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Connelly F, Hall ML, Johnsson RD, Elliot-Kerr S, Dow BR, Lesku JA, Mulder RA. Urban noise does not affect cognitive performance in wild Australian magpies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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3
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Wilgers DJ, Colton Watts J, Hebets EA. Habitat complexity and complex signal function – exploring the role of ornamentation. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animals often communicate in complex, heterogeneous environments, leading to hypothesized selection for increased detectability or discriminability in signaling traits. The extent to which secondary sexual ornaments have evolved to overcome the challenges of signaling in complex environments, however, remains understudied, especially in comparison to their role as indicator traits. This study tested the hypothesis that the condition-dependent secondary sexual ornamentation in the wolf spider Rabidosa rabida functions to increase detectability/discriminability in visually complex environments. We predicted that male ornamentation would interact with the complexity of the signaling environment to affect male mating success. In particular, we expected ornaments to confer a greater mating advantage when males courted in visually complex environments. To test this, we artificially manipulated male foreleg ornamentation (present/absent) and ran repeated-measures mating trials across laboratory microcosms that represented simple versus complex visual signaling environments. Microcosm visual complexity differed in their background pattern, grass stem color, and grass stem placement. We found that ornamented males mated more often and more quickly than unornamented males across both environments, but we found no support for an ornament-by-environment interaction. Male courtship rate, however, did interact with the signaling environment. Despite achieving the same level of mating success across signaling environments, ornamented males courted less rapidly in complex versus simple environments, although environmental complexity had no influence on unornamented male courtship rates. Our results suggest that the visual complexity of the signaling environment influences the interactive influence of ornamentation and dynamic visual courtship on female mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin J Wilgers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, McPherson College, McPherson, KS, USA
| | - J Colton Watts
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
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Meaux E, He C, Qin L, Goodale E. The cessation of contact calls does not provoke or modulate alarm behaviour in a social passerine. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vocalizations that signal predation risk such as alarm calls provide crucial information for the survival of group-living individuals. However, alarm calling may attract the predator’s attention and, to avoid this cost, animals can opt for alternative strategies to indicate danger, such as ‘adaptive silence’, which is the cessation of vocalizations. We investigate here whether abrupt contact call cessation would provoke alarm responses, or would reinforce the signal given by an alarm call. In an aviary setting, we conducted playback experiments with a group-living passerine, the Swinhoe’s white-eye, Zosterops simplex. We found that birds did not respond to a sudden call cessation, nor did they have a stronger response to alarm calls followed by silence than to alarm calls followed by contact calls. Confirming previous work investigating contact call rate, it appears that in this species contact calls encode information about social factors but not environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Meaux
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Chao He
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Luying Qin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
| | - Eben Goodale
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, P.R. China
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Bent AM, Ings TC, Mowles SL. Does anthropogenic noise affect the acoustic courtship interactions of Gryllus bimaculatus? Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
Urbanization poses a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. We focused on birds as a well-studied taxon of interest, in order to review literature on traits that influence responses to urbanization. We review 226 papers that were published between 1979 and 2020, and aggregate information on five major groups of traits that have been widely studied: ecological traits, life history, physiology, behavior and genetic traits. Some robust findings on trait changes in individual species as well as bird communities emerge. A lack of specific food and shelter resources has led to the urban bird community being dominated by generalist species, while specialist species show decline. Urbanized birds differ in the behavioral traits, showing an increase in song frequency and amplitude, and bolder behavior, as compared to rural populations of the same species. Differential food resources and predatory pressure results in changes in life history traits, including prolonged breeding duration, and increases in clutch and brood size to compensate for lower survival. Other species-specific changes include changes in hormonal state, body state, and genetic differences from rural populations. We identify gaps in research, with a paucity of studies in tropical cities and a need for greater examination of traits that influence persistence and success in native vs. introduced populations.
