The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A method for identifying sounds used in the classification of alarm calls
Abstract
In this study, we present a methodology that identifies acoustic units in Gunnison's prairie dog alarm calls and then uses those units to classify the alarm calls and bouts according to the species of predator that was present when the calls were vocalized. While traditional methods measure specific acoustic parameters in order to describe a vocalization, our method uses the variation in the internal structure of a vocalization to define possible information structures. Using a simple representation similar to that used in human speech to identify vowel sounds, a software system was developed that uses this representation to recognize acoustic units in prairie dog alarm calls. These acoustic units are then used to classify alarm calls and their associated bouts according to the species of predator that was present when the alarm calls were vocalized. Identification of bouts with up to 100% accuracy was obtained. This work represents a first step toward revealing the details of how information is encoded in a complex nonhuman communication system. Furthermore, the techniques discussed in this paper are not restricted to a database of prairie dog alarm calls. They could be applied to any animal whose vocalizations include multiple simultaneous frequencies.
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“Early work decoding prairie dog alarm calls hinted at this potential”
From Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation (2026) · cites this paper as Placer and Slobodchikoff 2004
Citations
Cites
Jurafsky, D. S., & Martin, J. (2000) · Cited by 4,132
A procedure for an automated measurement of song similarity
Tchernichovski, O., Nottebohm, F., Ho, C. E., Pesaran, B., & Mitra, P. P. (2000) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1006/anbe.1999.1416 · Cited by 749
Macedonia, J. M., & Evans, C. S. (1993) · Ethology · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1993.tb00988.x · Cited by 423
Recognizing transient low-frequency whale sounds by spectrogram correlation
Mellinger, D. K., & Clark, C. W. (2000) · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · doi:10.1121/1.429434 · Cited by 318
Quantitative Analysis of Animal Vocal Phonology: an Application to Swamp Sparrow Song
Clark, C. W., Marler, P., & Beeman, K. (1987) · Ethology · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00676.x · Cited by 254
Slobodchikoff, C. N., Kiriazis, J., Fischer, C., & Creef, E. (1991) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(05)80117-4 · Cited by 185
Self-citationHopp, S. L., Owren, M. J., & Evans, C. S. (1998) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-76220-8 · Cited by 153
Vocal imitation in zebra finches is inversely related to model abundance
Tchernichovski, O., Lints, T., Mitra, P. P., & Nottebohm, F. (1999) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.96.22.12901 · Cited by 144
de Sousa-Lima, R. S., Paglia, A. P., & da Fonseca, G. A. B. (2002) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1873 · Cited by 133
Animal Acoustic Communication: Sound Analysis and Research Methods
Hopp, S. L., Owren, M. J., & Evans, C. S. (2012) · Cited by 122
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Kiriazis, J., 1991. Communication and Sociality in Gunnisons prairie dogs, PhD dissertation, Northern Arizona University.
- Lengagne, 1997, Une methode de decomposition temporelle et spectrale des signaux bioacoustiques: reconnaissance individuelle chez quatre especes de manchots. Comptes Rendus de l’Academie des Sciences, Serie III, Sciences de la Vie, 320, 885
- Owings, D.H., Hennessy, D.F., 1984. The importance of variation in sciurid visual and vocal communication. in: Murie, J.O., Michener, G.R. (Eds.), The Biology of Ground-Dwelling Squirrels. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NB, pp. 167–200.
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Sorted by citations
Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation
Zsebők, S. (2026) · Biologia Futura · doi:10.1007/s42977-026-00322-5
“Early work decoding prairie dog alarm calls hinted at this potential (Placer and Slobodchikoff 2004), but modern studies increasingly combine bio-logging and audio to reconstruct behaviour at fine scales.”
Metadata
- Authors
- Placer, J., & Slobodchikoff, C. N.
- Affiliations
- Northern Arizona University (US)
- Venue
- Behavioural Processes
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2004-07
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 87-98
- ISSN
- 0376-6357 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2066298494
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioural Processes (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Signal Processing › Music and Audio Processing
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
- Keywords
- Gunnison's prairie dog, alarm calls, animal communication, predator detection
- MeSH terms
- Acoustics, Animals, Auditory Perception, Echolocation, Sound, Sound Spectrography, Vocalization, Animal
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