scholarly journals When to change your tune? Unpaired and paired male house wrens respond differently to anthropogenic noise

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Grabarczyk ◽  
Monique A. Pipkin ◽  
Maarten J. Vonhof ◽  
Sharon A. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Noise Masking ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Song Transmission ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
Male House

In response to anthropogenic noise, many bird species adjust their song frequency, presumably to optimize song transmission and overcome noise masking. But the costs of song adjustments may outweigh the benefits during different stages of breeding, depending on the locations of potential receivers. Selection might favor unpaired males to alter their songs because they sing to attract females that may be widely dispersed, whereas paired males might not if mates and neighbors are primary receivers of their song. We hypothesized male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) respond differently to noise depending on their pairing status. To test our hypothesis we synthesized pink noise, which mimics anthropogenic noise, and played it at three intensities in territories of paired and unpaired focal males. We recorded their songs and analyzed whether song structure varied with pairing status and noise treatment. To validate our study design, we tested whether noise playback affected measurement of spectral song traits and changed noise levels within territories of focal males. Consistent with our predictions, unpaired males sang differently than paired males, giving longer songs at higher rates. Contrary to predictions, paired males changed their songs by increasing peak frequency during high intensity noise playback, whereas unpaired males did not. If adjusting song frequency in noise is beneficial for long-distance communication we would have expected unpaired males to change their songs in response to noise. By adjusting song frequency, paired males reduce masking and produce a song that is easier to hear. However, if females prefer low frequency song, then unpaired males may be constrained by female preference. Alternatively, if noise adjustments are learned and vary with experience or quality, unpaired males in our study population may be younger, less experienced, or lower quality males.

scholarly journals The comparative evidence for urban species sorting by anthropogenic noise

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 172059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonçalo C. Cardoso ◽  
Yang Hu ◽  
Clinton D. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Urban Living ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
Song Frequency

Anthropogenic noise is more intense at lower sound frequencies, which could decrease urban tolerance of animals with low-frequency vocalizations. Four large comparative studies tested whether anthropogenic noise filters bird species according to the sound frequencies they use and produced discrepant results. We reanalysed data from these studies to explain their different results. Urban tolerance of bird species (defined here as often occurring and breeding in cities) is very weakly related to urban preference or relative abundance (defined based on changes in population density from urban to nearby rural environments). Data on urban preference/abundance are potentially accurate for individual cities but differ among cities for the same species, whereas existing data on urban tolerance are coarser but provide a more global synthesis. Cross-species comparisons find a positive association between the sound frequency of song and urban tolerance, but not urban preference/abundance. We found that showing an association between song frequency and urban tolerance requires controlling for additional species traits that influence urban living. On the contrary, controlling for other species traits is not required to show a positive association between song frequency and use of noisy relative to quiet areas within the same type of environment. Together, comparative evidence indicates that masking by urban noise is part of a larger set of factors influencing urban living: all else being equal, species with high-frequency sounds are more likely to tolerate cities than species with low-frequency sounds, but they are not more likely to prefer, or to be more abundant in, urban than non-urban habitats.

scholarly journals Social context and noise affect within and between male song adjustments in a common passerine

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1150-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E Grabarczyk ◽  
Maarten J Vonhof ◽  
Sharon A Gill
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Noisy Environments ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Syllable Duration ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
Changing Noise ◽  
Male House

Abstract Across populations, animals that inhabit areas with high anthropogenic noise produce vocalizations that differ from those inhabiting less noisy environments. Such patterns may be due to individuals rapidly adjusting their songs in response to changing noise, but individual variation is seldom explored. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that male house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) immediately adjust their songs according to changing noise and that social context further modifies responses. We recorded songs, quantified noise, and defined social context within pairs as female fertile status and between males as number of conspecific neighbors. We used a reaction-norm approach to compare song trait intercepts (between-male effects) and slopes (within-male effects) as a function of noise. Individuals immediately adjusted song duration in response to changing noise. How they achieved adjustments varied: some sang shorter and others longer songs with greater noise, and individuals varied in the extent to which they adjusted song duration. Variation in song duration could be affected by competition as between-male noise levels interacted with number of neighbors to affect syllable duration. Neither within- nor between-male noise effects were detected for frequency traits. Rather, males with fertile mates sang lower-frequency songs and increased peak frequency with more neighbors. Among males, social context but not noise affected song frequency, whereas temporal structure varied between and within individuals depending on noise and social factors. Not all males adjusted signals the same way in response to noise, and selection could favor different levels of variation according to noise.

