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The Impact of Environmental Noise on Song Amplitude in a Territorial Bird

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The Impact of Environmental Noise on Song Amplitude in a Territorial Bird Journal of Animal Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Ecology 2004 The impact of environmental noise on song amplitude 73, 434–440 in a territorial bird HENRIK BRUMM Institute of Biology, Behavioural Biology, Free University, Berlin Summary 1. The impact of environmental background noise on the performance of territorial songs was examined in free-ranging nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm). An analysis of sound pressure levels revealed that males at noisier locations sang with higher sound levels than birds in territories less affected by background sounds. 2. This is the first evidence of a noise-dependent vocal amplitude regulation in the natural environment of an animal. 3. The results yielded demonstrate that the birds tried to mitigate the impairments on their communication caused by masking noise. This behaviour may help to maintain a given transmission distance of songs, which are used in territory defence and mate attraction. At the same time, birds forced to sing with higher amplitudes have to bear the increased costs of singing. 4. This suggests that in songbirds the level of environmental noise in a territory will contribute to its quality and thus considerably affect the behavioural ecology of singing males. Key-words: acoustical masking, birdsong, Lombard effect, Luscinia megarhynchos, vocal amplitude. Journal of Animal Ecology (2004) 73, 434–440 is the noise produced by torrents and waterfalls. An Introduction evolutionary response of frogs and birds living in such Acoustic communication is constrained considerably habitats is to evade masking by producing high-pitched by environmental factors, such as habitat-dependent vocalizations in narrow frequency bands (Dubois & sound transmission properties related to microclimate Martens 1984). However, also for less noisy habitats it and vegetation structure (Wiley & Richards 1982). has been suggested that background sounds can affect Additionally, the level of masking background noise the evolution of frequency traits of animal vocalizations also plays an important role, because detection and rec- (Wiley & Richards 1982; Ryan & Brenowitz 1985; Waser ognition of signals depends substantially on the signal- & Brown 1986). Such evolutionary shaping of signal to-noise ratio (Klump 1996). Hence, the transmission phonetics has been reported recently by Slabbekoorn distance of a signal is affected crucially by the proper- & Smith (2002) for the songs of little greenbuls (Andro- ties of background noise. In the natural environment padus virens). In this species, males living in rain forests vocalizing animals have to face a multitude of noise sing low-frequency notes that are not used by birds in sources which may be abiotic (caused by wind-induced ecotone forests. This song divergence could not be vegetation movement, rain, flowing water, surf, etc.) or explained by different sound transmission properties biotic (i.e. interfering sounds produced by other animals). between habitats, but by differences in background noise Given a match between noise and signal frequencies, characteristics. In ecotone forests the frequency band the resulting masking effect by the noise can drive evo- of the low-pitched notes is masked by high levels of lutionary changes in the signal structure of vocalizations environmental noise, whereas these frequencies are affected used for long-range communication. As a result the only by low-amplitude noise in rain forest habitats. spectral energy distributions of vocalizations can be In addition to evolutionary changes in signal traits, shaped to frequency bands that are less or not affected by the intensity of masking background noise can also noise. A particularly severe environmental interference affect the properties of acoustic signals in the short term. One such short-term adaptation is the Lombard Correspondence: Henrik Brumm, Institute of Biology, Behavi- effect, in which a signaller increases the amplitude of its © 2004 British oural Biology, Free University Berlin, Haderslebener Str. 9, vocalizations in response to an increase of the back- Ecological Society 12163 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] ground noise amplitude (Lombard 1911). However, it 435 has been assumed for a long time that birds do not regu- songbirds can increase their vocal amplitude when Environmental late their vocal amplitude, but always vocalize with interacting with rival males (Brumm & Todt 2004). noise and song maximized sound level (Brackenbury 1979; Lengagne Therefore, only birds holding territories that were not amplitude et al. 1999), thereby overlooking the fact that a variety bordered directly by another nightingale’s territory (or of birds adjust the intensity of their calls and songs be within earshot from territorial males farther away) depending on the background noise level (Potash 1972; were examined in this study. The territories studied Cynx et al. 1998; Manabe, Sadr & Dooling. 