Body size constrains the frequencies animals can vocalize

Evidence

The morphological adaptation hypothesis (MAH) refers to the role of body size as a biological constraint of the vocalization organs and their acoustic performance, confirming an inverse relationship between acoustic frequencies and body size. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 385

The morphological adaptation hypothesis (MAH) refers to the role of body size as a biological constraint of the vocalization organs and their acoustic performances, confirming an inverse relationship between acoustic frequencies and body size. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 493

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines MAH: larger bodies produce lower-frequency sounds, an inverse frequency–size relation.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 385; Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 493
• XREF: connects to: Forest birds favor pure tones around 2,200 Hz where attenuation is lowest — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 422; Waterfall frogs shifted calls above the frequency their body size predicts — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 438; Novel acoustic intruders disrupt frequency partitioning and vocal competition — Bernie Krause and Almo Farina, Using Ecoacoustic Methods to Survey the…, 45 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Vocal tract length differs by sex and its resonances form speech formants. #expands (0.78) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 556
• Vocal tract length and larynx size determine sex-typical pitch and formants #expands (0.75) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1717