Data and code from: Evolution and drivers of long-distance vocal communication in mammals

Long-distance communication is important for life history processes in
many species. A long-standing debate exists about the type of evolutionary
history and environmental drivers that have shaped the propagation of
animal sounds. We compare the maximal propagation distance of calls for
103 mammalian species using comparative analysis. While maximal
propagation distances in aquatic mammals are best explained by body mass,
in terrestrial mammals, the effects of home range, with call type,
habitat, and sociality, best explain maximal propagation distances. The
difference between the effects of body mass and home range on maximal
propagation distances of mammal sound signals suggests that sound
propagation strongly depends on environmental pressures and evolutionary
mechanisms, within physical laws. Evidence is provided that the acoustic
adaptation hypothesis may be more associated with home range than body
mass in terrestrial mammals, while predation may be an important component
that facilitates this adaptation for mammals in different environments.
Understanding these evolutionary trait drivers provides one key step to
answer whether vocal species could be affected by environmental and
anthropogenic acoustic pressures, and whether they can evolve in response
to those pressures.