Auditory sensitivity in the great tit: perception of signals in the presence and absence of noise

Langemann, Ulrike; Gauger, Bärbel; Klump, Georg M.

doi:10.1006/anbe.1998.0879

Cited by 74 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Breeding pairs defend only a small area around their nest site, which is often in close proximity to nest sites of conspecifics (Lowther and Cink, 2006). Note, however, that it is unclear whether thresholds under more realistic, noisy conditions vary seasonally, because absolute thresholds do not necessarily predict thresholds in noise (Langemann et al, 1998;Lohr et al, 2003). Previous studies of seasonal auditory plasticity found no variation in thresholds of the plainfin midshipman and northern leopard frog (Sisneros et al, 2004;Goense and Feng, 2005) or in ABR latency of Carolina chickadees, house sparrows and tufted titmice (Lucas et al, 2002;Lucas et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Henry

Lucas

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYSongbirds exhibit seasonal plasticity in a broad variety of behavioral and morphological traits associated with reproduction. Changes in song production are well described while changes in song reception are not. In the present study, we test for seasonal variation in auditory processing of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus L.) using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to tone bursts. We measured amplitude and latency of the first ABR peak in spring, summer and autumn at stimulus frequencies from 0.8 to 6.4kHz and intensity levels from 24 to 80dB SPL. ABR thresholds were determined at each frequency using cross-correlation. Amplitude was greater in spring than in autumn at frequencies from 3.2 to 6.4kHz whereas latency and thresholds exhibited no seasonal variation. The results indicate an increase in the number or temporal synchrony of responses from peripheral auditory neurons during the early breeding season. Changes in peripheral auditory processing may enhance temporal coding of the fine structure and envelope of song; thereby, improving assessment of encoded information in both sexes (e.g. individual identity and dominance status) and auditory feedback during song production in males. Peripheral auditory changes may be mediated by reproductive hormones, and could involve changes in hair cell density on the basilar papilla. Our results suggest that peripheral auditory processing of songbirds changes seasonally in parallel with other behavioral and morphological traits, such as song production.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocally correlated seasonal auditory variation in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Henry

Lucas

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…S2 shows an example of song type signal to noise ratios inside the nest box under noisy and control conditions). The song amplitude at the position of the female always exceeded the detection thresholds for great tits in noise (52) to allow discrimination among song types. Playback experiments were carried out during daytime to avoid male interference.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Low-frequency songs lose their potency in noisy urban conditions

Halfwerk

Bot

Buikx

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

251

220

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many animal species communicate with their mates through acoustic signals, but this communication seems to become a struggle in urbanized areas because of increasing anthropogenic noise levels. Several bird species have been reported to increase song frequency by which they reduce the masking impact of spectrally overlapping noise. However, it remains unclear whether such behavioral flexibility provides a sufficient solution to noisy urban conditions or whether there are hidden costs. Species may rely on low frequencies to attract and impress females, and the use of high frequencies may, therefore, come at the cost of reduced attractiveness. We studied the potential tradeoff between signal strength and signal detection in a successful urban bird species, the great tit (Parus major). We show that the use of low-frequency songs by males is related to female fertility as well as sexual fidelity. We experimentally show that urban noise conditions impair male-female communication and that signal efficiency depends on song frequency in the presence of noise. Our data reveal a response advantage for high-frequency songs during sexual signaling in noisy conditions, whereas low-frequency songs are likely to be preferred. These data are critical for our understanding of the impact of anthropogenic noise on wild-ranging birds, because they provide evidence for low-frequency songs being linked to reproductive success and to be affected by noise-dependent signal efficiency. signal evolution | noise pollution | frequency-dependent masking | extra-pair paternity | signal trade-off

show abstract

“…However, critical bandwidths remain nearly constant over a wide range of frequencies up to 8 kHz. Consequently, in the presence of wind in a forest, which produces noise decreasing exponentially in intensity with increasing frequency, the frequency for greatest detectability shifts to 8 kHz (Langemann et al, 1998). It is also clear the birds and mammals can increase the intensity of vocal signals in the presence of background sound, presumably to improve the contrast of their signals with the background (Brumm, 2004;Brumm and Todt, 2002;Brumm et al, 2004;Cynx et al, 1998;Leonard and Horn, 2005).…”

Section: O R R E C T E D P R O O Fmentioning

confidence: 99%