Mating call recognition in the green treefrog (Hyla cinerea): Importance of two frequency bands as a function of sound pressure level

Summary1.Four hundred and ninety-nine females ofHyla cinerea made 820 responses in two-choice playback experiments conducted at sound pressure levels (SPL's) between 48 and 85 dB. About one-third of the animals responded at 48 dB, and the percentage increased as a function of SPL.2.Females did not show a preference for a standard synthetic call with two components (0.9 + 3.0 kHz) of equal relative amplitude over a single-component (0.9 kHz) call at 48 dB SPL, but chose the bimodal stimulus at 54 dB and higher SPL's (Table 1).3.Females chose the standard call over calls in which the high-frequency peak was attenuated by 12 or 6 dB only when the playback level (overall SPL) of the two sounds was 72 dB or higher (Figs. 1 and 2).4.Females chose the standard call over one in which the low-frequency peak was attenuated by 12 dB over the entire range of playback levels (48 to 85 dB); when the low-frequency peak was attenuated by 6 dB, females preferred the standard call at low to moderate but not high SPL's (Figs. 3 and 4).5.The behavioral results are related to acoustic communication in the natural environment and to basic neurophysiological data from the auditory system ofH. cinerea.