scholarly journals Ontogeny of long-range vocalizations in a Neotropical fossorial rodent: the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco (Ctenomys sp.)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4334
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Amaya ◽  
Juan Ignacio Areta
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Series Type

Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys spp.) are subterranean rodents that produce territorial, high intensity long-range vocalizations (LRVs) of broadband and low frequency that are essential for long-distance communication between individuals in different tunnel systems. Despite their importance, the development of LRVs remains poorly understood. In adult Anillaco Tuco-Tucos (Ctenomys sp.) the LRV is composed by two types of syllables (series and individual notes) that are repeated a variable number of times. We studied the development of the LRVs in eight juveniles of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco ranging from 14–28 to 104–118 days after birth. We (1) tested whether the syllables followed any of three alternative developmental modes (retention of juvenile vocalizations, modification of juvenile precursors or de novo appearance in adults), (2) evaluated the development of structural and acoustic features of syllables, and (3) tested the prediction that juveniles should produce a greater proportion of atypical series in precursors of the LRV than adults, due to lack maturation and/or precise coupling of neuromuscular and anatomical structures. The LRV of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco exhibited a mixed developmental mode: while series developed from juvenile precursors whose acoustic features gradually approached those of adults, individual notes appeared later in the ontogeny and de novo with acoustic features indistinguishable from those of adults. The number of series per vocalization increased through development and varied from one to 25 in juvenile males and from one to six in juvenile females. The structure of the most common series type (triad) did not exhibit ontogenetic changes and was present as such at the onset of the emission of vocalizations. On the contrary, acoustic features of juvenile triad notes changed with age in both sexes (duration 90% increased through development, while bandwidth 90% and peak frequency decreased). Furthermore, juveniles emitted a higher proportion of atypical series than adults (7.4% vs. 0.3%), as expected in the development of any complex behavior that requires practice to be mastered. The maturation of the LRV occurred well before the sexual maturation, presumably due to the protracted time needed to acquire or build a burrow system long before mating is possible. We propose that protracted vocal development is another component in the slow developmental strategy of Ctenomys and subterranean rodents in general.

scholarly journals Ontogeny of long-range vocalizations in a Neotropical fossorial rodent: the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco (Ctenomys sp.)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Amaya ◽  
Juan Ignacio Areta
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Motor Program ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Long Distance

Adult vocalizations can develop following three alternative modes; by retention of juvenile vocalizations, through the modification of juvenile precursors or by a de novo appearance in adults. Vocalizations that develop from juvenile precursors may develop following two pathways; vocal learning (implying the ability of juveniles to modify their vocalizations based on an external auditory input) and/or vocal tract maturation (involving the improvement of the capacity of juveniles to generate progressively more adult-like vocalizations by the tuning of an innate motor program). The emission of adult vocalizations requires the synchronization of neuromuscular and anatomical structures, and the lack of maturation and/or precise coupling between them would lead to the production of abnormal vocalizations. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys spp.) are subterranean rodents that produce territorial, high intensity long-range vocalizations (LRVs) of, broadband and low frequency that are essential for long-distance communication between individuals in different tunnel systems. Despite their importance, the developmental modes, pathways and developmental sequences of LRVs remain poorly understood. In adult Anillaco Tuco-Tucos (Ctenomys sp.) the LRV is composed by two types of syllables (series and individual notes) that are repeated a variable number of times. We studied the development of the LRV in 8 juveniles of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco ranging from 14 to 108 days after birth. The LRV exhibited a mixed developmental mode: while series developed from juvenile precursors whose acoustic features gradually approached those of adults, individual notes appeared later in the ontogeny and de novo, with acoustic features undistinguishable from those of adults. Vocalizations became progressively longer, but the series types shown by adults were evident in juveniles at an early age. All three acoustic features of series (triad) notes studied correlated with age in both sexes (duration 90% increased through development, while bandwidth 90% and peak frequency decreased). LRV developed normally in juveniles acoustically isolated from adults, supporting the vocal tract maturation hypothesis and possibly rejecting the vocal learning hypothesis. Juveniles emmitted a higher proportion (7.4%) of abnormal vocalizations than adults (0.3%), as expected in the development of any complex behavior that requires practice to be mastered. The maturation of the LRV occurred well before the sexual maturation, presumably due to the protracted time needed to acquire or build a burrow system long before mating is possible. We propose that protracted vocal development is another component in the slow developmental strategy of Ctenomys and subterranean rodents in general.

