Fine-scale quantitative analysis of bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus ) song shows varying stability of song types

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Abstract
Since first being scientifically recognised almost 150 years ago, bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) song has been documented as a remarkably diverse form of communication. While songs in other taxa play fundamental roles in sexual selection and social organisation, the function of bowhead whale song remains poorly understood, in part due to a lack of studies that quantifiably explore variation in song and its fine-scale structure. Here, variation in the songs of Bering–Chukchi–Beaufort bowhead whales was quantified across three years (2011, 2014, 2020) using unit-level analyses and similarity metrics (Levenshtein distance and Dice's similarity). In each year, songs formed distinct song types, some of which remained stable for several weeks, while others changed rapidly within minutes. This variation was uneven across song components, revealing that songs contain a combination of persistent and variable features. By showing that stability and plasticity co-occur in an acoustic display, these findings indicate that multiple, possibly interacting selective pressures, including ecological constraints, social organisation, and sexual selection, may shape song structure. Overall, this study introduces a reproducible framework for song analysis, which provides a foundation for the cross-year and cross-population comparisons essential in understanding the role and evolution of bowhead whale songs.
Funding Information
  • National Science Foundation (ARC-1107106)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NA10OAR4320148)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (AM105)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (AM133)
  • L'Oreal USA
  • Human Frontier Science Program (LT0045/2024-L)

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