Acoustic transmission of the chick-a-dee call of the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus): forest structure and note function

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (8) ◽  
pp. 788-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Proppe ◽  
L. L. Bloomfield ◽  
C. B. Sturdy
Keyword(s):  
Short Range ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Acoustic Transmission ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Poecile Atricapillus ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Differential Transmission ◽  
Adaptation Hypothesis ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis

The acoustic adaptation hypothesis predicts that bird vocalizations will be structured to optimize their transmission through native vegetation. In cases where communication with distant individuals is needed, optimal transmission implies maximal propagation. In other cases, vocal signals are intended for nearby conspecifics and optimal transmission may be only a few metres. The “chick-a-dee” call of the Black-capped Chickadee ( Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766)) is a complex call used in both long- and short-range communication. Here we test whether this call transmits optimally in the locally preferred forests composed of a mix of deciduous and coniferous vegetation, or in either pure deciduous or coniferous forest stands. In addition, we examine whether notes that putatively function in short-range communication transmit shorter distances than those used in long-range communication. We found differential transmission rates for the highest and lowest frequencies in the chick-a-dee call in different forest types, and an overall improvement in call transmission in mixed forests. Note-type transmission correlated with putative note function with one notable exception. In summary, our results suggest that the chick-a-dee call conforms to the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, and that the forms of its note types are in line with their function.

scholarly journals Vocal Communication Within a Forest Bird Community

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Fawzi Azar
Keyword(s):  
Bird Community ◽  
Song Thrush ◽  
Forest Bird ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation ◽  
Acoustic Niche ◽  
Adaptation Hypothesis ◽  
Acoustic Space ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Study Species

<p><b>This thesis takes a community approach to investigate the acoustics of forest birds in Zealandia sanctuary, Wellington. Initially, the annual changes in vocalisation output of 16 study species and their possible effect on bird conspicuousness were described. Environmental factors that may shape these avian vocalisations were addressed though invoking two key hypotheses, the acoustic adaptation hypothesis, and the acoustic niche hypothesis. In addition, the songs of selected species are investigated: the role of song harmonics in the native North Island saddleback, Philesturnus rufusater, and their role in ranging, change in song dialect through time and space in the introduced song thrush, Turdus philomelos, and temporal change in the song of the native grey warbler, Greygone igata. Vocal activity of the study species varied seasonally, affecting their detectability in bird counts. Some species were mostly first heard rather than seen and viceversa. The results lend support to the acoustic niche hypothesis in that vocalisations within the forest bird community appear to have evolved towards divergence, with native species’ vocalisations being more dispersed within the community acoustic space than those of the introduced species. However, all species concentrated their energy within relatively narrow frequency bands, supporting the predictions of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis. Adaptation to different transmission properties associated with different singing elevations or physiological parameters such as body weight may have an effect on shaping such bird vocalisations.</b></p> <p>Forests provide a complex acoustic space for sound transmission and a “sound window” may not be a constant property of a given forest. The study revealed that a prominent sound window persists in the lower frequency range that is less affected by habitat. Some high frequencies may have similar average attenuation values to those of low frequency, however, with greater fluctuation in attenuation. Ground effect is a further factor in determining how well different frequency ranges transmit and birds may use acoustic characteristics of their habitat to enhance their signal.</p> <p>Harmonics in North Island saddleback chatter song were found to play a potential role in ranging (estimating the distance of signaller), for playback songs with more relative energy within higher harmonics were evidently perceived as coming from a nearby individual.</p> <p>The repertoire size of the song thrush population studied in Zealandia has apparently evolved to become larger and more varied than the source population of song thrushes in the UK, with more syllables delivered with less repetition than the UK song recordings examined.</p> <p>Over a period of 7 years, syllables in grey warbler song have shifted to a higher frequency, but there was no difference in the temporal structure of the song. Habitat effect, competition on the acoustic signal from reintroduced birds and ambient noise level are considered as possible casual factors.</p>

scholarly journals How the environment shapes animal signals: a test of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in frogs

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Goutte ◽  
A. Dubois ◽  
S. D. Howard ◽  
R. Márquez ◽  
J. J. L. Rowley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation Hypothesis ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis

scholarly journals Ultrasonic frogs call at a higher pitch in noisier ambiance

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 996-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Zhang ◽  
Pan Chen ◽  
Zhuqing Chen ◽  
Juan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Central China ◽  
Signal Frequency ◽  
Frequency Noise ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation Hypothesis ◽  
Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis

Abstract The ultrasonic communication in Concave-eared torrent frogs Odorrana tormota is believed to be an adaptation to avoid masking by the intense low-frequency noise of the rushing stream in their habitat. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis for ultrasonic origin predicts that some organisms subjecting to persistent acoustic interference from broadband, low-frequency environmental noise, might shift their signal frequency upward into frequency bands with lower noise energy. In other words, low-frequency environmental noise might cause upward shifts of species’ vocalization frequencies making their signals more conspicuous. Presently, it is unclear whether male O. tormota adjust their signal features in response to a change in the ambient noise level. We tested the prediction of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis by recording the vocalizations of male O. tormota inhabiting two streams with different background noise levels in Huangshan in central China and comparing their call features including the fundamental frequency (F0). Results showed that the spectrotemporal characteristics of the vocal signals of males in the two habitats were indifferent, except the duration of the call harmonic segments and three parameters related to the call fundamental frequency (F0). In terms of the F0, the pooled and individual frog data showed that frogs inhabiting the noisier habitat tended to emit calls having higher F0. The higher F0 increases the signal-to-noise ratio, thus benefiting the detection of vocalization. Thus, similar to several anuran species, concave-eared torrent frogs also display noise-dependent adjustment of vocal pitch in their vocalizations for making them more audible.

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