scholarly journals Ontogeny of long-range vocalizations in a Neotropical fossorial rodent: the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco (Ctenomys sp.)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Amaya ◽  
Juan Ignacio Areta
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Motor Program ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Subterranean Rodents ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Long Distance

Adult vocalizations can develop following three alternative modes; by retention of juvenile vocalizations, through the modification of juvenile precursors or by a de novo appearance in adults. Vocalizations that develop from juvenile precursors may develop following two pathways; vocal learning (implying the ability of juveniles to modify their vocalizations based on an external auditory input) and/or vocal tract maturation (involving the improvement of the capacity of juveniles to generate progressively more adult-like vocalizations by the tuning of an innate motor program). The emission of adult vocalizations requires the synchronization of neuromuscular and anatomical structures, and the lack of maturation and/or precise coupling between them would lead to the production of abnormal vocalizations. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys spp.) are subterranean rodents that produce territorial, high intensity long-range vocalizations (LRVs) of, broadband and low frequency that are essential for long-distance communication between individuals in different tunnel systems. Despite their importance, the developmental modes, pathways and developmental sequences of LRVs remain poorly understood. In adult Anillaco Tuco-Tucos (Ctenomys sp.) the LRV is composed by two types of syllables (series and individual notes) that are repeated a variable number of times. We studied the development of the LRV in 8 juveniles of the Anillaco Tuco-Tuco ranging from 14 to 108 days after birth. The LRV exhibited a mixed developmental mode: while series developed from juvenile precursors whose acoustic features gradually approached those of adults, individual notes appeared later in the ontogeny and de novo, with acoustic features undistinguishable from those of adults. Vocalizations became progressively longer, but the series types shown by adults were evident in juveniles at an early age. All three acoustic features of series (triad) notes studied correlated with age in both sexes (duration 90% increased through development, while bandwidth 90% and peak frequency decreased). LRV developed normally in juveniles acoustically isolated from adults, supporting the vocal tract maturation hypothesis and possibly rejecting the vocal learning hypothesis. Juveniles emmitted a higher proportion (7.4%) of abnormal vocalizations than adults (0.3%), as expected in the development of any complex behavior that requires practice to be mastered. The maturation of the LRV occurred well before the sexual maturation, presumably due to the protracted time needed to acquire or build a burrow system long before mating is possible. We propose that protracted vocal development is another component in the slow developmental strategy of Ctenomys and subterranean rodents in general.

Social factors, not anthropogenic noise or artificial light, influence onset of dawn singing in a common songbird

The Auk ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carley J Stuart ◽  
Erin E Grabarczyk ◽  
Maarten J Vonhof ◽  
Sharon A Gill
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
House Wrens ◽  
Daily Behavior ◽  
Dawn Song ◽  
Male House

