Traffic noise shifts frog calls to frequencies females do not prefer

Evidence

The noise produced by road traffic is of great concern in conservation biology. Species can react differently to traffic noise, by avoiding noisy areas or by increasing the frequency of their acoustic signals. Accordingly, the groups of animals considered for the effects of traffic noise may have dramatic differences. In frogs, acoustic activity is innate and costly in terms of energy invested in reproductive choruses. When choruses are masked by ambient noise, males shift their repertoire toward higher frequencies, but this contrasts with the fact that females select the largest males, which usually have a low-frequency repertoire. Thus, the shift toward higher frequencies alters the relationship between male selection and acoustic frequency. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1526

Categorization

• XREF: Pays off the earlier chapter claim that frog frequency shifts cannot restore signal reach and may cause local extinction — this adds the sexual-selection cost of the shift. — connects to: Sympatric species diverge their calls to prevent hybridization — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 496; Geophony from wind and anthrophony from traffic both suppress animal acoustic communication — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 127; Waterfall frogs shifted calls above the frequency their body size predicts — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 438 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Urban noise adaptation can disrupt mating rhythms and increase predation risk #expands (0.78) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1502
• Ambient noise impairs birds’ territory defense and mate attraction #contradicts (0.72) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 942
• Species shift calls to ultrasonic frequencies to escape constant noise masking #qualifies (0.72) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1288