Food-associated calls: the role of referentiality and social status in Callithrix jacchus vocalizations
acoustic communication; primate sociality; bioacoustics; food-associated calls; language evolution
Cooperative breeding system played a key role throughout human evolution, favoring the emergence of more complex socio-cognitive abilities, such as language. Some gaps concerning the evolution of this unique trait might be elucidated by studying social vocal communication among primates displaying this breeding system, such as Callitrichids. Vocalizations produced during food-context, and its related behavior, are one of the tools being used to bridge some of those gaps. This context-dependent calls can (1) accomplish the criteria for a functionally referential call, which must convey highly specific information about the feeding event, regarding quantity or quality, and elicit a proper response within the receivers, and (2) can be modified according to the identity of the caller and the presence of bystanders, known as audience effect. Although many studies with New World monkeys, including marmosets and tamarins, have investigated both features of their communication, little is known about those aspects in natural populations of common marmosets. Therefore, we aim to elucidate Callithrix jacchus vocal behavior looking into context-dependent vocalizations, such as food calls, its potential to convey referential information. Furthermore, verifying the effects that social environment can have in their calling behavior during food context, taking into account the identity of the caller and the presence of an audience.