Interspecific differences in male vocalizations of three sympatric fur seals (Arctocephalus spp.)

This study investigated species recognition based on bark calls and full threat calls (FTCs) in three fur seal species, Antarctic Arctocephalus gazella, subantarctic A. tropicalis and New Zealand A. forsteri, that breed sympatrically and hybridize at subantarctic Macquarie Island. Bark calls, which...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Page, BC, Goldsworthy, SD, Hindell, MA, Mckenzie, J
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2002
Subjects:
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Science and Management
Wildlife and Habitat Management
Antarctic
New Zealand
Antarc*
Arctocephalus gazella
Macquarie Island
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1017/S095283690200119X
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/25183
Description
Summary:This study investigated species recognition based on bark calls and full threat calls (FTCs) in three fur seal species, Antarctic Arctocephalus gazella, subantarctic A. tropicalis and New Zealand A. forsteri, that breed sympatrically and hybridize at subantarctic Macquarie Island. Bark calls, which are produced by males in male-female interactions, were more species-specific than their full threat calls, suggesting that bark calls could be used in species recognition and female mate choice. Further, the bark calls of A. tropicalis were more species-specific than those of A. gazella and A. forsteri, suggesting that divergence of calls between species is a consequence of phylogenetic distance, or has resulted from sexual selection through female mate choice. We believe the latter is more probable as we did not observe similar divergence in the FTCs of males. As such, the highly divergent bark calls of A. tropicalis may have resulted from sexual selection that has promoted pre-mating isolation via the process of reinforcement.

Similar Items