial symbionts in 64 Rhizopus strains by light microscopy, 16S rRNA sequencing, and HPLC. Seven strains (11 %) carried bacteria identified as Burkholderia rhizoxinica and Burkholderia endofungorum, and an unknown Burkholderia species. The Burkholderia isolates proved to be able to produce toxic rhizoxins. Strains with endosymbionts originated from food, soil, and a clinical source, and thus their presence could not be linked to particular habitats. The presence of Burkholderia in Rhizopus producing toxins could not be excluded as a potential risk for human health. In contrast, given the type of diseases caused by Rhizopus species, we regard the practical risk of infection via the food industry as negligible. (C) 2015 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.SCI(E)[email protected]

Socioecological correlates of inter-individual variation in orangutan diets at Ketambe, Sumatra

The diet of great apes consists of several hundred plant species. The factors determining diet differences have been examined between populations but not within a population, probably due to the confounding effect of seasonal fluctuations on fruit availability. In Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii), fruit availability appears to be sufficiently high year round to have little influence on diet composition, which in turn allows for addressing this question. We examined the diet of eight adult female orangutans at Ketambe, Sumatra, and investigated whether fig and non-fig fruit availability, association time, and/or home range measures influenced dietary overlap between female dyads. Between most pairs, females’ diets were different: 16 out of 23 pairs had a significantly low diet species overlap. Only fig diet overlap was influenced (negatively) by the availability of non-fig fruit. Association time only influenced (positively) fig diet overlap. Hence, orangutans gathered in fig trees when non-fig fruit availability was low. Home range measures did not influence overall diet overlap. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that, while controlling for confounding factors, individuals with similar energetic requirements, from the same population and sharing the same area, make different dietary choices relatively to their preferred (non-fig) fruit constituting the majority of their diet. Social transmission, with putative matrilineal diet traditions, suitably explains these results. We discuss the implications of the findings for orangutan conservation, namely on reintroduction and the felling of fig trees

Speech-like rhythm in a voiced and voiceless orangutan call

The evolutionary origins of speech remain obscure. Recently, it was proposed that speech derived from monkey facial signals which exhibit a speech-like rhythm of ∼5 open-close lip cycles per second. In monkeys, these signals may also be vocalized, offering a plausible evolutionary stepping stone towards speech. Three essential predictions remain, however, to be tested to assess this hypothesis' validity; (i) Great apes, our closest relatives, should likewise produce 5Hz-rhythm signals, (ii) speech-like rhythm should involve calls articulatorily similar to consonants and vowels given that speech rhythm is the direct product of stringing together these two basic elements, and (iii) speech-like rhythm should be experience-based. Via cinematic analyses we demonstrate that an ex-entertainment orangutan produces two calls at a speech-like rhythm, coined "clicks" and "faux-speech." Like voiceless consonants, clicks required no vocal fold action, but did involve independent manoeuvring over lips and tongue. In parallel to vowels, faux-speech showed harmonic and formant modulations, implying vocal fold and supralaryngeal action. This rhythm was several times faster than orangutan chewing rates, as observed in monkeys and humans. Critically, this rhythm was seven-fold faster, and contextually distinct, than any other known rhythmic calls described to date in the largest database of the orangutan repertoire ever assembled. The first two predictions advanced by this study are validated and, based on parsimony and exclusion of potential alternative explanations, initial support is given to the third prediction. Irrespectively of the putative origins of these calls and underlying mechanisms, our findings demonstrate irrevocably that great apes are not respiratorily, articulatorilly, or neurologically constrained for the production of consonant- and vowel-like calls at speech rhythm. Orangutan clicks and faux-speech confirm the importance of rhythmic speech antecedents within the primate lineage, and highlight potential articulatory homologies between great ape calls and human consonants and vowels

Photographs of pteropod specimens.

Photographs of pteropod specimens used for phylogenetic analyses in this study

Impact of Humans on Long-Distance Communication Behaviour of Eastern Chimpanzees <b><i>(Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)</i></b> in the Northern Democratic Republic of the Congo

We systematically recorded all long-distance chimpanzee vocalizations and tree drums over a 26-month study period in 13 forest regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We found that the frequency of chimpanzee vocalizations and tree drums was considerably higher in the remote Gangu Forest than in other forest regions closer to human settlements and roads. We present evidence indicating that chimpanzees may reduce their levels of vocalizations in areas characterized by high levels of human hunting. The chimpanzees appear to have the behavioural flexibility necessary to modify their behaviour in areas where humans are a major threat. We discuss the possible consequences of this reduction in vocalization rate on the social system of the chimpanzees