Dear All,
A quick reminder that today (4pm) we have a seminar led by Floriane Fournier (University of Saint Etienne) entitled "Voices of Emotion: Investigating Cross-Species Vocal Communication in Bonobos" - abstract below. The meeting will be held online. Please find a link to the meeting below.
Abstract
The ability to perceive and respond to emotions expressed in vocalizations is widespread among mammals and plays a central role in social coordination and survival. However, while emotional communication within species is well documented, the mechanisms that enable emotion recognition across species remain poorly understood. Using bonobos (Pan paniscus) as a model within the Hominidae, this research investigates how emotional information is encoded in vocal signals and how it is decoded by both conspecifics and humans.
Drawing on recent theoretical advances in cross-species emotion research, this work combines large-scale acoustic analyses with controlled playback experiments. Analyses of natural bonobo vocalizations show that nonlinear acoustic phenomena— a key component of vocal roughness—systematically vary with the caller’s affective state, increasing in emotionally intense contexts.
Using parametrically resynthesized calls, causal tests demonstrate that vocal roughness directly influences receivers across species. Exposure to increased amplitude modulation elevates cardiac activity in both bonobos and humans, accelerates orientation responses in bonobos, and leads human listeners to perceive calls as more negative in valence and higher in arousal. These convergent physiological, attentional, and perceptual effects suggest that vocal roughness functions as a cross-species marker of emotional arousal.
In parallel, emotional contagion of positive affect was investigated through laughter playbacks. Laughter, a high-arousal, positive-valence signal observed in humans and great apes, elicited play-related behaviors in bonobos. Responses were modulated by familiarity: laughter from familiar conspecifics and human caretakers enhanced positive engagement, whereas responses to unfamiliar individuals varied depending on species.
Together, these findings provide evidence for evolutionary continuity in vocal emotion signaling across Hominidae and shed new light on the biological foundations of cross-species socio-emotional communication and empathy.
Link to the meeting:
BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0>>
BERG seminar schedule (Spring 2026):
Date
Speaker
Affiliation
Talk title
Chair
25-Feb-26
Floriane Fournier
Université Jean Monnet
TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos
Pawel
4-Mar-26
MID SEMESTER BREAK
11-Mar-26
IMPACT meeting
Impact research catch up
Pawel
18-Mar-26
Robert Aitchison
University of Stirling
TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour
Pawel
25-Mar-26
Janie Fink
University of St Andrews; University of California Davis
TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition
Pawel
1-Apr-26
Maleen Thiele
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
TBC
Alex
8-Apr-26
Stephan Kaufhold
Univesity of California, San Diego
TBC
Alex
29-Apr-26
Patrick Allsop
Bangor University
TBC. Zanzibar red colobus, human-wildlife conflict
Pawel
Best wishes,
Pawel
Best wishes,
Pawel
-------------------------------
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
@pawel-fedurek<https://bsky.app/profile/pawel-fedurek.bsky.social> @berg-stirling<https://bsky.app/profile/berg-stirling.bsky.social>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear All,
This Wednesday (4pm) we have a seminar led by Ashleigh Messenger (University of Stirling) about her PhD study entitled "The importance of personality in ex-situ ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)" - abstract below. The meeting will be held in-person in the Psychology common room with a possibility of joining online.
Abstract
Ex-situ conservation of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) is becoming increasingly important, due to threats in the wild (LaFleur & Gould, 2020). However, there are many difficulties associated with the husbandry of this species, due to their complex social structure (Sauther & Sussman, 1993) and aggressive tendencies (Gould, Sussman & Sauther, 2003).
Personality has been used as an indicator of welfare in many species. However, it is often difficult to determine which aspects of personality are the most relevant in a given species. The trait theory of personality can distinguish differences between species (allowing for cross-species comparison) and acknowledges individual differences within a given species (Tetley & O’Hara, 2012). This has been applied successfully to many species, including primates King & Figuerdo, 1997; Weiss et al., 2006; 2009; 2011) However, there has thus far been no attempt to describe personality structure in ring-tailed lemurs. This research aims to uncover the major traits of ring-tailed lemur personality by utilising these established methods.
Link to the meeting:
BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0>>
BERG seminar schedule (Spring 2026):
Date
Speaker
Affiliation
Talk title
Chair
18-Feb-26
Ashleigh Messenger
University of Stirling
TBC. Ring-tailed lemur personality and welfare
Pawel
25-Feb-26
Floriane Fournier
Université Jean Monnet
TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos
Pawel
4-Mar-26
MID SEMESTER BREAK
11-Mar-26
IMPACT meeting
Impact research catch up
Pawel
18-Mar-26
Robert Aitchison
University of Stirling
TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour
Pawel
25-Mar-26
Janie Fink
University of St Andrews; University of California Davis
TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition
Pawel
1-Apr-26
Maleen Thiele
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
TBC
Alex
8-Apr-26
Stephan Kaufhold
Univesity of California, San Diego
TBC
Alex
29-Apr-26
Patrick Allsop
Bangor University
TBC. Zanzibar red colobus, human-wildlife conflict
Pawel
Best wishes,
Pawel
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear All,
Quick reminder that today we have a seminar led by Ashleigh Messenger (University of Stirling) about her PhD study entitled "The importance of personality in ex-situ ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)" - abstract below. The meeting will be held in-person in the Psychology common room with a possibility of joining online.
