Population-specific use of the same tool-assisted alarm call between two wild orangutan populations (Pongopygmaeus wurmbii) indicates functional arbitrariness

This study was financially supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/44437/2008), Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Dr. J.L. Dobberke voor Vergelijkende Psychologie, Lucie Burgers Foundation for Comparative Behaviour Research, Schure-Beijerinck-Popping Fonds, Ruggles-Gates Fund for Anthropological Scholarship of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. KN and ET were financially supported by Pongo Foundation. Orangutan fieldwork at Cabang Panti was supported by grants to CDK from the 16 National Science Foundation (0936199), the National Geographic Society, the Leakey Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.Arbitrariness is an elementary feature of human language, yet seldom an object of comparative inquiry. While arbitrary signals for the same function are relatively frequent between animal populations across taxa, the same signal with arbitrary functions is rare and it remains unknown whether, in parallel with human speech, it may involve call production in animals. To investigate this question, we examined a particular orangutan alarm call - the kiss-squeak - and two variants - hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. In Tuanan (Central Kalimantan, Indonesia), the acoustic frequency of unaided kiss-squeaks is negatively related to body size. The modified variants are correlated with perceived threat and are hypothesized to increase the perceived body size of the sender, as the use of a hand or leaves lowers the kiss-squeak's acoustic frequency. We examined the use of these variants in the same context in another orangutan population of the same sub-species and with partially similar habitat at Cabang Panti (West Kalimantan, Indonesia). Identical analyses of data from this site provided similar results for unaided kiss-squeaks but dissimilar results for hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. Unaided kiss-squeaks at Cabang Panti were emitted as commonly and showed the same relationship to body size as in Tuanan. However, at Cabang Panti, hand kiss-squeaks were extremely rare, while leaf-use neither conveyed larger body size nor was related to perceived threat. These findings indicate functional discontinuity between the two sites and therefore imply functional arbitrariness of leaf kiss-squeaks. These results show for the first time the existence of animal signals involving call production with arbitrary function. Our findings are consistent with previous studies arguing that these orangutan call variants are socially learned and reconcile the role of gestures and calls within evolutionary theories based on common ancestry for speech and music.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Amira Ziyan, Hiding in the Light: A Synergy of Contrasts as a Visual Code of “Otherness”

This article presents an interpretation of the works by the Israeli–Druze photographer Amira Ziyan, focusing on a series of photographs from 2017. These portray reenactments of actions identified with traditional roles of women in Druze society, such as cooking and cleaning. Employing a unique visual language and choice of form and content, the artist depicts a confrontation between a clear set of rigid and traditional boundaries and values and a contemporary, post-modern reality in which these boundaries and values are blurred. The interpretive reading proposed here describes a synergy between visual codes of minorities and accepted visual codes of their surrounding pervasive culture in contemporary Israel. Ziyan’s work offers a glimpse into visual codes of “otherness” that express the inner world of an artist who grew up on the margins of society but strove to be accepted as an essential part of its main artistic current. Focusing on this perspective contributes to ongoing discourse regarding contradictions inherent in Israeli society and identity

Planificación estratégica para la Fundación Abrazarte

Memoria para optar al título de Ingeniero Civil IndustrialFundación Abrazarte nace en 2005 rescatando niños del río Mapocho, dándoles soporte en materia educacional, social, y espiritual. En la actualidad se encuentran en un proceso de crecimiento que no se sostiene adecuadamente con la forma en la que se ha venido trabajando. Por este motivo se propone un trabajo con el memorista para alcanzar una estrategia que le permita solucionar sus problemas respecto a gestión, financiamiento y control de los procesos. Con ello se espera que la organización pueda cumplir sus objetivos estratégicos, tener resultados claros y pueda perdurar en el tiempo, de otra manera se ve amenazada su existencia y su aporte a los niños y jóvenes en situación de calle. El objetivo general del trabajo realizado es entregar una planificación estratégica que aplique para los siguientes cinco años. La metodología se divide en cuatro pasos principales: Primero investigar las mejores prácticas en organizaciones similares, permitiendo aprender de lo que ya existe; Segundo determinar objetivos estratégicos; Tercero una plan estratégico que permita cumplir con el rumbo declarado y Finalmente una estructura que permita evaluar su cumplimiento. La principal forma de trabajar de otras organizaciones relevantes respeta una fuerte cultura de evaluación, reporte de resultados y estandarización de procesos (lo que les lleva a tener una cultura orientada a enfocarse en sus objetivos estratégicos propios y con ello cumplir su declaración de misión). Este es el camino a seguir para Abrazarte. La investigación deja ver una serie de brechas a cerrar, se abordan las principales, dando origen a los objetivos estratégicos. Son 12 objetivos que permiten alcanzar un cumplimiento cabal de la misión, destacando la necesidad de estructurar la metodología de intervención y medir estos indicadores de manera mensual. El sistema de gestión que se utiliza en esta memoria es el cuadro de mando integral, el cual permite una visión panorámica de la situación de la organización. El plan de acción se traduce en 4 iniciativas estratégicas, destacando la de captación de recursos, clave para lograr la declaración estratégica de la Fundación. La evaluación financiera muestra que se puede alcanzar un aumento del capital de 90 a 154 millones de pesos en ingresos brutos al año, lo que se traduce en disponer de 30 millones en vez de 10 una vez descontados los gastos del mismo. El plan de implementación contempla una agenda de 6 meses, donde se pone en marcha la totalidad de las iniciativas

