scholarly journals Noise-Related Song Variation Affects Communication: Bananaquits Adjust Vocally to Playback of Elaborate or Simple Songs

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle S. M. Winandy ◽  
Hilton F. Japyassú ◽  
Patrícia Izar ◽  
Hans Slabbekoorn
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Song Variation ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Signal Value ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
General Response ◽  
Acoustic Variation

Birds communicate through acoustic variation in their songs for territorial defense and mate attraction. Noisy urban conditions often induce vocal changes that can alleviate masking problems, but that may also affect signal value. We investigated this potential for a functional compromise in a neotropical songbird: the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). This species occurs in urban environments with variable traffic noise levels and was previously found to reduce song elaboration in concert with a noise-dependent reduction in song frequency bandwidth. Singing higher and in a narrower bandwidth may make their songs more audible in noisy conditions of low-frequency traffic. However, it was unknown whether the associated decrease in syllable diversity affected their communication. Here we show that bananaquits responded differently to experimental playback of elaborate vs. simple songs. The variation in syllable diversity did not affect general response strength, but the tested birds gave acoustically distinct song replies. Songs had fewer syllables and were lower in frequency and of wider bandwidth when individuals responded to elaborate songs compared to simple songs. This result suggests that noise-dependent vocal restrictions may change the signal value of songs and compromise their communicative function. It remains to be investigated whether there are consequences for individual fitness and how such effects may alter the diversity and density of the avian community in noisy cities.

scholarly journals Urban Noise Restricts Song Frequency Bandwidth and Syllable Diversity in Bananaquits: Increasing Audibility at the Expense of Signal Quality

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle S. M. Winandy ◽  
Rafael P. Félix ◽  
Rafaela A. Sacramento ◽  
Rilquer Mascarenhas ◽  
Henrique Batalha-Filho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Signal Quality ◽  
Frequency Bandwidth ◽  
Signal Value ◽  
Adjustment Strategy ◽  
Acoustic Diversity ◽  
Territory Density ◽  
Song Frequency ◽  
Coereba Flaveola

Anthropogenic noise can interfere with animal behavior through masking of acoustic communication. In response to masking, animals may change their acoustic signals as an apparent adjustment strategy, but this may have a drawback on signal quality. Songs and calls may show noise-dependent changes in frequency and duration, which may yield some masking avoidance, but may also constrain other acoustic parameters that might carry information about the sender. In the present study, we investigated whether noise-dependent reduction in frequency bandwidth or song duration restricted syllable diversity or song elaboration in a Neotropical songbird, the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). We show that bananaquits sing higher frequency songs, of narrower bandwidth, in noisier territories, independent of variation in territory density, without significant variation in song duration. We also show that songs with higher minimum frequencies, narrower bandwidths, and shorter durations have on average a lower number of syllable types and higher syllable rates. This finding is in line with an acoustic restriction and may reflect a functional trade-off between audibility and signal value: higher frequencies may be more audible but less elaborate songs may weaken the message of sender quality. Consequently, noise pollution may not only alter avian communities, but also shape acoustic diversity and processes of sexual selection in urban environments.

Acoustics of Sound Production and of Hearing in the Bladder Cicada Cystosoma Saundersii (Westwood)

1978 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.H. FLETCHER ◽  
K. G. HILL
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Abdominal Cavity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Sound Intensity ◽  
Electrical Network ◽  
Directional Hearing ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Radiated Sound ◽  
Song Frequency

The male cicada of the species Cystosoma saundersii has a grossly enlarged, hollow abdomen and emits a loud calling song with a fundamental frequency of about 800 Hz. At the song frequency, its hearing is nondirectional. The female of C. saundersii lacks sound producing organs, has no enlargement of the abdomen, but possesses an abdominal air sac and has well developed directional hearing at the frequency of the species' song. Physical mechanisms are proposed that explain these observations in semi-quantitative detail using the standard method of electrical network analogues. The abdomen in the male, with its enclosed air, is found to act as a system resonant at the song frequency, thus contributing a large gain in radiated sound intensity. Coupling between this resonator and the auditory tympana accounts for the observed hearing sensitivity in the male, but destroys directionality. In the female, the abdominal cavity acts in association with the two auditory tympana as part of a phase shift network which results in appreciable directionality of hearing at the unusually low frequency of the male song.

