Comparative analyses of the roar vocalization of male harbor seals from ten sites throughout their distribution showed that vocal variation occurs at the oceanic, regional, population, and subpopulation level. Genetic barriers based on the physical distance between harbor seal populations present a likely explanation for some of the observed vocal variation. However, site-specific vocal variations were present between genetically mixed subpopulations in California. A tree-based classification analysis grouped Scottish populations together with eastern Pacific sites, rather than amongst Atlantic sites as would be expected if variation was based purely on genetics. Lastly, within the classification tree no individual vocal parameter was consistently responsible for consecutive splits between geographic sites. Combined, these factors suggest that site-specific variation influences the development of vocal structure in harbor seals and these factors may provide evidence for the occurrence of vocal dialects.
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June 2003
May 29 2003
Patterns in the vocalizations of male harbor seals
Sofie M. Van Parijs;
Sofie M. Van Parijs
Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø N-9296, Norway
Norwegian College of Fisheries Science, University of Tromsø, Tromsø N-9037, Norway
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Peter J. Corkeron;
Peter J. Corkeron
Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, N-9291 Tromsø, Norway
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James Harvey;
James Harvey
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, California 95039
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Sean A. Hayes;
Sean A. Hayes
Biology Department, Earth/Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
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David K. Mellinger;
David K. Mellinger
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California 95039
Oregon State University, Cooperate Institute for Marine Resource Studies, 2030 South Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365
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Philippe A. Rouget;
Philippe A. Rouget
Bamfield Marine Station, Bamfield, British Columbia V0R 1B0, Canada
Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Paul M. Thompson;
Paul M. Thompson
Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-Shire IV11 8YJ, United Kingdom
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Magnus Wahlberg;
Magnus Wahlberg
National Board of Fisheries, Institute of Coastal Research, Nya Varvet 31, 426 71 Va Frölunda, Sweden
Center for Sound Communication, Department of Zoophysiology, Århus University, Building 131, CF Møllers Alle, DK-8000 Århus C, Denmark
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Kit M. Kovacs
Kit M. Kovacs
Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø N-9296, Norway
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 113, 3403–3410 (2003)
Article history
Received:
July 19 2002
Accepted:
February 26 2003
Citation
Sofie M. Van Parijs, Peter J. Corkeron, James Harvey, Sean A. Hayes, David K. Mellinger, Philippe A. Rouget, Paul M. Thompson, Magnus Wahlberg, Kit M. Kovacs; Patterns in the vocalizations of male harbor seals. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 June 2003; 113 (6): 3403–3410. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1568943
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