Presentation Details
| Calling in the Anthropocene: Anuran Signal Transmission in Urban Environments Isabella W.Wyatt1, Katherine González2, Ana María Ospina-L.2, Ximena E.Bernal2, 3. 1University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.2Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.3Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panamá, Panama |
Abstract
For communication to occur, signals must be transmitted from sender to receiver. Signals have evolved in response to natural factors that affect how far they can travel, such as vegetation and biotic noise. Urbanization alters the physical and acoustic structure of signaling environments. However, our understanding of how urbanization affects signal transmission is limited. We investigate the effects of urbanization on signal transmission, focusing on anurans, a group of high conservation concern that relies on acoustic signaling for reproduction. We compare signal transmission in rural and urban environments using the calls of four native species (Hyla versicolor, Acris blanchardi, Lithobates catesbeiana, L. clamitans) in the midwestern United States. Our findings suggest that these distinct environments affect signal transmission, revealing higher excess attenuation at rural sites. Calls, however, suffer similar degradation in both habitats with slightly higher degradation in rural areas for high frequency calls at long distances (16m). Our study helps broaden our understanding of how animal communication changes in urban environments.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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