Females and males respond differently to calls impaired by noise in a tree frog

Abstract

Both human and nonhuman animals communicating acoustically face the problem of noise interference, especially anurans during mating activities. Previous studies concentrated on the effect of continuous noise on signal recognition, but it is still unknown whether different notes in advertisement calls impaired by noise affect female choice and male–male competition or not. In this study, we tested female preferences and male‐evoked vocal responses in serrate‐legged small tree frog ( Kurixalus odontotarsus ), by broadcasting the five‐note advertisement call and the advertisement call with the second, third, or fourth note replaced by noise, respectively. In phonotaxis experiments, females significantly discriminated against the advertisement call with the fourth note impaired by noise, although they did not discriminate against other two calls impaired by noise, which indicates that the negative effect of noise on female preference is related to the order of impaired notes in the advertisement call. In playback experiments, males increased the total number of notes in response to noise‐impaired calls compared with spontaneous calls. More interestingly, the vocal responses evoked by noise‐impaired calls were generally similar to those evoked by complete advertisement calls, suggesting that males may recognize the noise‐impaired calls as complete advertisement calls. Taken together, our study shows that different notes in advertisement calls replaced by noise have distinct effects on female choice and male–male competition.

Chinese striped-neck turtles vocalize underwater and show differences in peak frequency among different age and sex groups

“…In many animals, large females produce higher calls compared to smaller males, such as owls ( Miller, 1934 ), jacanas ( Buck et al, 2020 ), chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) ( Ammie, 2019 ), baboons ( Papio cynocephalus ) ( Fischer et al, 2004 ) and gibbons ( Hylobates lar ) ( Barelli et al, 2013 ). In addition, sex differences in vocalizations may arise for various reasons, such as the way a sound is produced ( Lockner & Youngren, 1976 ), different socio-sexual strategies ( Ammie, 2019 ), and sexual dimorphism in auditory perception ( Shen et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). Differences in voice can reflect sex specificity and individual markers ( Grawunder et al, 2018 ).…”

Taxonomic Status of Three Recently Proposed Species of the Genus <italic>Kurixalus</italic> (Anura, Rhacophoridae), with Discussion on the ZooBank Registrations for Electronical Publication

“…Although the original study analyzed acoustic differences between the two species, the methodology employed was overly simplistic. Extensive research has shown that the vocalizations of the genus Kurixalus are complex, with multiple call types that vary under different environmental conditions (Tan et al, 2014;Zhu et al, 2017;Yi and Sheridan, 2019;Zhang et al, 2021). This complexity underscores the need for more detailed and comprehensive analyses of acoustic data within this genus.…”

Consistency in responses to conspecific advertisement calls with various signal-to-noise ratios in both sexes of the Anhui tree frog

“…In addition, male dark-sided frogs Rana nigrovittata increase the frequency of their own calls in the presence of anthropogenic noise disturbance, thus increasing their probability of being detected through a series of repetitive and low-intensity short tones ( Sun and Narins 2005 ). Although some previous studies have found that males and females of the serrate-legged small tree frog Kurixalus odontotarsus have different behavioral responses to noise disturbance ( Zhang et al 2021 ), it is unclear whether males and females have convergent behavioral responses to noise masking in other anuran species.…”