Chorus Noise Research Articles

Multimodal signaling in the Small Torrent Frog (Micrixalus saxicola) in a complex acoustic environment

Many animals use multimodal (both visual and acoustic) components in courtship signals. The acoustic communication of anuran amphibians can be masked by the presence of environmental background noise, and multimodal displays may enhance receiver detection in complex acoustic environments. In the present study, we measured sound pressure levels of concurrently calling males of the Small Torrent Frog (Micrixalus saxicola) and used acoustic playbacks and an inflatable balloon mimicking a vocal sac to investigate male responses to controlled unimodal (acoustic) and multimodal (acoustic and visual) dynamic stimuli in the frogs’ natural habitat. Our results suggest that abiotic noise of the stream does not constrain signal detection, but males are faced with acoustic interference and masking from conspecific chorus noise. Multimodal stimuli elicited greater response from males and triggered significantly more visual signal responses than unimodal stimuli. We suggest that the vocal sac acts as a visual cue and improves detection and discrimination of acoustic signals by making them more salient to receivers amidst complex biotic background noise.

Signal recognition by frogs in the presence of temporally fluctuating chorus-shaped noise

The background noise generated in large social aggregations of calling individuals is a potent source of auditory masking for animals that communicate acoustically. Despite similarities with the so-called "cocktail-party problem" in humans, few studies have explicitly investigated how non-human animals solve the perceptual task of separating biologically relevant acoustic signals from ambient background noise. Under certain conditions, humans experience a release from auditory masking when speech is presented in speech-like masking noise that fluctuates in amplitude. We tested the hypothesis that females of Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) experience masking release in artificial chorus noise that fluctuates in level at modulations rates characteristic of those present in ambient chorus noise. We estimated thresholds for recognizing conspecific advertisement calls (pulse rate=40-50 pulses/s) in the presence of unmodulated and sinusoidally amplitude modulated (SAM) chorus-shaped masking noise. We tested two rates of modulation (5 Hz and 45 Hz) because the sounds of frog choruses are modulated at low rates (e.g., less than 5-10 Hz), and because those of species with pulsatile signals are additionally modulated at higher rates typical of the pulse rate of calls (e.g., between 15-50 Hz). Recognition thresholds were similar in the unmodulated and 5-Hz SAM conditions, and 12 dB higher in the 45-Hz SAM condition. These results did not support the hypothesis that female gray treefrogs experience masking release in temporally fluctuating chorus-shaped noise. We discuss our results in terms of modulation masking, and hypothesize that natural amplitude fluctuations in ambient chorus noise may impair mating call perception.

The effect of anthropogenic noise on male advertisement call rate in the neotropical treefrog, Dendropsophus triangulum

Anthropogenic change such as road construction and subsequent traffic noise in pristine habitats has been shown to be detrimental to a range of vertebrate taxa. The effect of anthropogenic noise on anuran communication is not well known, and has only recently been a topic of investigation. We tested the effect of anthropogenic noise on the calling behaviour of the Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus triangulum . We performed four experiments. We first presented frogs with the noise of a pre-recorded motorcycle engine, and recorded the call rates of focal frogs for 5 min, then for another 5 min during which they were presented with a broadcast of noise, and again for 5 min post-stimulus. We repeated this experiment using music as the stimulus. We then tested the effect of intermittent engine noise, recording baseline call rate and response to six cycles of intermittent noise. In all experiments, call rates nearly doubled during playbacks. Finally, we compared frogs' responses to anthropogenic noise to responses to chorus noise broadcast at the same intensity; call rates did not differ between treatments. These results demonstrate a clear effect of exogenous noise on male D. triangulum .

Parallel female preferences for call duration in a diploid ancestor of an allotetraploid treefrog

