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Latham B, Reid A, Jackson-Camargo JC, Williams JA, Windmill JFC. Coupled membranes: a mechanism of frequency filtering and transmission in the field cricket ear evidenced by micro-computed tomography, laser Doppler vibrometry and finite element analysis. J R Soc Interface 2024; 21:20230779. [PMID: 38903010 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Many animals employ a second frequency filter beyond the initial filtering of the eardrum (or tympanal membrane). In the field cricket ear, both the filtering mechanism and the transmission path from the posterior tympanal membrane (PTM) have remained unclear. A mismatch between PTM vibrations and sensilla tuning has prompted speculations of a second filter. PTM coupling to the tracheal branches is suggested to support a transmission pathway. Here, we present three independent lines of evidence converging on the same conclusion: the existence of a series of linked membranes with distinct resonant frequencies serving both filtering and transmission functions. Micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) highlighted the 'dividing membrane (DivM)', separating the tracheal branches and connected to the PTM via the dorsal membrane of the posterior tracheal branch (DM-PTB). Thickness analysis showed the DivM to share significant thinness similarity with the PTM. Laser Doppler vibrometry indicated the first of two PTM vibrational peaks, at 6 and 14 kHz, originates not from the PTM but from the coupled DM-PTB. This result was corroborated by µ-CT-based finite element analysis. These findings clarify further the biophysical source of neuroethological pathways in what is an important model of behavioural neuroscience. Tuned microscale coupled membranes may also hold biomimetic relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Latham
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrew Reid
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, UK
| | - Joseph C Jackson-Camargo
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, UK
| | - Jonathan A Williams
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, UK
| | - James F C Windmill
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, UK
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2
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Levy K, Barnea A, Tauber E, Ayali A. Crickets in the spotlight: exploring the impact of light on circadian behavior. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:267-279. [PMID: 38252321 PMCID: PMC10994875 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01686-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Crickets serve as a well-established model organism in biological research spanning various fields, such as behavior, physiology, neurobiology, and ecology. Cricket circadian behavior was first reported over a century ago and prompted a wealth of studies delving into their chronobiology. Circadian rhythms have been described in relation to fundamental cricket behaviors, encompassing stridulation and locomotion, but also in hormonal secretion and gene expression. Here we review how changes in illumination patterns and light intensity differentially impact the different cricket behaviors as well as circadian gene expression. We further describe the cricket's circadian pacemaker. Ample anatomical manipulations support the location of a major circadian pacemaker in the cricket optic lobes and another in the central brain, possibly interconnected via signaling of the neuropeptide PDF. The cricket circadian machinery comprises a molecular cascade based on two major transcriptional/translational negative feedback loops, deviating somewhat from the canonical model of Drosophila and emphasizing the significance of exploring alternative models. Finally, the nocturnal nature of crickets has provided a unique avenue for investigating the repercussions of artificial light at night on cricket behavior and ecology, underscoring the critical role played by natural light cycles in synchronizing cricket behaviors and populations, further supporting the use of the cricket model in the study of the effects of light on insects. Some gaps in our knowledge and challenges for future studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Levy
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Anat Barnea
- Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 4353701, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Eran Tauber
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3103301, Haifa, Israel
| | - Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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3
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Broder ED, Gallagher JH, Wikle AW, Welsh GT, Zonana DM, Firneno TJ, Tinghitella RM. A well-studied parasitoid fly of field crickets uses multiple alternative hosts in its introduced range. Evol Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10225-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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4
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Bálint A, Szabó Á, Andics A, Gácsi M. Dog and human neural sensitivity to voicelikeness: A comparative fMRI study. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119791. [PMID: 36476565 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Voice-sensitivity in the auditory cortex of a range of mammals has been proposed to be determined primarily by tuning to conspecific auditory stimuli, but recent human findings indicate a role for a more general tuning to voicelikeness. Vocal emotional valence, a central characteristic of vocalisations, has been linked to the same basic acoustic parameters across species. Comparative neuroimaging revealed that during voice perception, such acoustic parameters modulate emotional valence-sensitivity in auditory cortical regions in both family dogs and humans. To explore the role of voicelikeness in auditory emotional valence-sensitivity across species, here we constructed artificial emotional sounds in two sound categories: voice-like vs. sine-wave sounds, parametrically modulating two main acoustic parameters, f0 and call length. We hypothesised that if mammalian auditory systems are characterised by a general tuning to voicelikeness, voice-like sounds will be processed preferentially, and acoustic parameters for voice-like sounds will be processed differently than for sine-wave sounds - both in dogs and humans. We found cortical areas in both species that responded stronger to voice-like than to sine-wave stimuli, while there were no regions responding stronger to sine-wave sounds in either species. Additionally, we found that in bilateral primary and emotional valence-sensitive auditory regions of both species, the processing of voice-like and sine-wave sounds are modulated by f0 in opposite ways. These results reveal functional similarities between evolutionarily distant mammals for processing voicelikeness and its effect on processing basic acoustic cues of vocal emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bálint