scholarly journals Song Structure and Microgeographic Song Variation in Wedge-Tailed Sabrewings (Campylopterus Curvipennis) in Veracruz, Mexico

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 593-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clementina González ◽  
Juan Francisco Ornelas
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Region ◽  
Arithmetic Mean ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Complex Signals ◽  
Document Structure ◽  
Song Variation ◽  
Pair Group ◽  
Well Differentiated ◽  
Acoustic Variation

AbstractWe studied the songs of Wedge-tailed Sabrewings (Campylopterus curvipennis) in six localities from central Veracruz, Mexico, to document structure and variation within and between singing groups in the same geographic region. Wedgetailed Sabrewing songs were acoustically, structurally, and behaviorally complex, rivaling those of other taxa with complex signals. Songs of individual birds were composed of >45 well-differentiated and structurally complex syllables. We found 239 different syllable types across eight recorded singing groups of Wedge-tailed Sabrewings (∼20 syllable types per singing group), with the greatest versatility recorded in hummingbirds to date. The acoustic variation (15 variables) was summarized in three principal components (58% of acoustic variation), in which intragroup variability accounted for most of the observed variation. We found significant differences between and within groups in terms of syllable sharing (Jaccard’s similarity coefficient). Individuals generally shared >50% of syllable types within groups, whereas syllable sharing was <10% between individuals from different groups. The same microgeographic pattern was supported in a UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean) analysis where individual songs from each singing group clustered separately. However, songs recorded at the same location differed between seasons, which suggests that this species does not exhibit geographically distinct dialects that are consistent across time. The interplay among this species’ social system, distribution of its floral resources, and microgeographic and temporal variation of its song requires further research.

scholarly journals Plate-Type Acoustic Metamaterials: Experimental Evaluation of a Modular Large-Scale Design for Low-Frequency Noise Control

Acoustics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linus Ang ◽  
Yong Koh ◽  
Heow Lee
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Noise Control ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Frequency Noise ◽  
Acoustic Metamaterials ◽  
Scale Design ◽  
Stress Uniformity ◽  
Plate Type

For industrial applications, the scalability of a finalised design is an important factor to consider. The scaling process of typical membrane-type acoustic metamaterials may pose manufacturing challenges such as stress uniformity of the membrane and spatial consistency of the platelet. These challenges could be addressed by plate-type acoustic metamaterials with an internal tonraum resonator. By adopting the concept of modularity in a large-scale design (or meta-panel), the acoustical performance of different specimen configurations could be scaled and modularly combined. This study justifies the viability of two meta-panel configurations for low-frequency (80–500 Hz) noise control. The meta-panels were shown to be superior to two commercially available noise barriers at 80–500 Hz. This superiority was substantiated when the sound transmission class (STC) and the outdoor-indoor transmission class (OITC) were compared. The meta-panels were also shown to provide an average noise reduction of 22.7–27.4 dB at 80–400 Hz when evaluated in different noise environments—traffic noise, aircraft flyby noise, and construction noise. Consequently, the meta-panel may be further developed and optimised to obtain a design that is lightweight and yet has good acoustical performance at below 500 Hz, which is the frequency content of most problematic noises.

scholarly journals Nest-site competition and killing by invasive parakeets cause the decline of a threatened bat population

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 172477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dailos Hernández-Brito ◽  
Martina Carrete ◽  
Carlos Ibáñez ◽  
Javier Juste ◽  
José L. Tella
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Site Competition

The identification of effects of invasive species is challenging owing to their multifaceted impacts on native biota. Negative impacts are most often reflected in individual fitness rather than in population dynamics of native species and are less expected in low-biodiversity habitats, such as urban environments. We report the long-term effects of invasive rose-ringed parakeets on the largest known population of a threatened bat species, the greater noctule, located in an urban park. Both species share preferences for the same tree cavities for breeding. While the number of parakeet nests increased by a factor of 20 in 14 years, the number of trees occupied by noctules declined by 81%. Parakeets occupied most cavities previously used by noctules, and spatial analyses showed that noctules tried to avoid cavities close to parakeets. Parakeets were highly aggressive towards noctules, trying to occupy their cavities, often resulting in noctule death. This led to a dramatic population decline, but also an unusual aggregation of the occupied trees, probably disrupting the complex social behaviour of this bat species. These results indicate a strong impact through site displacement and killing of competitors, and highlight the need for long-term research to identify unexpected impacts that would otherwise be overlooked.

