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Science 18 July 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5887, pp. 417 - 421
DOI: 10.1126/science.1157632
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Reports

Evolutionary Origins for Social Vocalization in a Vertebrate Hindbrain–Spinal Compartment

Andrew H. Bass,1,4,5* Edwin H. Gilland,2,4 Robert Baker3,4

The macroevolutionary events leading to neural innovations for social communication, such as vocalization, are essentially unexplored. Many fish vocalize during female courtship and territorial defense, as do amphibians, birds, and mammals. Here, we map the neural circuitry for vocalization in larval fish and show that the vocal network develops in a segment-like region across the most caudal hindbrain and rostral spinal cord. Taxonomic analysis demonstrates a highly conserved pattern between fish and all major lineages of vocal tetrapods. We propose that the vocal basis for acoustic communication among vertebrates evolved from an ancestrally shared developmental compartment already present in the early fishes.

1 Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
2 Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20059, USA.
3 Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
4 Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
5 Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Bodega Bay, CA 94923, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ahb3{at}cornell.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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