Publication details

Underwater sound production varies within not between species in sympatric newts

Authors

HUBÁČEK Jiří ŠUGERKOVÁ Monika GVOŽDÍK Lumír

Year of publication 2019
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source PeerJ
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web Full Text
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6649
Keywords Acoustic interference; Species recognition; Amphibians; Individual variation; Salamander; Sound production; Acoustic divergence
Description Sound production is a widespread phenomenon among animals. Effective sound use for mate or species recognition requires some acoustic differentiation at an individual or species level. Several species of caudate amphibians produce underwater sounds, but information about intra-and interspecific variation in their acoustic production is missing. We examined individual, sex, and species variation in underwater sound production in adults of two sympatric newt taxa, Ichthyosaura alpestris and Lissotriton vulgaris. Individual newts produced simple low-(peak frequency = 7-8 kHz) and mid-high frequency (14-17 kHz) clicks, which greatly overlap between sexes and species. Individual differences explained about 40-50% of total variation in sound parameters. These results provide foundations for further studies on the mechanisms and eco-evolutionary consequences of underwater acoustics in newts.

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