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Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats

View ORCID ProfileSonja C. Vernes, View ORCID ProfileGerald S. Wilkinson
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/646703
Sonja C. Vernes
1Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, PO Box 310, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
2Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, Nijmegen, 6525 EN, The Netherlands
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  • For correspondence: sonja.vernes@mpi.nl wilkinso@umd.edu
Gerald S. Wilkinson
3Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
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  • For correspondence: sonja.vernes@mpi.nl wilkinso@umd.edu
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Summary

The comparative approach can provide insight into the evolution of human speech, language, and social communication by studying relevant traits in animal systems. Bats are emerging as a model system with great potential to shed light on these processes given their learned vocalisations, close social interactions, and mammalian brains and physiology. A recent framework outlined the multiple levels of investigation needed to understand vocal learning across a broad range of non-human species including cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants, birds and bats. Herein we apply this framework to the current state of the art in bat research. This encompasses our understanding of the abilities bats have displayed for vocal learning, what is known about the timing and social structure needed for such learning, and current knowledge about the prevalence of the trait across the order. It also addresses the biology (vocal tract morphology, neurobiology, and genetics) and phylogenetics of this trait. We conclude by highlighting some key questions that should be answered to advance our understanding of the biological encoding and evolution of speech and spoken communication.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license.
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Posted May 25, 2019.
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Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats
Sonja C. Vernes, Gerald S. Wilkinson
bioRxiv 646703; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/646703
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Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats
Sonja C. Vernes, Gerald S. Wilkinson
bioRxiv 646703; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/646703

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