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Antze B, Koper N. Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)nesting close to energy infrastructure alarm call at a lower frequency. BIOACOUSTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1563869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Antze
- Department of Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Nicola Koper
- Department of Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Shannon G, McKenna MF, Wilson-Henjum GE, Angeloni LM, Crooks KR, Wittemyer G. Vocal characteristics of prairie dog alarm calls across an urban noise gradient. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Increasing anthropogenic noise is having a global impact on wildlife, particularly due to the masking of crucial acoustical communication. However, there have been few studies examining the impacts of noise exposure on communication in free-ranging terrestrial mammals. We studied alarm calls of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) across an urban gradient to explore vocal adjustment relative to different levels of noise exposure. There was no change in the frequency 5%, peak frequency, or duration of the alarm calls across the noise gradient. However, the minimum frequency—a commonly used, yet potentially compromised metric—did indeed show a positive relationship with noise exposure. We suspect this is a result of masking of observable call properties by noise, rather than behavioral adjustment. In addition, the proximity of conspecifics and the distance to the perceived threat (observer) did affect the frequency 5% of alarm calls. These results reveal that prairie dogs do not appear to be adjusting their alarm calls in noisy environments but likely do in relation to their social context and the proximity of a predatory threat. Anthropogenic noise can elicit a range of behavioral and physiological responses across taxa, but elucidating the specific mechanisms driving these responses can be challenging, particularly as these are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Our research sheds light on how prairie dogs appear to respond to noise as a source of increased risk, rather than as a distraction or through acoustical masking as shown in other commonly studied species (e.g., fish, songbirds, marine mammals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme Shannon
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Megan F McKenna
- Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Grete E Wilson-Henjum
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Lisa M Angeloni
- Department of Biology, Biology Building, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Kevin R Crooks
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - George Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Zhou Y, Radford AN, Magrath RD. Why does noise reduce response to alarm calls? Experimental assessment of masking, distraction and greater vigilance in wild birds. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | | | - Robert D. Magrath
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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Lowry H, Lill A, Wong BBM. Do the Calls of a Bird, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), Need Adjustment for Efficient Communication in Urban Anthropogenic Noise? Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9030118. [PMID: 30917544 PMCID: PMC6466032 DOI: 10.3390/ani9030118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary A common feature of urban environments is constant, low frequency, anthropogenic noise. To communicate effectively acoustically in this environment requires avoidance of sound masking by this background noise. Research suggests that some animals can adjust their vocalizations so that they lie outside the main frequency range of urban anthropogenic noise, whilst others may produce sound signals that naturally avoid masking and therefore do not require adjustment. To date, research in this area has tended to focus on adjustment to complex songs, rather than simpler calls. The Noisy miner, Manorina melanocephala, is a very successful avian urban colonizer that uses calls in its acoustic communication. We compared the calls of this species in both urban and rural populations. Of all calls compared, only those that lay within the main frequency range of anthropogenic noise (1–2 kHz) showed shifts in minimum sound frequency in urban individuals, but these frequency shifts were notably small and insufficient to entirely preclude masking by urban noise. However, several Noisy miner calls had frequencies of more than 2 kHz that lay outside the main frequency range of urban anthropogenic noise (>2 kHz), suggesting intriguingly that this species may be inherently well-suited to communicating vocally in urban settings, which may be one of the keys to its success as an urban colonizer. Abstract Urban environments are characteristically noisy and this can pose a challenge for animals that communicate acoustically. Although evidence suggests that some birds can make acoustic adjustments that preclude masking of their signals in high-disturbance environments such as cities, studies to date have tended to focus on acoustic signals important in mate attraction (e.g., songs). Far less attention has been given to the impact of urban noise on other kinds of calls. To redress this, we compared a range of different vocalizations (encompassing alarm calls, begging calls and parent response calls) among urban and rural individuals of a successful Australian ‘urban adapter’, the Noisy miner, Manorina melanocephala. We found that urban miners had significantly higher minimum sound frequencies for calls with low base-frequencies (<2 kHz); however, calls with base-frequencies ‘naturally’ above the main frequency range of urban noise (>2 kHz) had the same minimum frequency in urban and rural birds. Dominant frequency and call duration did not differ between urban and rural individuals. Although urban Noisy miners exhibited differences from rural individuals in the minimum frequency of calls, this shift was not large enough to avoid masking from low-frequency, anthropogenic noise. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that the calls of Noisy miners may be naturally well suited to being heard in noisy urban environments by having (a) dominant frequencies higher than low-level, anthropogenic noise and (b) several important call-types with frequencies above the main frequency range associated with urban noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Lowry
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Alan Lill