1998). comprised a variety of locations ranging from territories Finally, it emerged that the Lombard effect can even be near roads to more remote areas. exhibited in territorial songbirds (Brumm & Todt 2002), All sound level measurements were taken with a CEL demonstrating that male nightingales (Luscinia mega- 314 precision sound level meter (measuring frequency rhynchos Brehm) do not maximize the amplitude of range 16–20 000 Hz) mounted on a tripod 1·5 m above their advertising full songs, but regulate vocal intensity the ground. A time constant of 125 ms and an ‘A’ fre- dependent on the level of masking noise, suggesting that quency weighting was used. The frequency response they keep intensity reserves to mitigate masking effects curve of the A-filter is approximately flat from 1 kHz to of the acoustic background. In turn, these findings show 8 (which is about the frequency range of nightingale that songbirds do not necessarily maximize the size songs), but higher and lower frequencies are supressed. of their territories. This conclusion is supported by the This frequency weighting was chosen because it is noise study of Lemon et al. (1981) on frequency distribution in the frequency range of their own songs that is crucial of songs and singing heights in several warbler species. for the regulation of vocal amplitude in nightingales So far, however, the Lombard effect in birds has (Brumm & Todt 2002). Measurements and recordings been investigated with psychoacoustic experiments were made only when there was no wind (as measured in soundproof laboratory settings, but it remains to be with a Huger WSC 100 H anemometer). The temper- examined whether birds also use their potential skills in ature ranged between 8·7 °C and 16·2 °C and relative air amplitude regulation in the natural environment where humidity was between 60% and 89% (measured with a a continuous background sound is present. If songbirds GFTH 95 Hygro-/Thermometer). All dB values given in would do so, then one should expect males at more noisy this study refer to 20 µPa, except for the power spectra locations to sing with a higher vocal amplitude than presented in Fig. 1 which were normalized to 0 dB. birds in less noisy environments. Addressing this issue may help to extend our understanding of how environ- mental selection pressures can affect acoustic signals and also may contribute to conservation by revealing Song levels were only measured provided there were no possible impacts of environmental noise on wildlife. obstacles (leaves, branches, bushes, etc.) between the I studied these topics in common nightingales, a singing bird and the sound level meter. Because night- territorial songbird of the south-western Palaearctic. ingale songs, like most vertebrate vocalizations, show a Nightingales show a discontinuous singing style; terri- directional sound radiation pattern (Brumm 2002), it is torial songs have, on average, a duration of about 3 s and important to control the angle of incidence between the are separated by silent pauses of similar length (Hultsch bird’s body and the microphone of the sound level & Todt 1982). meter when taking measures. The sound pressure level of songs was assessed from below the singing bird (aver- age vertical distance 4·0 m; range 1·6 m−8·1 m) with Methods an angle of incidence of about 90° in relation to the animal’s longitudinal axis, and the microphone of the sound level meter pointing directly at the singing bird. I surveyed male territorial nightingales in Berlin, Germany For each song the maximum value read from the sound between 05.00 and 10.00 h. Eight birds were studied level meter was recorded. Only songs uttered while the between 28 April and 1 May 2001 and seven males bird was facing in the frontal direction with no lateral between 1 May and 12 May 2002. All measurements head movements (Brumm & Todt 2003) were subjected were taken on working days. In addition the song levels to sound level measurement. of three birds and the background noise levels in their All songs analysed were part of one continuous song territories were also assessed on weekend days (when bout sung from one perch and were measured from the there was less traffic in the mornig hours and environ- same position. Therefore, the number of songs meas- mental noise levels were lower) following or preceeding ured per bird was limited by the circumstance that the the actual survey. nightingales sooner or later changed their position or Assessing the sound level of animal vocalizations in stopped singing. The average number of measured songs the field is a challenging task, because many variables was 28 (range 12–58 songs). © 2004 British can contribute to differences in measured vocal sound The sound level meter measured not only the sound Ecological Society, Journal of Animal pressure levels. In addition to possible effects of envir- level of the nightingale songs but the level of all sounds Ecology, 73, onmental noise, social influences can also play a crucial coming from the direction in which the microphone 434–440 role in this context. As shown recently for nightingales, was facing. Therefore one has to subtract the level of 436 H.
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