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How Do Crickets Deal With The Cocktail Party Problem? Common Problem, Different Solutions
Crickets are small-bodied nocturnal ectotherms in which males call to attract conspecific
females. Females, in turn, must detect conspecific males and locate them acoustically in order to
exercise mate choice. In this talk I will discuss how various factors affect signal structure and
signalling behaviour in crickets including body morphometry, ambient and developmental
temperature. I will then focus on the cocktail party problem in crickets and discuss how crickets deal
with noise coming from other crickets that are signalling concurrently. Lastly, I will highlight how the
soundscape of these insects is being adulterated by anthropogenic noise. I will discuss the
implication of noise pollution on these hard to see nocturnal insects who may soon be hard to hear
as they drown in our cacophony.
