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Grimes SE, Lewis EJ, Nduwimana LA, Yurk B, Ronald KL. Urbanization alters the song propagation of two human-commensal songbird species. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:2803-2816. [PMID: 38662608 DOI: 10.1121/10.0025765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Urban expansion has increased pollution, including both physical (e.g., exhaust, litter) and sensory (e.g., anthropogenic noise) components. Urban avian species tend to increase the frequency and/or amplitude of songs to reduce masking by low-frequency noise. Nevertheless, song propagation to the receiver can also be constrained by the environment. We know relatively little about how this propagation may be altered across species that (1) vary in song complexity and (2) inhabit areas along an urbanization gradient. We investigated differences in song amplitude, attenuation, and active space, or the maximum distance a receiver can detect a signal, in two human-commensal species: the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus). We described urbanization both discretely and quantitatively to investigate the habitat characteristics most responsible for propagation changes. We found mixed support for our hypothesis of urban-specific degradation of songs. Urban songs propagated with higher amplitude; however, urban song fidelity was species-specific and showed lowered active space for urban house finch songs. Taken together, our results suggest that urban environments may constrain the propagation of vocal signals in species-specific manners. Ultimately, this has implications for the ability of urban birds to communicate with potential mates or kin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Grimes
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, USA
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 915 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Eliza J Lewis
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, USA
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Grand Valley State University, 301 Michigan Street NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, USA
| | - Linda A Nduwimana
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 784 Wilson Road, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Brian Yurk
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Hope College, 27 Graves Place, Holland, Michigan 49423, USA
| | - Kelly L Ronald
- Department of Biology, Hope College, 35 East 12th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, USA
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Anthropogenic noise reduces male reproductive investment in an acoustically signaling insect. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02868-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Mitchell BA, Callaghan CT, Rowley JJL. Continental-scale citizen science data reveal no changes in acoustic responses of a widespread tree frog to an urbanisation gradient. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
One of the major drivers of global biodiversity declines is habitat loss and modification, often associated with anthropogenic environments. To mitigate biodiversity declines, a comprehensive understanding of how species respond to novel anthropogenic environments is required. Compared to natural habitats, human-modified environments often have increased noise and light pollution, potentially affecting acoustically communicating species, such as frogs. These areas may force animals to modulate or alter their calls to communicate with potential mates, as they compete with anthropogenic noise. Using large-scale citizen science data, coupled with remotely sensed data, we examined how the advertisement calls of the Australian red tree frog (Litoria rubella) varied in response to a gradient consistent with anthropogenic disturbance. After measuring a suite of acoustic properties of L.rubella across its range, we discovered that their advertisement calls showed no response to a disturbance urbanisation gradient. The advertisement calls of the species were highly variable, both at continental and local scales. Our results indicate that acoustic communication in male L.rubella may not be impeded in human-modified habitats as (1) they are a loud species typically heard over background noise and multi-species choruses and (2) their calls are highly variable—potentially serving as a buffer to any acoustic disturbances. Overall, our results provide evidence that some frog species may be acoustically urban tolerant and provide a greater understanding of the responses frogs exhibit to human-mediated environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A Mitchell
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Corey T Callaghan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Jodi J L Rowley
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
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Grabarczyk EE, Gill SA. Anthropogenic noise masking diminishes house wren (Troglodytes aedon) song transmission in urban natural areas. BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1621209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Grabarczyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
| | - Sharon A. Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
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LaZerte SE, Slabbekoorn H, Otter KA. A field test of the audibility of urban versus rural songs in mountain chickadees. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie E. LaZerte
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
- John R. Brodie Science Centre, Department of Biology Brandon University Brandon Manitoba Canada
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Ken A. Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies University of Northern British Columbia Prince George British Columbia Canada
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Curry CM, Des Brisay PG, Rosa P, Koper N. Noise Source and Individual Physiology Mediate Effectiveness of Bird Songs Adjusted to Anthropogenic Noise. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3942. [PMID: 29500452 PMCID: PMC5834586 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22253-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive pollutant altering behaviour of wildlife that communicates acoustically. Some species adjust vocalisations to compensate for noise. However, we know little about whether signal adjustments improve communication in noise, the extent to which effectiveness of adjustments varies with noise source, or how individual variation in physiology varies with response capacity. We played noise-adjusted and unadjusted songs to wild Passerculus sandwichensis (Savannah Sparrows) after measurements of adrenocortical responsiveness of individuals. Playbacks using songs adjusted to noisy environments were effective in restoring appropriate conspecific territorial aggression behaviours in some altered acoustic environments. Surprisingly, however, levels of adrenocortical responsiveness that reduced communication errors at some types of infrastructure were correlated with increased errors at others. Song adjustments that were effective in communicating for individuals with lower adrenocortical responsiveness at pumpjacks were not effective at screwpumps and vice versa. Our results demonstrate that vocal adjustments can sometimes allow birds to compensate for disruptions in communication caused by anthropogenic noise, but that physiological variation among receivers may alter effectiveness of these adjustments. Thus mitigation strategies to minimize anthropogenic noise must account for both acoustic and physiological impacts of infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M Curry
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada. .,Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
| | - Paulson G Des Brisay
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
| | - Patricia Rosa
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
| | - Nicola Koper
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
