Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: LUCIANA HELENA SILVA ROCHA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : LUCIANA HELENA SILVA ROCHA
DATE: 13/10/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Sala 1 PPg Psicobiologia
TITLE:

Do social context and intraspecific recognition influence vocal complexity? A case study in a corvid from Caatinga

KEY WORDS:

Vocal repertoire, vocal complexity, vocal recognition, acoustic localization.

PAGES: 44
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUMMARY:

Vocal communication is a fundamental behavior in birds and is associated with a wide range of social interactions, such as mate attraction, alarm calls against predators, group cohesion, and territory defense. Acoustic signals also convey information about the identity of the sender, and the complexity of a species’ vocal repertoire may be related to its social complexity. Among birds, the family Corvidae has become a model group for studies on behavior and cognition. However, most research has focused on species from the Northern Hemisphere, leaving a gap regarding the vocal behavior of Brazilian species of the genus Cyanocorax. Although popularly known as “the voice of the Caatinga,” the white-naped jay (Cyanocorax cyanopogon) has not yet had its vocal repertoire systematically described. In this context, the aim of this study is to investigate the diversity, functions, and complexity of the vocal repertoire of C. cyanopogon, relating its vocalizations to behavioral, social, and ecological contexts in both natural and restored Caatinga habitats. The study will be conducted in the Floresta Nacional de Açu (Assu, Rio Grande do Norte), a protected area that hosts an ongoing ecological restoration project, as well as preserved areas and sites at distinct stages of recovery. Four complementary studies will be conducted: (1) description and classification of the sounds that make up the species’ vocal repertoire, associating them with the behavioral contexts in which they are produced to understand their possible functions; (2) investigation of the relationship between social context (group size and seasonality) and vocal repertoire complexity; (3) assessment of intraspecific vocal recognition through experimental playback tests of individual responses to familiar and unfamiliar vocalizations; and (4) characterization of vocal activity patterns, habitat use, and territoriality in a restoration area using acoustic localization techniques, evaluating the potential of C. cyanopogon as a model species for environmental acoustic monitoring. The results will fill a knowledge gap on the vocal communication of C. cyanopogon and contribute to a broader understanding of social and vocal systems in corvids.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1863735 - RENATA SANTORO DE SOUSA LIMA
Interna - 2696495 - RENATA GONCALVES FERREIRA
Externo ao Programa - 1678202 - CARLOS ROBERTO SORENSEN DUTRA DA FONSECA - UFRNExterno ao Programa - 1439088 - MAURO PICHORIM - UFRN