DOI: 10.5061/dryad.44j0zpcdt
title: Sequence structure mining, white browed sparrow weaver

description: This dataset contains data for sequence analysis described in the
 paper: “Lemazina et al., (2021) The multifaceted vocal duets of
 White-browed sparrow weavers are based on complex duetting rules. Journal
 of Avian Biology, doi: 10.1111/jav.02703”.  In our study, we
 recorded duet songs produced by six wild P. mahali pairs in South
 Africa. Our study further reveals the existence of answering rules in
 P. mahali, adhered to by both sexes. Even though answering rules
 can be shared between pairs of different colonies, pair-specificity in
 ordering of syllable types within the most commonly used duet trains
 exists. Most importantly, we found that a single answering rule was never
 used twice in one P. mahali duet song, but answering rules switched
 constantly, which contrasts the song structure in this species with the
 song structure of most other duetting bird species studied so far. For
 sequence analysis, we used KOE (https://koe.io.ac.nz). Koe discoveres
 commonly-occurring transitions between syllables in a database using the
 cSPADE (constrained Sequential Pattern Discovery using Equivalence
 classes) algorithm (Zaki 2001). The credibility of sequence rules is
 asserted via the following factors: Support (proportion of songs in the
 database that contain a certain sequence at least once), Confidence
 (strength of association; the proportion of songs containing the syllable
 A that also contain the sequence A⇒B), and Lift (measure of the strength
 of the association relative to chance; ratio of the proportion of songs in
 which the transition A⇒B occurred versus the proportion of songs expected
 to contain the transition A⇒B by chance). Chain length referees to the
 number of items in the current squence, while Count refers to the
 occurance number of each particular sequence. Our study further reveals
 the existence of answering rules in P. mahali, adhered to by both
 sexes. Even though answering rules can be shared between pairs of
 different colonies, pair-specificity in ordering of syllable types within
 the most commonly used duet trains exists. Most importantly, we found that
 a single answering rule was never used twice in one P. mahali duet song,
 but answering rules switched constantly, which contrasts the song
 structure in this species with the song structure of most other duetting
 bird species studied so far.
description: To
 investigate duetting rules in <i>P. mahali,</i> we prepared
 sound files for a sequence analysis by mixing synchronous four-hour
 recordings from both partners of a pair into a single render using the
 software Audacity (version 2.3.2, Audacity Team, www.audacityteam.org).
 The mixed files were uploaded to a free available web-based software (KOE,
 version: 5.4.1, https://koe.io.ac.nz/; Fukazawa et al. 2020) and
 manually segmented into separate duet bouts. To
 determine answering rules in <i>P. mahali</i> duet songs, we
 filtered the database of syllable transitions provided by KOE for
 sequences with a chain length of two, which represented a single
 transition between a male and a female syllable. We included only transition types with a
 <i>Lift</i> value above two (probability of transition
 occurrence is two times higher than expected by chance) in the analysis of
 answering rules, even when a particular transition type occurred
 only once in the data set.  To
 determine duet trains in <i>P. mahali</i> duet songs, we
 filtered the database provided by KOE for sequences with a chain length of
 at least three syllables and a <i>Support</i> value larger
 than 0.06. At a <i>Support</i> value &gt;0.06, the song
 syntax of a pair was transforming from an entangled network to distinct
 directional sequences. 
description: The readme file contains an explanation of each of the variables
 in the dataset, its measurement units, and the way it was calculated from
 the primary data. Information on how the measurements were done can be
 found in the associated manuscript referenced above.