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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Manzanares Mena L, Macías Garcia C. Songbird community structure changes with noise in an urban reserve. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juy022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Manzanares Mena
- Laboratorio de Conducta Animal, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), A. p. 70-275, CP 04510 Coyoacán, D.F., México
| | - Constantino Macías Garcia
- Laboratorio de Conducta Animal, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), A. p. 70-275, CP 04510 Coyoacán, D.F., México
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12
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Mortimer JAJ, Greene TC, Mortimer SP. Assessing bird vocalisation identification accuracy using a computer-based quiz. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2018.1536068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Terry C. Greene
- Biodiversity, Department of Conservation, Christchurch, New Zealand
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13
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Bent AM, Ings TC, Mowles SL. Anthropogenic noise disrupts mate searching in Gryllus bimaculatus. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Bent
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | - Thomas C Ings
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | - Sophie L Mowles
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
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Antze B, Koper N. Noisy anthropogenic infrastructure interferes with alarm responses in Savannah sparrows ( Passerculus sandwichensis). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172168. [PMID: 29892404 PMCID: PMC5990837 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Many birds rely on anti-predator communication to protect their nests; however, anthropogenic noise from industrial activities such as oil and gas development may disrupt acoustic communication. Here, we conducted acoustic playback experiments to determine whether Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) responded to conspecific alarm calls by delaying feeding visits, and whether this response was impaired by noise-producing natural gas compressor stations, generator- or grid-powered screw pump oil wells, and noise amplitude. We played alarm calls, and, as a control, western meadowlark songs, to Savannah sparrows as they approached their nests to feed their nestlings, and measured feeding latency. The greatest impacts on behaviour were detected at the noisiest treatment, compressor stations; feeding latency was shortened here compared with control sites, which may expose nests to greater predation risk. As noise amplitudes increased, Savannah sparrows took longer to feed following meadowlark playbacks, perhaps because noise interfered with interpretation of acoustic cues. The effects of compressor stations on anti-predator behaviour may be best explained by the distracting effects of anthropogenic noise, while increases in feeding latency following meadowlark playbacks may be explained by a heightened response threshold caused by acoustic masking. Industrial infrastructure can influence the reproductive success of wildlife through its impact on perception and interpretation of conspecific signals, but these effects are complex.
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15
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The low-frequency acoustic structure of mobbing calls differs across habitat types in three passerine families. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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16
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Gentry KE, McKenna MF, Luther DA. Evidence of suboscine song plasticity in response to traffic noise fluctuations and temporary road closures. BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1303645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E. Gentry
- Environmental Science & Policy Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Megan F. McKenna
- Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David A. Luther
- Biology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
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17
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Morris-Drake A, Bracken AM, Kern JM, Radford AN. Anthropogenic noise alters dwarf mongoose responses to heterospecific alarm calls. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 223:476-483. [PMID: 28153414 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an evolutionarily novel and widespread pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Despite increasing evidence that the additional noise generated by human activities can affect vocal communication, the majority of research has focused on the use of conspecific acoustic information, especially sexual signals. Many animals are known to eavesdrop on the alarm calls produced by other species, enhancing their likelihood of avoiding predation, but how this use of heterospecific information is affected by anthropogenic noise has received little empirical attention. Here, we use two field-based playback experiments on a habituated wild population of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to determine how anthropogenic noise influences the response of foragers to heterospecific alarm calls. We begin by demonstrating that dwarf mongooses respond appropriately to the alarm calls of sympatric chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and tree squirrels (Paraxerus cepapi); fleeing only to the latter. We then show that mongoose foragers are less likely to exhibit this flee response to tree squirrel alarm calls during road-noise playback compared to ambient-sound playback. One explanation for the change in response is that noise-induced distraction or stress result in maladaptive behaviour. However, further analysis revealed that road-noise playback results in increased vigilance and that mongooses showing the greatest vigilance increase are those that do not subsequently exhibit a flee response to the alarm call. These individuals may therefore be acting appropriately: if the greater gathering of personal information indicates the absence of an actual predator despite an alarm call, the need to undertake costly fleeing behaviour can be avoided. Either way, our study indicates the potential for anthropogenic noise to interfere with the use of acoustic information from other species, and suggests the importance of considering how heterospecific networks are affected by this global pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Anna M Bracken
