Urban sparrows respond to a sexually selected trait with increased aggression in noise.

ABSTRACT: Animals modify acoustic communication signals in response to noise pollution, but consequences of these modifications are unknown. Vocalizations that transmit best in noise may not be those that best signal male quality, leading to potential conflict between selection pressures. For example, slow paced, narrow bandwidth songs transmit better in noise but are less effective in mate choice and competition than fast paced, wide bandwidth songs. We test the hypothesis that noise affects response to song pace and bandwidth in the context of competition using white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). We measure male response to song variation along a gradient of ambient noise levels in San Francisco, CA. We find that males discriminate between wide and narrow bandwidth songs but not betwe

SUBMITTER: Phillips JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5951809 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature