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Directional hearing in insects: biophysical, physiological and ecological challenges
1Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria heinrich.roemer@uni-graz.at.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|August 2, 2020
Summary
Insects, despite their small size, achieve remarkable sound localization similar to mammals. This review explores the sophisticated biophysical and physiological mechanisms, including tympanal and flagellar ears, enabling directional hearing in insects.
Area of Science:
- Auditory neuroscience
- Bioacoustics
- Insect physiology
Background:
- Sound localization is crucial for animal survival, aiding in locating mates, prey, and predators.
- Small insects achieve sound localization comparable to mammals, despite body sizes much smaller than sound wavelengths.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biophysical and physiological mechanisms underlying sound localization in insects.
- To differentiate hearing strategies based on ear type (tympanal vs. flagellar).
- To integrate findings on insect sound localization in real-world scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of tympanal and flagellar ear structures and functions.
- Review of neurophysiological encoding of auditory cues.
- Examination of behavioral evidence for sound localization.
Main Results:
- Insects utilize distinct mechanisms for directional hearing based on tympanal (pressure component) or flagellar (particle velocity) ears.
- Sophisticated biophysical solutions enable binaural cue generation for sound localization.
- Neuronal encoding of auditory cues presents physiological challenges due to response variability.
Conclusions:
- Insects possess highly evolved systems for sound localization, demonstrating complex adaptations in auditory perception.
- Understanding insect hearing provides insights into fundamental principles of sound processing across diverse species.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the neural basis of insect directional hearing, including vertical plane localization.
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