Dear community,

My co-authors and I are so happy to announce the publication of a recent
paper of humpback whale song off the coast of Ecuador in the Marine Mammal
Science Journal:

Oña, J., Denkinger, J., & Schall, E. (2024). Acoustic richness and
composition changes
of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) songs on breeding grounds off
the coast of Ecuador. Marine Mammal Science, e13208



Abstract

Song evolution and revolution events recorded through time are typical
cultural features for humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations
worldwide. However, it is unknown if song dynamics are equivalent among
subpopulations or breeding stocks of the South Pacific Ocean. To contribute
to the understanding of the temporal song dynamics of humpback whale song
off the coast of Ecuador, we analyzed acoustic richness and repertoire
composition based on unit, phrase, and song composition over consecutive
breeding seasons from 2012 to 2019. We observed incomplete song revolutions
(all themes were replaced except one) and a nonsignificant variation in the
acoustic richness during the study period. Our results show that over the
years, humpback whale singers incorporate acoustic material from different
subpopulations such as Central South Pacific (French Polynesia) and western
South Atlantic (Brazil) into their song repertoire. The temporal acoustic
contact of different subpopulations migrating through the eastern South
Pacific may be reflected in their particular acoustic richness and temporal
evolution. Off the coast of Ecuador, humpback whale song patterns point
towards an alternative scenario of song evolution, indicating how cultural
transmission among subpopulations can alter the song patterns in specific
breeding grounds due lack of geographical barriers surrounding the
southeastern Pacific region.


If you are interested in the topic. The paper can be requested my personal
email (ecujavie...@gmail.com) or accessed from the following links:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13208

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Javier-Ona/research


Best regards,



*MSc. Javier Oña *

Estudiante *Programa Doctorado en Ciencias Aplicadas, Facultad de Ciencias
del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile*

*Principal Researcher*

*Acoustic Ecology, CETACEA Ecuador Project and*

*GHOST NETS Ecuador Project *

*Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)*

*Phone: 0986113344/0984869657*

*ecujavie...@gmail.com <ecujavie...@gmail.com>*


* <ecujavie...@gmail.com>*
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