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Szabó
- Department of Neuroradiology at the Medical Imaging Centre of the Semmelweis University, H-1082 Budapest, Üllői út 78a, Hungary
| | - Attila Andics
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; MTA-ELTE 'Lendület' Neuroethology of Communication Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary
| | - Márta Gácsi
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary
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5
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Miyashita A, Sekimizu K, Kaito C. Surrounding gas composition affects the calling song development in the two-spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus). Drug Discov Ther 2022; 16:204-209. [PMID: 36070890 DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Male crickets emit acoustic signals (i.e., songs) by chirping using their forewings. Although the mechanisms and adaptive functions of these songs are well studied, knowledge about how songs develop within a generation is relatively scarce. Our previous work demonstrated a stable peak frequency at 5.7 kHz in the calling songs recorded from mature adult male crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus). In the present study, we monitored changes in the frequency component over time from the sexual maturity stage (early adult stage). We recorded 300 calling songs from a pool of 122 adults. The peak frequency distribution was lower and unstable (i.e., greater coefficient of variance) in the early adult stage. The mean peak frequency was 4.9 kHz on day 3, but gradually converged to 5.8 kHz over the 2-week adult stage. Immature adult males (emitting immature songs) produced an appropriately tuned song with a peak frequency of 5.8 kHz in an environment of 80% helium and 20% oxygen. These results suggest that the frequency component of the calling song is acquired during the early to mid-adult stage, and may be related to sexual maturation in males. Findings from the helium substitution experiment revealed that physical resistance from surrounding gas molecules negatively affect the stability of male singing, and that muscle development and forewing hardening may contribute to the maturation of singing, suggesting that females may adaptively select sexually mature males based on song traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chikara Kaito
- Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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6
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Rogers SM, Kostarakos K, Hedwig B. An auditory-responsive interneuron descending from the cricket brain: a new element in the auditory pathway. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:571-589. [PMID: 36208310 PMCID: PMC9734236 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01577-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Crickets receive auditory information from their environment via ears located on the front legs. Ascending interneurons forward auditory activity to the brain, which houses a pattern recognition network for phonotaxis to conspecific calling songs and which controls negative phonotaxis to high-frequency sound pulses. Descending brain neurons, however, which are clearly involved in controlling these behaviors, have not yet been identified. We describe a descending auditory-responsive brain neuron with an arborization pattern that coincides with the ring-like auditory neuropil in the brain formed by the axonal arborizations of ascending and local interneurons, indicating its close link to auditory processing. Spiking activity of this interneuron occurs with a short latency to calling song patterns and the neuron copies the sound pulse pattern. The neuron preferentially responds to short sound pulses, but its activity appears to be independent of the calling song pattern recognition process. It also receives a weaker synaptic input in response to high-frequency pulses, which may contribute to its short latency spiking responses. This interneuron could be a crucial part in the auditory-to-motor transformation of the nervous system and contribute to the motor control of cricket auditory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M. Rogers
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ
UK ,grid.36511.300000 0004 0420 4262Department of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7TS UK
| | | | - Berthold Hedwig
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ
UK
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7
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Lin CC, Hedwig B. Wing movements underlying sound production in calling, rivalry, and courtship songs of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus (DeGeer). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 134:104299. [PMID: 34418404 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We recorded the wing movements and sound signals during the production of calling, rivalry, and courtship song in the bispotted field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Recordings confirm that salient sound pulses during calling and rivalry song are generated during the closing movements of the wings. Wing movements for calling and rivalry song start from an elevated wing position and are performed with a very similar opening-closing movement, indicating that both types of songs may be generated by the same neuronal network. Wing movements for courtship song start from a low wing position; rapid closing movements generate high-frequency ticks and low-amplitude wing oscillations lead to low-amplitude pulses, generated during the opening and closing movements with a carrier frequency corresponding to the calling song. The two types of wing movements underlying courtship song indicate a different motor control as compared to calling song and may represent an early evolutionary phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu-Cheng Lin
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Berthold Hedwig
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
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8
