Chapter 1 Environmental Acoustics and the Evolution of Bird Song

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Abstract

Any signal must get from a sender to a receiver if information is to be transmitted. In the case of bird song, the acoustic properties of the habitat may hinder this being achieved. However, birds as senders and receivers have evolved numerous adaptations to overcome the problem of getting the message across. In this chapter, we explore habitat-dependent patterns of sound transmission, the effects of noise, signal perception, and signal interpretation such as auditory distance assessment with a specific focus on the solutions that selection has generated. We argue that along with other possible selective forces, such as sexual selection, the combination of environmental constraints on signal transmission, noise levels, and the use of signal degradation as a distance cue need mutual consideration to gain a more thorough understanding of the astounding variety of avian song and the many different ways in which birds use it.

Section snippets

Introduction to Communication in the Wild

Acoustic signals are widespread among various animal taxa and they are often used as advertisement displays in habitats with dense vegetation and/or over long distances (Bradbury and Vehrencamp, 1998). As a consequence of transmission over long ranges or through dense habitats, acoustic signals inevitably attenuate and degrade on their way to a receiver (Slabbekoorn, 2004, Wiley and Richards, 1978, Wiley and Richards, 1982). Therefore, the signal structure at the position of a receiver differs

Signaler Adaptations

In this section, we will investigate the ways in which birds improve signal transmission by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of their songs and by reducing negative effects of sound degradation during transmission to potential receivers. Such song adjustments can be found on a phylogenetic and, even more so, on an individual level. First, we will look at song structure, that is, phonological and syntactic properties of bird song, and then at performance, that is, aspects of song delivery.

Receiver Adaptations

The performance of any receiver is considerably affected by the presence of noise and by degraded signal features. Perceptional adaptations to noise and sound degradation are similar but not identical. They involve behavioral changes, such as to move toward a position of better signal reception and special peripheral as well as cognitive processes. Origins of noise and signal degradation differ as the former results from other sources of sound, such as moving vegetation, wind, sounds of other

Conclusion

Any signal must obviously get from the sender to the receiver if information is to be transmitted. In the case of bird song, the acoustic properties of the habitat may hinder this being achieved. However, birds as senders and receivers have evolved numerous adaptations to overcome the problem of getting the message across. In this chapter, we explore habitat-dependent patterns of sound transmission, the effects of noise, signal perception, and signal interpretation. In particular, we summarize

Acknowledgments

We thank Nicolas Mathevon and Vincent Janik for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Karl-Heinz Frommolt of the Tierstimmenarchiv Berlin kindly provided recordings of whistling thrushes. HB was supported by an Emmy Noether Fellowship granted by the German Research Foundation (award Br 2309/6-1).

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