Acoustic communication in animals can be affected by multiple biotic (intra and interspecific) and abiotic (e.g., wind and rain) natural noises. In addition, human beings produce additional novel sources of noise, which can reduce or inhibit the reception of acoustic signals by conspecifics, leading to behavioral changes. In this study, we investigated whether sound of conspecifics and road noise additively affect the acoustic parameters of the advertisement call of males of a Yellow Heart-tongued Frog (Phyllodytes luteolus). We hypothesized that males that vocalize in larger choruses (many males) and in areas close to highways (anthropic noise) will increase their temporal and spectral acoustic parameters, respectively, to avoid acoustic signal masking. We recorded the vocalizations of 38 males in environments close (N=18) to and distant (N=20) from highways in different social contexts (many or few individuals in the chorus). Contrary to our expectation, the results indicated that individuals exposed to road noise had lower dominant frequency calls than those from natural areas, and that the density of males in the chorus had no influence on the acoustic parameters. Furthermore, we found a positive relationship between body size and intensity, indicating that larger individuals can emit calls that can reach greater distances. The advertisement call of Phyllodytes luteolus has a high dominant frequency, with little overlap with the frequency of anthropic noises (roads), which may explain its presence and reproductive success of this species in bromeliads from urbanized areas.

Combining individual movement and home range data can allow us to better understand how an animal interacts with its surroundings and how this influences ecological dynamics. Previous studies about the movement and home range of snakes have shown several factors influencing them. Usually, these studies were made with different species, using different methods and in different regions, hampering a comparative analysis to identify general patterns. The present study aims to review all available literature about snake movement and home range identifying the influence of phylogenetic, ecological, and morphological factors on these behaviors. We conducted an exhaustive survey of specialized journals and online databases for papers that used radio telemetry to track snakes. We found 448 papers and after applying filter selected 74 of them to determine the influence of the ecological factors and of the phylogeny on snake movement and home range in 1010 snakes. Our results show that movement and home range have no phylogenetic signal, however, functional traits are linked to snake's habits and reflect the particularities of survival strategies and morphologies of each group. Larger and heavier snakes move more and occupy larger areas. Snake movement seems to be more efficient in aquatic environments. Our results provide useful data to understand the dynamics of snake movements and space use and outline strategies for their conservation.