Blank D A, Ruckstuhl K, Yang W
Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China; Institute of Zoology, Kazakh Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada.
Behav Processes. 2014 Jul;106:152-9. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.05.009. Epub 2014 Jun 7.
Most of the vocalizations of Antilopinae males are soft and usually only heard from a very close distance. The goitered gazelle is a rare exception to this rule, and during the rutting period territorial males of this species are among the noisiest antelopes. Rutting vocalization is such an essential part of the rutting behavior in goitered gazelle that adult males have a hypertrophic larynx, the muscle tissues of which increase considerably in size during the rut. We were interested in the frequency and variance with which male goitered gazelles emit their calls depending on an animal's age, reproductive status and time of the year in order to understand the main function of the rutting vocalizations. We found that roaring was mostly related to courting displays, while vocalizations during aggressive displays were less frequent in male-male interactions. Acoustic signals likely enhance courtship displays and also may aid in accelerating female ovulation, promoting synchronization of breeding cycles during the mating and birthing periods, which last only several days for most of the females in our population. We discuss the potential benefits of such behaviors and compare it to other species living in similarly extreme environments.
羚羊亚科雄性的大多数叫声都很轻柔，通常只有在非常近的距离才能听到。鹅喉羚是这一规律的罕见例外，在发情期，该物种的领地雄性是最吵闹的羚羊之一。发情期发声是鹅喉羚发情行为的重要组成部分，成年雄性有一个肥大的喉部，其肌肉组织在发情期会大幅增大。我们感兴趣的是，成年雄性鹅喉羚发出叫声的频率和变化情况，这取决于动物的年龄、生殖状态和一年中的时间，以便了解发情期发声的主要功能。我们发现，吼叫大多与求偶展示有关，而在雄性之间的攻击性展示中，发声频率较低。声学信号可能会增强求偶展示，也可能有助于加速雌性排卵，促进交配和分娩期间繁殖周期的同步，在我们研究的大多数雌性群体中，交配和分娩期仅持续几天。我们讨论了这种行为的潜在益处，并将其与生活在类似极端环境中的其他物种进行了比较。
