Q2. What is the effect of noise on the behaviour of males?
In some species, for example, low-frequency song is 160 correlated with fighting ability, and females prefer males singing at lower frequencies 161 (ten Cate et al., 2002; Cardoso, 2012).
Q3. What is the common environmental factor that exerts selection pressure on acoustic signals?
One environmental factor that exerts selection pressure on acoustic 56 signals is ambient noise, which can mask the information in a signal (Ryan and 57 Brenowitz, 1985).
Q4. How long did robins sing in noisy locations?
Robins 77 recorded in noisy locations sang songs at higher minimum frequencies, which were less 78 complex and shorter in duration as songs recorded in quiet locations.
Q5. What is the effect of environmental changes on the sender?
A growing body of 184 experimental studies show that adjustments of the sender in signalling to changes in the 185 acoustic environment are based on phenotypic behavioural plasticity (e.g. Gross et al., 1862010; Verzijden et al., 2010; Bermudez-Cuamatzin et al., 2011; Hanna et al., 2011; 187 Montague et al., 2013).
Q6. What is the main reason why birds adjust their vocal responses to changes in the acous?
Anthropogenically 214 induced changes in acoustic signals may have fundamental consequences, because 215 animals exchange information on their quality, status or motivation during vocal 216 interactions.
Q7. What is the way to avoid masking of signals by anthropogenic noise?
In birds, one strategy to avoid masking of signals by 61low-frequency anthropogenic noise is through an increase in minimum frequency 62 (Halfwerk and Slabbekoorn, 2009; Gross et al., 2010; Verzijden et al., 2010; Bermudez-63 Cuamatzin et al., 2011; Hanna et al., 2011; McLaughlin and Kunc, 2013; Montague et al., 64 2013).
Q8. What is the main conclusion of the paper?
In conclusion, their study provides evidence that individuals adjust their signals 213 during vocal interactions to changes in the acoustic environment.
Q9. How did the robins respond to noise?
To create playback stimuli, the authors recorded the songs of 18 European robin 94 males in quiet areas using a solid state recorder (Marantz PMD660, .wav format, sample 95 frequency 44.1 kHz, resolution 16 bit) connected to a Sennheiser ME 66/K6 microphone.
Q10. What is the effect of the sound of the silvereye?
independent adjustment of call pitch and 288 amplitude in response to varying background noise by silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis).
Q11. What is the effect of noise on the sender?
Birds may increase the minimum frequency in 198 response to increasing noise levels (Slabbekoorn and Peet, 2003), and/or they may sing 199 louder (Brumm 2004; Nemeth and Brumm, 2010).
Q12. What are the effects of environmental changes on the sender?
environmental changes may affect not only sexually 179 selected traits, such as bird song per se, but also social interactions between individuals.
Q13. What is the effect of the noise on the vocal response?
This suggests that vocal 209responses are more affected by changes in the acoustic environment rather than by the 210 sender’s signal.