Abstract With worldwide increases in artificial light and anthropogenic noise, understanding how these pollutants influence animals allows us to better mitigate potential negative effects. Both light and noise affect the timing of daily activities, including the onset of dawn song in birds, yet the influence of these pollutants compared with social factors that also influence song onset remains unknown. We investigated the onset of dawn song, testing hypotheses aimed at understanding the influences of light and noise pollution as well as male competition, pairing status, and breeding stage on timing of dawn singing by male House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Overall, models with social factors fit song onset data better than models with abiotic factors of noise and sky glow, and the highest ranking model included nesting stage, number of male neighbors, and temperature. Males began singing earlier when they were building nests and when mates were fertile than during later nesting stages. Males also sang earlier as the number of male neighbors increased. The timing of dawn song by male House Wrens appeared unaffected by day-to-day variation in light and noise pollution, with social factors having larger effects on the onset of daily behavior in this species.

scholarly journals Variation of Low-Frequency Time-Code Signal Field Strength during the Annular Solar Eclipse on 21 June 2020: Observation and Analysis

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1216
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Fan Zhao ◽  
Xinyu Luo ◽  
Luxi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Strength ◽  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Signal Propagation ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Time Code ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Time Service ◽  
Annular Solar Eclipse ◽  
Signal Field

Due to the occlusion of the moon, an annular solar eclipse will have an effect on the ionosphere above the earth. The change of the ionosphere, for the low-frequency time-code signal that relies on it as a reflection medium for long-distance propagation, the signal field strength, and other parameters will also produce corresponding changes, which will affect the normal operation of the low-frequency time-code time service system. This paper selects the solar eclipse that occurred in China on 21 June 2020, and uses the existing measurement equipment to carry out experimental research on the low-frequency time-code signal. We measured and analyzed the signal field strength from 20 June 2020 to 23 June 2020, and combined solar activity data, ionospheric data, and geomagnetic data, and attempted to explore the reasons and rules of the change of signal parameters. The results showed that the field strength of the low-frequency time-code signal changed dramatically within a short time period, the max growth value can reach up to 17 dBμV/m and the variation trend yielded ‘three mutations’. This change in signal field strength is probably due to the occurrence of a solar eclipse that has an effect on the ionosphere. When the signal propagation conditions change, the signal strength will also change accordingly.

scholarly journals 82 Struggle behavior and vocalizations of male piglets during castration

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Maria E Lou ◽  
Yuzhi Li ◽  
Beth Ventura
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Behavioral Indicators ◽  
Treatment Groups

Abstract Castration without the use of analgesia is routinely performed on male piglets. The objective of this study was to assess acute pain during castration through behavioral indicators. Piglets (n=88) were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: castration without the use of analgesia (C) and sham-castration (S). Within 24 hours after birth (birth weight = 1.78kg ±0.71), identical procedures were followed for both treatment groups, except sham piglets were not castrated. Struggle behavior (curl ups, leg kicks, and body flailing) and vocalizations were collected via continuous video recording as piglets received treatment from start (first application of scalpel) to end (application of iodine). Vocalization parameters (duration and peak frequency) were analyzed using the Raven Pro: Interactive Sound Analysis Software (Version 1.5). Peak frequency was defined as low (< 1000 Hz) and high (≥ 1000 Hz). Data were analyzed using the Glimmix Procedure of SAS. For struggle behavior, treatment did not affect curl up frequency. However, castrated piglets kicked more frequently than did sham piglets (C=28.8±0.9 vs. S=21.3±0.9 kicks/min; P=0.02). Additionally, 52% of castrated piglets displayed body flailing, whereas only 4.4% of sham piglets displayed the same behavior (Chi-Square = 24.2; P < 0.0001). For vocalizations, no difference was found for duration and peak frequency of low frequency calls. However, castrated piglets responded with more high frequency calls than sham piglets (C=23.6±0.3 vs. S=18.6±0.3 calls/min; P=0.04). High frequency calls tended to be of longer duration for castrated piglets (C=0.45±0.04 vs. S=0.27±0.04 sec/call; P=0.08). Results indicate that castration without the use of analgesia increased the frequency of leg kicks, body failing, and high frequency calls. This suggests that leg kicks, body flailing, and high frequency calls maybe useful behavioral indicators of acute pain in piglets.

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