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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Curry CM, Antze B, Warrington MH, Des Brisay P, Rosa P, Koper N. Ability to alter song in two grassland songbirds exposed to simulated anthropogenic noise is not related to pre-existing variability. BIOACOUSTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1289123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Curry
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Bridget Antze
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | | | | | - Patricia Rosa
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Nicola Koper
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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19
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Mountain chickadees adjust songs, calls and chorus composition with increasing ambient and experimental anthropogenic noise. Urban Ecosyst 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-017-0652-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Ríos-Chelén AA, McDonald AN, Berger A, Perry AC, Krakauer AH, Patricelli GL. Do birds vocalize at higher pitch in noise, or is it a matter of measurement? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2243-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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21
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Wong BB, Lowry H. The struggle to be heard in an increasingly noisy world: a comment on Roca et al. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Potvin DA. Coping with a changing soundscape: avoidance, adjustments and adaptations. Anim Cogn 2016; 20:9-18. [PMID: 27215574 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-0999-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Since the industrial age, background anthropogenic noise has become a pervasive feature of many habitable environments. This relatively recent environmental feature can be particularly challenging for organisms that use acoustic forms of communication due to its propensity for masking and decreasing the potential acoustic space of signals. Furthermore, anthropogenic noise may affect biological processes including animal interactions, physiological and behavioural responses to stimuli and cognitive development. However, animals' cognitive abilities may enable them to cope with high levels of anthropogenic noise through learning, the employment of acoustic and behavioural flexibility as well as the use of multi-modal sensory systems. We are only just beginning to understand how neural structures, endocrine systems and behaviour are mechanistically linked in these scenarios, providing us with information we can use to mitigate deleterious effects of pervasive noise on wildlife, along with highlighting the remarkable adaptability of animals to an increasingly anthropogenic world. In this review, I will focus mainly on birds, due to the amount of literature on the topic, and survey recent advancements made in two main spheres: (1) how anthropogenic noise affects cognitive processes and (2) how cognition enables animals to cope with increasingly noisy environments. I will be highlighting current gaps in our knowledge, such as how noise might impact behavioural traits such as predation, as well as how noise causes physical damage to neurotransmitters and affects stress levels, in order to direct future studies on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique A Potvin
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia.
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23
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24
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Lucass C, Eens M, Müller W. When ambient noise impairs parent-offspring communication. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 212:592-597. [PMID: 26986090 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ambient noise has increased in extent, duration and intensity with significant implications for species' lives. Birds especially, because they heavily rely on vocal communication, are highly sensitive towards noise pollution. Noise can impair the quality of a territory or hamper the transmission of vocal signals such as song. The latter has significant fitness consequences as it may erode partner preferences in the context of mate choice. Additional fitness costs may arise if noise masks communication between soliciting offspring and providing parents during the period of parental care. Here, we experimentally manipulated the acoustic environment of blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) families within their nest boxes with playbacks of previously recorded highway noise and investigated the consequences on parent-offspring communication. We hypothesized that noise interferes with the acoustic cues of parental arrival and vocal components of offspring begging. As such we expected an increase in the frequency of missed detections, when nestlings fail to respond to the returning parent, and a decrease in parental provisioning rates. Parents significantly reduced their rate of provisioning in noisy conditions compared to a control treatment. This reduction is likely to be the consequence of a parental misinterpretation of the offspring hunger level, as we found that nestlings fail to respond to the returning parent more frequently in the presence of noise. Noise also potentially masks vocal begging components, again contributing to parental underestimation of offspring requirements. Either way, it appears that noise impaired parent-offspring communication is likely to reduce reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Lucass
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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25
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Orci KM, Petróczki K, Barta Z. Instantaneous song modification in response to fluctuating traffic noise in the tree cricket Oecanthus pellucens. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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26
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Dunlop RA. The effect of vessel noise on humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, communication behaviour. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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27
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Potvin DA, MacDougall-Shackleton SA. Experimental chronic noise exposure affects adult song in zebra finches. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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