02677nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001300041245011300054210006900167260001600236300001200252490000800264520172200272653002401994653001702018653002802035653001802063653002902081653002002110653002202130653002802152100002202180856023302202       2018                        eng d  a0003347200aAnthropogenic calling sites boost the sound amplitude of advertisement calls produced by a tropical cricket0 aAnthropogenic calling sites boost the sound amplitude of adverti  cJan-08-2018  a31 - 380 v1423 a<p>Acoustic signals are widely used as sexual displays to attract mates. The choice of display site can strongly influence the male call characteristics and their attractiveness to females. Males can improve the conspicuousness of their signals by increasing sound amplitude and expanding their broadcast area thereby reaching more potential mating partners and influencing female choice. Insects possess a rather limited degree of signal plasticity. To increase the intensity of their calls, insects have been known to manipulate and engineer their display locations. Mole crickets, for example, build burrows that are shaped like horns, designing the burrow such that its resonance closely matches that of their call frequency, thereby boosting sound amplitude. Tree crickets manipulate plant leaves, using them as baffles for optimal sound radiation. In this study, we show for the first time that an insect species can enhance its advertisement calls by using novel, anthropogenic environments as singing sites. During this study, the tropical cricket Anurogryllus muticus was frequently found singing beside the walls of houses, on concrete stairs or in storm drains. These locations significantly increased the sound amplitude of its calls, by an average of 13 and 7 dB SPL, respectively, as measured above and in front of the singing animals compared to the sound amplitude measured in their natural grassland habitat. To evaluate the effect of calling site choice on the male&#39;s life span, we conducted a 35-day population survey using the mark and recapture method. Our results revealed that those males that called in grassland habitat without occupying burrows had the shortest minimum life spans.</p>
10aacoustic signalling10aactive space10aanthropogenic influence10adisplay sites10aincreased song amplitude10amate attraction10aminimum life span10asinging site preference1 aErregger, Bettina  uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347218301726https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218301726?httpAccept=text/xmlhttps://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0003347218301726?httpAccept=text/plain