Abstract
Ex-situ conservation of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) is becoming increasingly important, due to threats in the wild (LaFleur & Gould, 2020). However, there are many difficulties associated with the husbandry of this species, due to their complex social structure (Sauther & Sussman, 1993) and aggressive tendencies (Gould, Sussman & Sauther, 2003).
Personality has been used as an indicator of welfare in many species. However, it is often difficult to determine which aspects of personality are the most relevant in a given species. The trait theory of personality can distinguish differences between species (allowing for cross-species comparison) and acknowledges individual differences within a given species (Tetley & O’Hara, 2012). This has been applied successfully to many species, including primates King & Figuerdo, 1997; Weiss et al., 2006; 2009; 2011) However, there has thus far been no attempt to describe personality structure in ring-tailed lemurs. This research aims to uncover the major traits of ring-tailed lemur personality by utilising these established methods.
Link to the meeting:
BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0>>
BERG seminar schedule (Spring 2026):
Date
Speaker
Affiliation
Talk title
Chair
18-Feb-26
Ashleigh Messenger
University of Stirling
TBC. Ring-tailed lemur personality and welfare
Pawel
25-Feb-26
Floriane Fournier
Université Jean Monnet
TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos
Pawel
4-Mar-26
MID SEMESTER BREAK
11-Mar-26
IMPACT meeting
Impact research catch up
Pawel
18-Mar-26
Robert Aitchison
University of Stirling
TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour
Pawel
25-Mar-26
Janie Fink
University of St Andrews; University of California Davis
TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition
Pawel
1-Apr-26
Maleen Thiele
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
TBC
Alex
8-Apr-26
Stephan Kaufhold
Univesity of California, San Diego
TBC
Alex
29-Apr-26
Patrick Allsop
Bangor University
TBC. Zanzibar red colobus, human-wildlife conflict
Pawel
Best wishes,
Pawel
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
Dear All,
This Wednesday (4pm) we have a seminar led by Berta Roura-Torres (Georg-August University Göttingen) entitled "Early challenges shape fitness trajectories in mandrills" (abstract below). The meeting will be held online (link below).
Abstract:
Adverse events during early life that reduce access to resources or hinder their allocation can have lasting effects on health, survival, and reproduction in mammals, including humans, and the accumulation of such challenges often has stronger consequences than single events. Using a 12-year dataset from a wild population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), a cercopithecine primate, we examined how early life adversity (ELA) influences survival during infancy (under 1 year) and juvenility (1–4 years), female age at first reproduction, and male age at dispersal. We identified seven types of adversity, covering maternal, social, environmental, and demographic factors, and analyzed both their cumulative and individual effects. Infant survival was affected solely by maternal loss, with cumulative ELA showing no impact. Female reproductive timing responded to specific early-life conditions: individuals with a closely spaced younger sibling, born to low-ranking mothers, born in years with reduced rainfall, or with higher cumulative ELA reproduced later, whereas females born to primiparous mothers reproduced earlier. In contrast, male age at dispersal showed no effect of ELA. Overall, these findings indicate that cumulative adversity does not consistently shape survival in mandrills, but it can influence female reproductive timing. They further suggest that the consequences of early-life challenges vary across life-history traits and sexes, with particular conditions sometimes playing a larger role than the accumulation of adversity in shaping fitness. Finally, this talk presents preliminary results on early physical development during infancy, obtained using an innovative non-invasive approach based on a trained AI model applied to photographic portrait, which may represent a potential pathway linking ELA to later-life survival and reproductive outcomes.
Link to the meeting:
BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0>>
BERG seminar schedule (Spring 2025)
Date
Speaker
Affiliation
Talk title
Chair
4-Feb-26
Berta Roura-Torres
Georg-August University Göttingen
Early challenges shape fitness trajectories in mandrills
Pawel
11-Feb-26
Dylan Feldmeier
University of Oxford
The Global Threat of Wire Snare Poaching: Impacts and Research Priorities
Pawel
18-Feb-26
Ashleigh Messenger
University of Stirling
TBC. Ring-tailed lemur personality and welfare
Pawel
25-Feb-26
Floriane Fournier
Université Jean Monnet
TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos
Pawel
4-Mar-26
MID SEMESTER BREAK
11-Mar-26
IMPACT meeting
Impact research catch up
Pawel
18-Mar-26
Robert Aitchison
University of Stirling
TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour
Pawel
25-Mar-26
Janie Fink
University of St Andrews; University of California Davis
TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition
Pawel
1-Apr-26
Maleen Thiele
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
TBC
Alex
8-Apr-26
Stephan Kaufhold
Univesity of California, San Diego
TBC
Alex
29-Apr-26
Patrick Allsop
Bangor University
TBC. Zanzibar red colobus, human-wildlife conflict
Pawel
Best wishes,
Pawel
-------------------------------
Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his)
Lecturer in Psychology
Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG)
Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling, FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK
@pawel-fedurek<https://bsky.app/profile/pawel-fedurek.bsky.social> @berg-stirling<https://bsky.app/profile/berg-stirling.bsky.social>
Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…>
I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday).
________________________________
Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence
The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159
