News Finding: Well, they adapt, by simplifying their complex calls so they can better understand each other over the fray.
Paper Finding: Consequently, the noiseinduced simplification of dolphin whistles may reduce the information content in these acoustic signals and decrease effective communication, parent -offspring proximity or group cohesion.
News Context: Well, they adapt, by simplifying their complex calls so they can better understand each other over the fray. "Dolphins simplified their calls to counter the masking effects of vessel noise." In the noisiest parts of the ocean, dolphins simplified their whistles and made them higher-frequency and more piercing--the dolphin equivalent of shortening their message while shouting it.
Paper Context: Increases in ship noise, both within and below the dolphins' call bandwidth, resulted in higher dolphin whistle frequencies and a reduction in whistle contour complexity, an acoustic feature associated with individual identification. Consequently, the noiseinduced simplification of dolphin whistles may reduce the information content in these acoustic signals and decrease effective communication, parent -offspring proximity or group cohesion. Vocal adjustments may compensate for increased ambient noise, but there may be constraints that limit this ability or ecological consequences to modified signals.