Question

Several researchers have wondered whether bird songs have changed in cities in response to traffic noise, which is primarily made up of low-frequency sounds (e.g., Luther and Baptista 2010 from the textbook). In one such study, the authors documented the minimum sound frequency employed in three dialects of white-crowned sparrow songs, as recorded over a 30-year period in San Francisco (Box 2.1). Reconstruct the steps of the scientific method behind this research, from the question that stimulated the study to the conclusion the authors must have reached. Can the same conclusions be made for bottle-nosed dolphins (Heiler J, Elwen S, Kriesell H, Gridley T. 2016. Changes in bottlenose dolphin whistle parameters related to vessel presence, surface behaviour and group composition. Anim Behav 117:167-177)? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer :)

Engine noise is the key factor that changes the whistle parameters in bottle-nosed dolphins. Increased number of ships and fleets are greatly affecting the group composition and surface behavior of bottle-nosed dolphins. Therefore, we can make the same conclusion for the bottle-nosed dolphins.