Population-Specific Use of the Same Tool-Assisted Alarm Call between Two Wild Orangutan Populations (Pongopygmaeus wurmbii) Indicates Functional Arbitrariness

Arbitrariness is an elementary feature of human language, yet seldom an object of comparative inquiry. While arbitrary signals for the same function are relatively frequent between animal populations across taxa, the same signal with arbitrary functions is rare and it remains unknown whether, in parallel with human speech, it may involve call production in animals. To investigate this question, we examined a particular orangutan alarm call - the kiss-squeak - and two variants - hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. In Tuanan (Central Kalimantan, Indonesia), the acoustic frequency of unaided kiss-squeaks is negatively related to body size. The modified variants are correlated with perceived threat and are hypothesized to increase the perceived body size of the sender, as the use of a hand or leaves lowers the kiss-squeak’s acoustic frequency. We examined the use of these variants in the same context in another orangutan population of the same sub-species and with partially similar habitat at Cabang Panti (West Kalimantan, Indonesia). Identical analyses of data from this site provided similar results for unaided kiss-squeaks but dissimilar results for hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. Unaided kiss-squeaks at Cabang Panti were emitted as commonly and showed the same relationship to body size as in Tuanan. However, at Cabang Panti, hand kiss-squeaks were extremely rare, while leaf-use neither conveyed larger body size nor was related to perceived threat. These findings indicate functional discontinuity between the two sites and therefore imply functional arbitrariness of leaf kiss-squeaks. These results show for the first time the existence of animal signals involving call production with arbitrary function. Our findings are consistent with previous studies arguing that these orangutan call variants are socially learned and reconcile the role of gestures and calls within evolutionary theories based on common ancestry for speech and music

Population-specific use of the same tool-assisted alarm call between two wild orangutan populations (<i>Pongopygmaeus wurmbii</i>) indicates functional arbitrariness

Arbitrariness is an elementary feature of human language, yet seldom an object of comparative inquiry. While arbitrary signals for the same function are relatively frequent between animal populations across taxa, the same signal with arbitrary functions is rare and it remains unknown whether, in parallel with human speech, it may involve call production in animals. To investigate this question, we examined a particular orangutan alarm call - the kiss-squeak - and two variants - hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. In Tuanan (Central Kalimantan, Indonesia), the acoustic frequency of unaided kiss-squeaks is negatively related to body size. The modified variants are correlated with perceived threat and are hypothesized to increase the perceived body size of the sender, as the use of a hand or leaves lowers the kiss-squeak's acoustic frequency. We examined the use of these variants in the same context in another orangutan population of the same sub-species and with partially similar habitat at Cabang Panti (West Kalimantan, Indonesia). Identical analyses of data from this site provided similar results for unaided kiss-squeaks but dissimilar results for hand and leaf kiss-squeaks. Unaided kiss-squeaks at Cabang Panti were emitted as commonly and showed the same relationship to body size as in Tuanan. However, at Cabang Panti, hand kiss-squeaks were extremely rare, while leaf-use neither conveyed larger body size nor was related to perceived threat. These findings indicate functional discontinuity between the two sites and therefore imply functional arbitrariness of leaf kiss-squeaks. These results show for the first time the existence of animal signals involving call production with arbitrary function. Our findings are consistent with previous studies arguing that these orangutan call variants are socially learned and reconcile the role of gestures and calls within evolutionary theories based on common ancestry for speech and music.</p