scholarly journals Noise Events Monitoring for Urban and Mobility Planning in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Alsina-Pagès ◽  
Robert Garcia Almazán ◽  
Marc Vilella ◽  
Marc Pons
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
City Life ◽  
The Impact

Noise pollution is a critical factor and it has an important impact on public health, with the relationship between road traffic noise (RTN) and several illnesses in urban areas of particular concern. Andorra is currently developing a national strategy regarding noise pollution in their urban environments. The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability is trying to to identify, monitor, map and model the effects of noise pollution and design mitigation policies to reduce the impact in certain priority areas. This analysis should take into account the existence of different types of anomalous noise events (ANEs) present in the street, e.g., horns, people talking, music, and other events that coexist with RTN, to characterize the soundscape of each of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis considering both the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the duration of the ANEs to evaluate their presence in urban areas in the three different locations in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. The experiments conducted required a 10-h recording campaign distributed in the three locations under study, which was evaluated on two different days, one during the week and the other on the weekend. Afterwards, the data were carefully labeled and the SNR of each event was evaluated to determine the potential impact of the four categories under study: vehicles, works, city life and people.

scholarly journals Effects of traffic noise exposure on corticosterone, glutathione and tonic immobility in chicks of a precocial bird

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina Flores ◽  
Mario Penna ◽  
John C Wingfield ◽  
Elfego Cuevas ◽  
Rodrigo A Vásquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Tonic Immobility ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Precocial Bird ◽  
Baseline Levels

Abstract Repeated exposure to traffic noise may be perceived as a succession of stressors, and therefore, noisy urban environments could lead to a state of chronic stress. In developing animals, glucocorticoids can have organizational effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in addition to the classic activation effects, so evaluating the effect of traffic noise during development is urgently needed. To our knowledge, to date six studies have investigated the effects of traffic noise on baseline corticosterone (CORT) and/or the stress response in birds during development; however, these studies were performed in nestling (altricial species), where confounding factors (e.g. communication between nestlings and parents) could mask the real impact of traffic noise on stress. In this study, we evaluated the effect of traffic noise (traffic noise group vs. rural noise group) on baseline levels of CORT and stress responses in chicks of a precocial bird species, the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Because CORT can also decrease glutathione (GSH) levels (antioxidant and neurotransmitter/modulator), secondly by means of path analysis we investigated whether the strength of the association between CORT levels, GSH levels and tonic immobility (TI) varied in relation to treatment. We observed (i) similar baseline levels of CORT in both groups, (ii) a trend toward higher stress response in the traffic noise group (P = 0.08), (iii) similar TI duration in both groups, (iv) higher GSH levels in the traffic noise group and (v) differences in the strength and sign of the associations in relation to the treatment (traffic vs. rural). We conclude that the acoustic environment perceived during development has implications for physiology and behaviour; as more research is done on this topic, the need for sustainable urban planning will become clearer.

Investigations on Coherence of Active Control of Traffic Noise Transmission through an Open Window into a Rectangular Room in High-Rise Buildings

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Jiping Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Active Noise Control ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Wave Theory ◽  
High Rise ◽  
High Rise Building ◽  
Frequency Components ◽  
Open Window ◽  
Rectangular Room ◽  
Good Agreement

A method for theoretically calculating the coherence between sound pressure inside a rectangular room in a high-rise building and that outside the open window of the room is proposed. The traffic noise transmitted into a room is generally dominated by low-frequency components, to which active noise control (ANC) technology may find an application. However, good coherence between reference and error signals is essential for effective noise reduction and should be checked first. Based on traffic noise prediction methods, wave theory, and mode coupling theory, the results of this paper enable one to determine the potentials and limitations of ANC used to reduce such a transmission. Experimental coherence results are shown for two similar, empty rectangular rooms located on the 17th and 30th floors of a 34 floor high-rise building. The calculated results with the proposed method are generally in good agreement with the experimental results and demonstrate the usefulness of the method for predicting the coherence.

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