Waterfall frogs shifted calls above the frequency their body size predicts

Evidence

Boeckle et al. (2009) have found that the skipper frog (Staurois latopalmatus) that lives along the waterfalls of Bornean streams has a sound repertoire well adapted to this exclusive environment. In fact, this species seems to avoid quiet stream environments. This frog has two types of calls, a short single-note and a long multi-note call. Both calls have a sound pressure that is less than the noise produced by a waterfall. The dominant frequency is around 5 kHz, and from the correlation between the body size (snout–vent length) of 74 Ranidae and their dominant frequency it appeared that this species should have a lower frequency, and the results suggest an acoustic adaptation to a low-frequency-dominated noise. These authors suggest that microhabitat characteristics can act as a strong selective pressure on the patterns of the acoustic signals. — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 438

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels Farina’s ch6 claim that stream/waterfall noise drives call adaptation (dipper, Phylloscopus) already in prior chapters. — connects to: Body size constrains the frequencies animals can vocalize — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 385; Each species occupies a distinct acoustic niche to avoid signal competition — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 387; Traffic noise shifts frog calls to frequencies females do not prefer — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology: Principles,…, 1526 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Traffic noise shifts frog calls to frequencies females do not prefer #expands (0.85) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1526
• Habitat-specific ambient noise can drive the evolution of animal signals #expands (0.85) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 336
• Frog frequency shifts cannot restore signal reach and may cause local extinction #expands (0.80) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1378
• Species shift calls to ultrasonic frequencies to escape constant noise masking #exemplifies (0.80) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 1288
• Animal long-distance calls evolve to match habitat acoustics #expands (0.75) — Almo Farina, Soundscape Ecology, 409