Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active
foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of …

Highlights•I explore two factors that can limit sexual trait elaboration: costs and constraints.•I
discuss operational strategies for identifying constraints on sexual traits.•I propose that costs …

Context Winter soundscapes are likely different from soundscapes in other seasons
considering wildlife vocalizations (biophony) decrease, wind events (geophony) increase …

Animals settle disputes through contests (Archer, 1988, Hardy and Briffa, 2013, Huntingford
and Turner, 1987). These disputes occur when animals compete to determine priority …

Highlights•We test the multitasking hypothesis for complex signalling in grey treefrogs.•As
predicted, there was negative covariance between call rate and duration.•Female choice …

Studies of trilled vocalizations provide a premiere illustration of how performance constraints
shape the evolution of mating displays. In trill production, vocal tract mechanics impose a …

In chorusing species, conspecific interference exerts strong selection on signal form and
timing to maximize conspicuousness and attractiveness within the signaling milieu. We …

Song production across many songbird species is shaped by largely conserved sets of
constraints associated with song control, production, and perception. This chapter …

Highlights•We introduce a new method for quantifying vocal performance,'frequency
excursion'.•We apply this method to sample questions about vocal performance in three …

Animal social behaviors are often mediated by signals that provide information about
signaler attributes. Although some signals are structurally simple, others are temporally …