Data from: Two pup vocalization types are genetically and functionally separable in deer mice

Vocalization is a widespread social behavior in vertebrates that can
affect fitness in the wild. Although many vocal behaviors are highly
conserved, heritable features of specific vocalization types can vary both
within and between species, raising questions of why and how some vocal
behaviors evolve. Here, using new computational tools to automatically
detect and cluster vocalizations into distinct acoustic categories, we
compare pup isolation calls across neonatal development in eight taxa of
deer mice (genus Peromyscus) and compare them with laboratory mice
(C57BL6/J strain) and free-living, wild house mice (Mus musculus
domesticus). Whereas
both Peromyscus and Mus pups produce
ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), Peromyscus pups also
produce a second call type with acoustic features, temporal rhythms, and
developmental trajectories that are distinct from those of USVs. In deer
mice, these lower frequency “cries” are predominantly emitted in postnatal
days one through nine, whereas USVs are primarily made after day 9. Using
playback assays, we show that cries result in a more rapid approach
by Peromyscus mothers than USVs, suggesting a role for
cries in eliciting parental care early in neonatal development. Using a
genetic cross between two sister species of deer mice exhibiting large,
innate differences in the acoustic structure of cries and USVs, we find
that variation in vocalization rate, duration, and pitch displays
different degrees of genetic dominance and that cry and USV features can
be uncoupled in second-generation hybrids. Taken together, this work shows
that vocal behavior can evolve quickly between closely related rodent
species in which vocalization types, likely serving distinct functions in
communication, are controlled by distinct genetic loci.