title: Does size matter? Examining the drivers of mammalian vocalizations.
abstract: Previous studies of the vocalization frequencies of mammals have suggested that it is either body mass or environment that drives these frequencies. Using 193 species across the globe from the terrestrial and aquatic environments and a model selection approach, we identified that the best-supported model for minimum and maximum frequencies for vocalization included both body mass and environment. The minimum frequencies of vocalizations of species from all environments retained the influence of body mass. For maximum frequency however, aquatic species are released from such a trend with body mass having little constraint on frequencies. Surprisingly, phylogeny did not have a strong impact on the evolution of the maximum frequency of mammal vocalizations, largely due to the pinniped species divergence of frequency from their carnivoran relatives. We demonstrate that the divergence of signal frequencies in mammals has arisen from the need to adapt to their environment.
authors.affiliation: Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Kobe
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Marlee A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Tracey L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D049628:Body Size; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals; D010802:Phylogeny; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000145:classification
keywords: Acoustic adaptation hypothesis; acoustic behavior; body size; evolutionary allometry; frequency scaling rule; macroevolution; phylogenetic comparative analysis