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08:16
Determining Ultrasonic Vocalization Preferences in Mice using a Two-choice Playback Test
Published on: September 3, 2015
Ultrasonic frogs show extraordinary sex differences in auditory frequency sensitivity
Jun-Xian Shen1, Zhi-Min Xu, Zu-Lin Yu
1State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. shenjx@ibp.ac.cn
Nature Communications
|June 16, 2011
Summary
Female concave-eared frogs do not hear ultrasound, despite males using it for communication. Their auditory systems are not sensitive to high frequencies, indicating ultrasonic hearing evolved only in males.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Bioacoustics
- Animal Communication
Background:
- Anuran reproductive behavior heavily relies on acoustic communication.
- Male Odorana tormota frogs possess ultrasonic communication abilities, likely an adaptation to noisy environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether female Odorana tormota possess ultrasonic hearing capabilities.
- To determine the auditory sensitivity differences between male and female Odorana tormota.
Main Methods:
- Acoustic playback experiments were conducted with gravid females.
- Electrophysiological recordings of the auditory midbrain were performed.
- Laser Doppler vibrometer measurements assessed tympanic membrane vibrations.
Main Results:
- Female frogs did not exhibit phonotaxis or vocal responses to ultrasonic components (above 20 kHz) of male calls.
- Auditory midbrain recordings showed an upper frequency limit of 16 kHz in females.
- Tympanic membrane sensitivity peaked at 5 kHz in females and 7 kHz in males.
Conclusions:
- Females Odorana tormota lack ultrasonic hearing sensitivity.
- Significant auditory sex differences exist in Odorana tormota.
- Ultrasonic hearing appears to have evolved exclusively in male anurans.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Perception of Sound Waves
The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same frequency...
01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.