Data from: Noise affects the shape of female preference functions for acoustic signals

The shape of female mate preference functions influences the speed and direction of sexual signal evolution. However, the expression of female preferences is modulated by interactions between environmental conditions and the female's sensory processing system. Noise is an especially relevant environmental condition because it interferes directly with the neural processing of signals. Although noise is therefore likely a significant force in the evolution of communication systems, little is known about its effects on preference function shape. In the grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus, female preferences for male calling song characteristics are likely to be affected by noise because its auditory system is sensitive to fine temporal details of songs. We measured female preference functions for variation in male song characteristics in several levels of masking noise and found strong effects of noise on preference function shape. The overall responsiveness to signals in noise generally decreased. Preference strength increased for some signal characteristics and decreased for others, largely corresponding to expectations based on neurophysiological studies of acoustic signal processing. These results suggest that different signal characteristics will be favored under different noise conditions, and thus that signal evolution may proceed differently depending on the extent and temporal patterning of environmental noise.

雌性配偶偏好函数（female mate preference functions）的形态，会直接影响性信号演化的速率与方向。然而，雌性偏好的表达会受到环境条件与雌性感官处理系统之间相互作用的调控。噪声是一类尤为关键的环境条件，因为它会直接干扰信号的神经加工过程。因此，尽管噪声或许是通信系统演化过程中的重要选择压力，但目前学界对其如何影响偏好函数形态的认知仍较为匮乏。在蚱蜢物种Chorthippus biguttulus中，雌性对雄性鸣唱特征的偏好极易受噪声影响——该物种的听觉系统对鸣唱的精细时域细节极为敏感。我们在多梯度掩蔽噪声（masking noise）环境下，测定了雌性对雄性鸣唱特征变异的偏好函数，结果发现噪声对偏好函数形态存在显著影响：雌性对噪声环境下信号的整体响应度普遍下降；部分信号特征对应的偏好强度有所上升，另一部分则出现下降，这一结果大体符合基于声学信号加工神经生理学研究得出的预期。本研究结果表明，不同噪声环境下会被青睐的信号特征存在差异，因此性信号的演化进程可能会随环境噪声的强度及时域模式的不同而呈现差异化路径。