Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: SAMARA BEZERRA ALMEIDA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : SAMARA BEZERRA ALMEIDA
DATE: 11/03/2022
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: meet.google.com/tnn-ebgs-mjb
TITLE:

Vocal ontogeney and structure og the giant otter in two important river basins in Brazil

KEY WORDS:

vocal ontogeny, giant otter, bioacoustics, development, carnivora

PAGES: 53
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Zoologia
SUBÁREA: Comportamento Animal
SUMMARY:

One of the bases that structure and keep animal societies together is communication. The giant otter is a social animal that maintains group cohesion using vocal communication. Groups of giant otters defend territories along water bodies using acoustic and chemical signals. There is evidence of the existence of the vocal signature and also of individual recognition for the species. However, the vocal ontogeny of the giant otter remains poorly understood as well as the variation in the structure of the vocal repertoire. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis project is to investigate the vocal behavior of the giant otter, seeking to explore ontogenetic and functional issues, as well as to characterize the structure of the giant otter's vocalization in two different natural environments in the state of Tocantins (Cerrado-Amazônia and Cerrado). For the collection of data that allows the investigation of the acoustic ontogeny of the species and also to verify the changes in the vocal structure of the giant otter, the sounds were recorded with a directional microphone from a minimum distance of 10m and a maximum of 50m. To enhance the samples, we also used a Song Meter SM3 recorder at the entrance to the otter burrows' sighs. We carried out 28 campaigns, and the campaigns lasted an average of 7 days, with an average of 12 hours in the field per day, totaling 2,688 hours of monitoring. Giant otters are highly vocal from birth. Baby giant otters produce sequences of babbling and yelping that can be characterized as immature calls. We present here a review of the classification of 19 vocal types and we associate the vocal repertoire with the age stage of free-living giant otters. We also introduce six new undescribed sound types for giant otters. Some vocal types such as: Cub call, Growl, Scream and Coo call appear in the first stage of life and remain until the last, allowing to verify the changes in the vocal structure of this vocal type according to the age stage. Systematically characterizing developmental changes in sound production from birth to adulthood (ontogeny) can provide insights into the physiological and social factors that may influence such changes. In addition, this characterization is an important tool for developing management plans in a natural environment, as well as helping to adapt human activities that involve the species, such as ecotourism.

BANKING MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1863735 - RENATA SANTORO DE SOUSA LIMA
Externo ao Programa - 3086031 - DANIEL YASUMASA TAKAHASHI
Externo ao Programa - 1379465 - GILBERTO CORSO
Externa à Instituição - CAROLINE LEUCHTENBERGER