Evolutionary adaptations for auditory communication

Abstract

Many organisms have evolved efficient means for acoustic communication. Adaptations can be found concerning all components of the communication system: signal generation at the sender is optimised, signal characteristics are tailored to the transmission channel, and receivers have evolved elaborate mechanisms for segregating the signals from separate sources and for analysing signal characteristics. The acoustics of the environment often imposes similar demands on the mechanisms for auditory analysis in different animal species. Thus, mechanisms of auditory analysis show many similarities in different animal species ranging from insects to mammals. These similarities result either from convergent evolution of auditory systems that are selected to achieve a similar performance or they are the consequence of the preservation of structures in evolutionary history. Examples for both types of traits are provided that have evolved as adaptations for auditory communication. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.