The gray treefrog species complex (Hyla chrysoscelis and H. versicolor) comprises a single allotetraploid species (H. versicolor) that arose multiple times from hybrid matings between an extant diploid species (H. chrysoscelis) and at least two other extinct diploid treefrogs. While previous studies have investigated female preferences for call duration in the tetraploid, we know little about these preferences in its putative diploid anscestors. Here, I report results from two-choice phonotaxis experiments investigating call duration preferences in H. chrysoscelis. Females preferred an average-length call over shorter-than-average calls (0.5-2.0 standard deviations [SD] below average), and they preferred longer-than-average calls over average or shorter-than-average calls if the difference in pulse number was at least 2.0 SD. When the amplitude of the longer alternative was attenuated by 6 dB, females still preferred an average-length call over a shorter-than-average call, but there was no preference for longer-than-average calls over an average call. In the presence of chorus noise, female preferences for both average and longer-than-average calls over shorter alternatives were weakened or reversed. Together, the results from this study reveal patterns of female preferences for call duration that are strikingly similar among two members of a species complex with a novel evolutionary history. In both species, female preferences are directional, nonlinear, and limited by environmental noise. Furthermore, these results also highlight the need for caution in studies of sexual selection when extrapolating from patterns of female preference obtained under ideal laboratory conditions to conclusions about how those preferences are expressed in the real world.

Auditory masking of anuran advertisement calls by road traffic noise

There is growing concern that anthropogenic noise could interfere with animal behaviours by masking the perception of acoustic communication signals. To date, however, few experimental studies have tested this general hypothesis. One common source of anthropogenic noise is the sound of roadway traffic. We tested the hypothesis that road traffic noise can mask a female's perception of male signals in the grey treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis, by comparing the effects of traffic noise and the background noise of a breeding chorus on female responses to advertisement calls. In this species, advertisement calls are necessary and sufficient to attract females for breeding. Using a phonotaxis assay, we presented females with an advertisement call broadcast at one of nine signal levels (37–85 dB, 6-dB steps) in one of three masking conditions: (1) no masking noise, (2) a noise simulating a moderately dense breeding chorus, or (3) a noise modelled after road traffic noise recorded in two wetlands near major roads. Females showed similar increases in response latency and decreases in orientation towards the target signal in the presence of both the chorus noise and the traffic noise maskers. Moreover, response thresholds were elevated by about 20–25 dB in the presence of both noise maskers compared to the unmasked condition. Our results suggest that realistic levels of traffic noise could place constraints on the active space of the acoustic signals of some animals.

More bang for your buck: the effect of caller position, habitat and chorus noise on the efficiency of calling in the spring peeper

Many animals use acoustic signals as a means of intra- and inter-specific communication. For example, male anuran amphibians produce advertisement calls to attract females for breeding, and as a territorial signal. The production of acoustic signals can be energetically costly, and the distance over which a signal is effective depends on a range of variables including the location of the caller and receiver, ambient conditions and the habitat through which the sound travels. This paper presents a spatially explicit model of the propagation of an anuran advertisement call across a landscape, using the example of the northern spring peeper Pseudacris crucifer crucifer. The model is used to investigate (a) the effect of habitat, caller position and chorus noise on the effective distance of a call with a frequency of approximately 3 kHz; and (b) the energetics and efficiency of calling at different intensities and from different locations in the landscape. Calling next to still water or from an elevated perch increases, while calling in a chorus decreases, the distance over which a female can distinguish an individual male's call. For a given call intensity and calling rate, a male spring peeper will get the greatest “bang for its energetic buck” if it calls next to still water in the absence of chorus noise. However, when a chorus of spring peepers is gathered at a pond, calling from an elevated position away from the pond (and the chorus noise) will maximise the effective distance of an individual call, although this may entail other costs. The model presented here is the first realistic, interactive mathematical model of the propagation of animal sounds across a landscape, and uses a gis interface to display the effect of habitat and caller position on animal communication. It has applications for both research and teaching, and a copy can be obtained free of charge by contacting the author.

Female mate choice in the gray treefrog ( Hyla versicolor ) in three experimental environments

We studied female mate choice by Hyla versicolor in three venues to examine how acoustic and spatial complexity, background noise, and the calling behavior of males might influence preferences manifest in previous laboratory two-stimulus choice tests. Our laboratory-based two-stimulus choice tests with and without broadcasts of chorus noise demonstrated that females prefer long calls relative to short calls when calling efforts of alternatives are equivalent. Background noise impaired the ability of females to discriminate in favor of longer over shorter calls, but the magnitude of the effect was small. Captures of females at eight speakers broadcasting 6- to 27-pulse calls at the edge of a pond revealed strong discrimination against only the shortest call variant. In natural choruses, females may only rarely encounter males using such unattractive vocalizations. Female phonotaxis at an artificial pond with caged and electronically monitored calling males also indicated that consequences of female preferences for temporal aspects of calling observed in two-stimulus choice tests are much attenuated in choruses and explain only small portions (<10%) of the variation in male mating success. Nevertheless, relatively high call duration and calling effort increased male attractiveness. Acoustic interference emerged as another significant factor influencing male mating success and possibly the differences in female choice observed in laboratory and chorus settings. We suggest that the bias of females against both overlapped and very short calls may help explain why males lengthen their calls but lower their rate of delivery in response to increases in chorus size.

