Although the fundamental principles of vocal production are
well-understood, and are being increasingly applied by specialists to
specific animal taxa, they stem originally from engineering research on
the human voice. These origins create a double barrier to entry for
biologists interested in understanding acoustic communication in their
study species. The proposed volume aims to fill this gap, providing
easy-to-understand overviews of the various relevant theories and
techniques, and showing how these principles can be implemented in the
study of all main vertebrate groups. The volume will have eleven
chapters assembled from the world's leading researchers, at a level
intelligible to a wide audience of biologists with no background in
engineering or human voice science. Some will cover sound production in
a particular vertebrate group; others will address a particular issue,
such as vocal learning, across vertebrate taxa. The book will highlight
what is known and how to implement useful techniques and methodologies,
but will also summarize current gaps in the knowledge. It will serve
both as a tutorial introduction for newcomers and a springboard for
further research for all scientists interested in understanding animal
acoustic signals.