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LaZerte SE, Slabbekoorn H, Otter KA. Learning to cope: vocal adjustment to urban noise is correlated with prior experience in black-capped chickadees. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1058. [PMID: 27358372 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban noise can interfere with avian communication through masking, but birds can reduce this interference by altering their vocalizations. Although several experimental studies indicate that birds can rapidly change their vocalizations in response to sudden increases in ambient noise, none have investigated whether this is a learned response that depends on previous exposure. Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) change the frequency of their songs in response to both fluctuating traffic noise and experimental noise. We investigated whether these responses to fluctuating noise depend on familiarity with noise. We confirmed that males in noisy areas sang higher-frequency songs than those in quiet areas, but found that only males in already-noisy territories shifted songs upwards in immediate response to experimental noise. Unexpectedly, males in more quiet territories shifted songs downwards in response to experimental noise. These results suggest that chickadees may require prior experience with fluctuating noise to adjust vocalizations in such a way as to minimize masking. Thus, learning to cope may be an important part of adjusting to acoustic life in the city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie E LaZerte
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N4Z9
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ken A Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N4Z9
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LaZerte SE, Slabbekoorn H, Otter KA. Territorial black-capped chickadee males respond faster to high- than to low-frequency songs in experimentally elevated noise conditions. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3257. [PMID: 28462051 PMCID: PMC5410156 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-frequency urban noise can interfere with avian communication through masking. Some species are able to shift the frequency of their vocalizations upwards in noisy conditions, which may reduce the effects of masking. However, results from playback studies investigating whether or not such vocal changes improve audibility in noisy conditions are not clear; the responses of free-ranging individuals to shifted signals are potentially confounded by functional trade-offs between masking-related audibility and frequency-dependent signal quality. Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) naturally sing their songs at several different frequencies as they pitch-shift to match conspecifics during song-matching contests. They are also known to switch to higher song frequencies in response to experimental noise exposure. Each male produces both high- and low-frequency songs and absolute frequency is not a signal of aggression or dominance, making this an interesting species in which to test whether higher-frequency songs are more audible than lower-frequency songs in noisy conditions. We conducted playback studies across southern and central British Columbia, Canada, using paired song stimuli (high- vs low-frequency songs, n = 24 pairs) embedded in synthetic background noise created to match typical urban sound profiles. Over the course of each playback, the signal-to-noise ratio of the song stimuli was gradually increased by raising the amplitude of the song stimuli while maintaining background noise at a constant amplitude. We evaluated variation in how quickly and aggressively territorial males reacted to each of the paired stimuli. We found that males responded more quickly to playbacks of high- than low-frequency songs when high-frequency songs were presented first, but not when low-frequency songs were first. This difference may be explained by high-frequency songs being more audible combined with a carry-over effect resulting in slower responses to the second stimulus due to habituation. We observed no difference in overall aggression between stimuli. These results suggest that high-frequency songs may be more audible under noisy conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie E LaZerte
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ken A Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
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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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Marini KL, Reudink MW, LaZerte SE, Otter KA. Urban mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli) begin vocalizing earlier, and have greater dawn chorus output than rural males. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Vocal output during the dawn chorus is often an honest indicator of male quality, where males with greater access to food and in better condition produce more vocalizations. We compare the vocal output among male mountain chickadees living along an urbanization gradient to assess how urbanization affects male signalling. Chickadees forage in the canopy, and because urban habitats are associated with lower canopy volume, we predicted that urban habitats may offer lower food and thus lead to reduced song output. Contrary to our predictions, males in more urbanized habitats had greater vocal output. We suggest that despite decreased canopy cover, urban birds may have greater access to food in both the breeding and pre-breeding seasons due to differences in both supplementary resources and vegetation composition of urban vs rural landscapes in our area. Living in urban habitats may allow males to enter the breeding season in better condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L.D. Marini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
| | - Matthew W. Reudink
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
| | - Stefanie E. LaZerte
- Department of Geography, Thompson Rivers University, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Ken A. Otter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
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Kern JM, Radford AN. Anthropogenic noise disrupts use of vocal information about predation risk. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 218:988-995. [PMID: 27595178 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is rapidly becoming a universal environmental feature. While the impacts of such additional noise on avian sexual signals are well documented, our understanding of its effect in other terrestrial taxa, on other vocalisations, and on receivers is more limited. Little is known, for example, about the influence of anthropogenic noise on responses to vocalisations relating to predation risk, despite the potential fitness consequences. We use playback experiments to investigate the impact of traffic noise on the responses of foraging dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) to surveillance calls produced by sentinels, individuals scanning for danger from a raised position whose presence usually results in reduced vigilance by foragers. Foragers exhibited a lessened response to surveillance calls in traffic-noise compared to ambient-sound playback, increasing personal vigilance. A second playback experiment, using noise playbacks without surveillance calls, suggests that the increased vigilance could arise in part from the direct influence of additional noise as there was an increase in response to traffic-noise playback alone. Acoustic masking could also play a role. Foragers maintained the ability to distinguish between sentinels of different dominance class, increasing personal vigilance when presented with subordinate surveillance calls compared to calls of a dominant groupmate in both noise treatments, suggesting complete masking was not occurring. However, an acoustic-transmission experiment showed that while surveillance calls were potentially audible during approaching traffic noise, they were probably inaudible during peak traffic intensity noise. While recent work has demonstrated detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise on defensive responses to actual predatory attacks, which are relatively rare, our results provide evidence of a potentially more widespread influence since animals should constantly assess background risk to optimise the foraging-vigilance trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
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