The neuroethology of frequency preferences in the spring peeper

We studied the relationship between auditory activity in the midbrain and selective phonotaxis in females of the treefrog,Pseudacris crucifer. Gravid females were tested in two-stimulus playback tests using synthetic advertisement calls of different frequencies (2600 versus 2875Hz; 2800 versus 3500Hz; 2600 versus 3500Hz). Tests were conducted with and without a background of synthesized noise, which was filtered to resemble the spectrum of a chorus of spring peepers. There were no significant preferences for calls of any frequency in the absence of background noise. With background noise, females preferred calls of 3500Hz to those of 2600Hz. Multi-unit recordings of neural responses to synthetic sounds were made from the torus semicircularis of the same females following the tests of phonotaxis. We measured auditory threshold at 25 frequencies (1800–4200Hz) as well as the magnitude of the neural response when stimulus amplitude was held constant and frequency was varied. This procedure yielded isointensity response contours, which we obtained at six amplitudes in the absence of noise and at the stimulus amplitude used during the phonotaxis tests with background noise. Individual differences in audiograms and isointensity responses were poorly correlated with behavioural data except for the test of 2600Hz versus 3500Hz calls in noise. The shape of the neural response contours changed with stimulus amplitude and in the presence of the simulated frog chorus. At 85dB sound pressure level (SPL), the level at which females were tested, the contours of females were quite flat. The contours were more peaked at lower SPLs as well as during the broadcast of chorus noise and white noise at an equivalent spectrum level (45–46dB/Hz). Peaks in the isointensity response plots of most females occurred at stimulus frequencies ranging from 3200 to 3400Hz, frequencies close to the median best excitatory frequency (BEF) of 3357Hz but higher than the mean of the mid-frequency of the male advertisement call (3011Hz). Addition of background noise may cause a shift in the neural response-intensity level functions. Our results highlight the well-known nonlinearity of the auditory system and the danger inherent in focusing solely on threshold measures of auditory sensitivity when studying the proximate basis of female choice. The results also show an unexpected effect of the natural and noisy acoustic environment on behaviour and responses of the auditory system.

Why stop calling? A study of unison bout singing in a Neotropical treefrog

Chorusing males of the Neotropical treefrog, Hyla microcephala, call in distinct bouts punctuated by periods of silence, known as unison bout singing. Previous studies of the calling energetics of frogs do not support the idea that males periodically stop calling because of high muscle lactate levels. Three additional hypotheses of why calling periodically ceases were tested. A two-stimulus female choice experiment failed to support the hypothesis that females prefer males that call cyclically. Playback experiments with males in the field rejected the hypothesis that males stop calling because of high ambient noise. Rather, data indirectly supported the hypothesis that males cease calling to save energy. Male H. microcephala adjust the timing of notes in their multi-note calls when interrupted by notes of other males. The flexibility of note timing was tested by interrupting males with call-triggered computer-generated advertisement calls of 20–1000 ms. The vocal behaviour of the frogs reduced acoustic interference significantly for most stimulus durations and probably allows males to minimize note overlap with their closest neighbours in the chorus while continuing to call when chorus noise levels are high.

A biological chorus in deep water northwest of Australia

This paper is a summary of observations of a biological chorus in deep waters northwest of Australia. The data were collected from underwater noise recordings made in the course of sonar performance trials at sites in the eastern Indian Ocean. Measurements are made for frequencies between 20 and 800 Hz. Chorus noise at 500 Hz, consisting of continual drumming sounds, was evident for 9–10 h in the evening, with the peak noise level occurring soon after sunset. The noise spectrum level at this peak frequency rose to 72 dB re: 1 μPa2/Hz, approximately 12 dB above the background noise level. Typical spectra and time waveforms for individual noise bursts are presented. The source of the noise is believed to be fish of the family Sciaenidae, commonly known as croakers.