Results 1 - 10
of
28
Anthropogenic Noise and its Effect on Animal Communication: An Interface Between Comparative Psychology and Conservation Biology
"... Conservation biology and comparative psychology rarely intersect, in part because conservation biology typically emphasizes populations whereas comparative psychology concentrates on individual organisms. However, both fields could benefit from their integration. Conservation biology can profit from ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 14 (2 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Conservation biology and comparative psychology rarely intersect, in part because conservation biology typically emphasizes populations whereas comparative psychology concentrates on individual organisms. However, both fields could benefit from their integration. Conservation biology can profit from an enhanced understanding of individual-level impacts of habitat alteration and the resulting implications for conservation mitigation strategies. Comparative psychology can gain from increased attention to the mechanisms of adjustment used by organisms to “in vivo experiments ” created by anthropogenic change. In this paper, we describe a conceptual framework useful for applying our understanding of animal communication to conservation biology. We then review studies of animal communication with conservation implications, and report our own preliminary work that demonstrates our framework in action. Studies that attempt to synthesize the fields of animal behavior and conservation biology have historically been underrepresented in the journals of both fields (Sutherland, 1998), in part because these fields emphasize different levels of biological organization. Whereas animal behavior typically focuses on understanding the behavior of individuals, conservation biology more often attempts to account
Signal detection and animal communication
- Advances in the Study of Behavior
"... department of biology, university of north carolina chapel hill, north carolina 27599, usa Although communication consists of associations between signals from one individual and responses by another, in reality these associations are often weak. In recent decades there has been a tendency to explai ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 7 (0 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
department of biology, university of north carolina chapel hill, north carolina 27599, usa Although communication consists of associations between signals from one individual and responses by another, in reality these associations are often weak. In recent decades there has been a tendency to explain these weak associations as the result of attempts by signalers to manipulate or
Spatial Unmasking of Birdsong in Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)
"... Budgerigars and zebra finches were tested, using operant conditioning techniques, on their ability to identify a zebra finch song in the presence of a background masker emitted from either the same or a different location as the signal. Identification thresholds were obtained for three masker types ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 2 (0 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Budgerigars and zebra finches were tested, using operant conditioning techniques, on their ability to identify a zebra finch song in the presence of a background masker emitted from either the same or a different location as the signal. Identification thresholds were obtained for three masker types differing in their spectrotemporal characteristics (noise, modulated noise, and a song chorus). Both bird species exhibited similar amounts of spatial unmasking across the three masker types. The amount of unmasking was greater when the masker was played continuously compared to when the target and masker were presented simultaneously. These results suggest that spatial factors are important for birds in the identification of natural signals in noisy environments.
Behavioural responses of wildlife to urban environments
- Biol Rev. 2013; 88: 537–549. doi: 10.1111/brv.12012 PMID: 23279382
"... ABSTRACT Increased urbanization represents a formidable challenge for wildlife. Nevertheless, a few species appear to thrive in the evolutionarily novel environment created by cities, demonstrating the remarkable adaptability of some animals. We argue that individuals that can adjust their behaviou ..."
Abstract
-
Cited by 2 (0 self)
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
ABSTRACT Increased urbanization represents a formidable challenge for wildlife. Nevertheless, a few species appear to thrive in the evolutionarily novel environment created by cities, demonstrating the remarkable adaptability of some animals. We argue that individuals that can adjust their behaviours to the new selection pressures presented by cities should have greater success in urban habitats. Accordingly, urban wildlife often exhibit behaviours that differ from those of their rural counterparts, from changes to food and den preferences to adjustments in the structure of their signals. Research suggests that behavioural flexibility (or phenotypic plasticity) may be an important characteristic for succeeding in urban environments. Moreover, some individuals or species might possess behavioural traits (a particular temperament) that are inherently well suited to occupying urban habitats, such as a high level of disturbance tolerance. This suggests that members of species that are less 'plastic' or naturally timid in temperament are likely to be disadvantaged in high-disturbance environments and consequently may be precluded from colonizing cities and towns.
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
, 2004
"... Causes and consequences of song amplitude adjustment in a territorial bird: a case study in nightingales ..."
Abstract
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Causes and consequences of song amplitude adjustment in a territorial bird: a case study in nightingales
By
, 2008
"... Budgerigars engage in dynamic vocal interactions with conspecifics, learn their vocalizations in a rich social environment, and rely to some extent on auditory feedback to acquire and maintain normal vocal output. However, little is known about the exact role of sensory input and sensory feedback in ..."
Abstract
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Budgerigars engage in dynamic vocal interactions with conspecifics, learn their vocalizations in a rich social environment, and rely to some extent on auditory feedback to acquire and maintain normal vocal output. However, little is known about the exact role of sensory input and sensory feedback in the control of vocal production in these birds. For example, we know that these birds learn best in a social environment that contains both auditory and visual information, yet we know very little about how this information guides and influences vocal production. Although we suspect that budgerigars rely on auditory feedback for the learning and maintenance of vocal behavior, we do not know whether there are refined, compensatory feedback mechanisms similar to that of humans. Finally, we do not know whether, or to what extent, calls can be modified in structure during learning. This dissertation describes a series of experiments that use more highly controlled and regimented conditions than previous studies with songbirds to investigate the control of vocal production in budgerigars and to provide a more detailed description of some of the mechanisms underlying vocal learning in budgerigars.
unknown title
"... The exchange of information between individuals by acoustic signals is considerably constrained by environmental factors. In their comprehensive review, Wiley and Richards (1982) summarized the properties of the habitat that limit signal transmission and showed that signals are subject to temporal a ..."
Abstract
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
The exchange of information between individuals by acoustic signals is considerably constrained by environmental factors. In their comprehensive review, Wiley and Richards (1982) summarized the properties of the habitat that limit signal transmission and showed that signals are subject to temporal and spectral degradation as well as frequency-dependent attenuation while travelling through the environment. In turn, the attenuation affects the signal propagation, and the signal intensity decreases with increasing distance from the emitter. When the signal amplitude is reduced to the level of the sensory threshold of the receiver, the maximum transmission distance is reached, which determines the broadcast area, or active space, of the signal. The issue of active space has received much attention in research on acoustic communication, and studies estimating
Humpback Whale Song or Humpback Whale Sonar? A Reply to Au et al.
"... Abstract—Au and colleagues ’ arguments against the hypothesis that humpback whale songs function as long-range sonar are based on questionable assumptions rather than on empirical data. Like other echolocating mammals (e.g., bats), singing humpback whales: 1) localize targets in the absence of visua ..."
Abstract
- Add to MetaCart
(Show Context)
Abstract—Au and colleagues ’ arguments against the hypothesis that humpback whale songs function as long-range sonar are based on questionable assumptions rather than on empirical data. Like other echolocating mammals (e.g., bats), singing humpback whales: 1) localize targets in the absence of visual information; 2) possess a highly innervated peripheral auditory system; and 3) modulate the temporal and spectral features of their sounds based on environmental conditions. The sonar equation is inadequate for determining whether humpback whale songs generate detectable echoes from other whales because it does not account for temporal variables that can strongly affect the detectability of echoes. In particular, the sonar equation ignores the fact that much of the noise encountered by singing humpback whales is spectrally and temporally predictable, and that audition in mammals is a dynamic and plastic process. Experiments are needed to test the hypothesis that singing humpback whales listen for and respond to echoes generated by their songs. Index Terms—Baleen whale, cetacean, environmentally-adaptive sonar, low-frequency sonar, mysticete.
