title: Receiver bias and the acoustic ecology of aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis).
abstract: The aye-aye is a rare lemur from Madagascar that uses its highly specialized middle digit for percussive foraging. This acoustic behavior, also termed tap-scanning, produces dominant frequencies between 6 and 15 kHz. An enhanced auditory sensitivity to these frequencies raises the possibility that the acoustic and auditory specializations of aye-ayes have imposed constraints on the evolution of their vocal signals, especially their primary long-distance vocalization, the screech. Here we explore this concept, termed receiver bias, and suggest that the dominant frequency of the screech call (~2.7 kHz) represents an evolutionary compromise between the opposing adaptive advantages of long-distance sound propagation and enhanced detection by conspecific receivers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology; Humboldt State University; Arcata, CA USA.
authors.forename: Marissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ramsier
authors.forename: Nathaniel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Dominy
keywords: Daubentonia madagascariensis; audiogram; auditory sensitivity; lemur; receiver bias; sensory trap; vocalization