Cicadas impact bird communication in a noisy tropical rainforest.

ABSTRACT: Many animals communicate through acoustic signaling, and "acoustic space" may be viewed as a limited resource that organisms compete for. If acoustic signals overlap, the information in them is masked, so there should be selection toward strategies that reduce signal overlap. The extent to which animals are able to partition acoustic space in acoustically diverse habitats such as tropical forests is poorly known. Here, we demonstrate that a single cicada species plays a major role in the frequency and timing of acoustic communication in a neotropical wet forest bird community. Using an automated acoustic monitor, we found that cicadas vary the timing of their signals throughout the day and that the frequency range and timing of bird vocalizations closely track these signals. Birds signific

SUBMITTER: Hart PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4433330 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature