Summary
In the previous study (Wilczynski et al. 1984) we found that neurons in the auditory nerve of female spring peepers (Hyla crucifer) are tuned to frequencies in the male advertisement call, whereas auditory units in male peepers are mismatched in spectral sensitivity to their call. We investigated, in the present report, behavioral consequences of this sexual dimorphism in auditory sensitivity. Call amplitude, rate of call attenuation with environmental transmission, and the amplitude of ambient noise were measured and used to compute the active space of this signal for males and females. The effect of calling height upon active space was considered. Measurements of active space were compared with intermale distances within breeding choruses.
Results indicate that active space of the advertisement call for females is as much as 6 times greater than that for males, and varies directly with the height above ground from which males call. Observed maximum intermale distances correspond closely to the active space of the call for this sex. This suggests that males space themselves so that the amplitude of a neighbor's calls approximates their auditory neural threshold to call frequencies. By this proximal mechanism, peepers maximize intermale distance but ensure that they remain within a chorus.
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Abbreviations
- dB SPL :
-
decibels sound pressure levelre: 20 μPa
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Brenowitz, E.A., Wilczynski, W. & Zakon, H.H. Acoustic communication in spring peepers. J. Comp. Physiol. 155, 585–592 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610844
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610844