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Vibrational signalling, an underappreciated mode in cricket communication. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:41. [PMID: 34480654 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01749-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Signalling via substrate vibration represents one of the most ubiquitous and ancient modes of insect communication. In crickets (Grylloidea) and other taxa of tympanate Ensifera, production and detection of acoustic and vibrational signals are closely linked functionally and evolutionarily. Male stridulation produces both acoustic and vibrational signal components, the joint perception of which improves song recognition and female orientation towards the signaller. In addition to stridulation, vibrational signalling mainly through body tremulation and/or drumming with body parts on the substrate has long been known to be part of crickets' close-range communication, including courtship, mate guarding and aggression. Such signalling is typically exhibited by males, independently or in conjunction with stridulation, and occurs literally in all cricket lineages and species studied. It is further also part of the aggressive behaviour of females, and in a few cricket groups, females respond vibrationally to acoustic and/or vibrational signals from males. The characteristics and function of these signals have remained largely unexplored despite their prevalence. Moreover, the communication potential and also ubiquity of cricket vibrational signals are underappreciated, limiting our understanding of the function and evolution of the cricket signalling systems. By providing a concise review of the existing knowledge of cricket perception of vibrations and vibrational signalling behaviour, we critically comment on these views, discuss the communication value of the emitted signals and give some methodological advice respecting their registration and control. The review aims to increase awareness, understanding and research interest in this ancient and widespread signalling mode in cricket communication.
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Fuciarelli TM, Rollo CD. Ionizing radiation alters male Acheta domesticus courtship songs that are critical for mating success. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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10
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Neuroethology of acoustic communication in field crickets - from signal generation to song recognition in an insect brain. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 194:101882. [PMID: 32673695 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Field crickets are best known for the loud calling songs produced by males to attract conspecific females. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of the neurobiological basis underlying the acoustic communication for mate finding in field crickets with emphasis on the recent research progress to understand the neuronal networks for motor pattern generation and auditory pattern recognition of the calling song in Gryllus bimaculatus. Strong scientific interest into the neural mechanisms underlying intraspecific communication has driven persistently advancing research efforts to study the male singing behaviour and female phonotaxis for mate finding in these insects. The growing neurobiological understanding also inspired many studies testing verifiable hypotheses in sensory ecology, bioacoustics and on the genetics and evolution of behaviour. Over last decades, acoustic communication in field crickets served as a very successful neuroethological model system. It has contributed significantly to the scientific process of establishing, reconsidering and refining fundamental concepts in behavioural neurosciences such as command neurons, central motor pattern generation, corollary discharge processing and pattern recognition by sensory feature detection, which are basic building blocks of our modern understanding on how nervous systems control and generate behaviour in all animals.
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11
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Baker CA, Clemens J, Murthy M. Acoustic Pattern Recognition and Courtship Songs: Insights from Insects. Annu Rev Neurosci 2019; 42:129-147. [PMID: 30786225 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-080317-061839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, social interactions rely on sound production and perception. From simple cricket chirps to more elaborate bird songs, animals go to great lengths to communicate information critical for reproduction and survival via acoustic signals. Insects produce a wide array of songs to attract a mate, and the intended receivers must differentiate these calls from competing sounds, analyze the quality of the sender from spectrotemporal signal properties, and then determine how to react. Insects use numerically simple nervous systems to analyze and respond to courtship songs, making them ideal model systems for uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying acoustic pattern recognition. We highlight here how the combination of behavioral studies and neural recordings in three groups of insects-crickets, grasshoppers, and fruit flies-reveals common strategies for extracting ethologically relevant information from acoustic patterns and how these findings might translate to other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa A Baker
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
| | - Jan Clemens
- University Medical Center Goettingen, Max-Planck-Society, European Neuroscience Institute, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany;
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
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12
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Vedenina VY, Shestakov LS. Loser in Fight but Winner in Love: How Does Inter-Male Competition Determine the Pattern and Outcome of Courtship in Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus? Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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13
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Robie AA, Seagraves KM, Egnor SER, Branson K. Machine vision methods for analyzing social interactions. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:25-34. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.142281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Recent developments in machine vision methods for automatic, quantitative analysis of social behavior have immensely improved both the scale and level of resolution with which we can dissect interactions between members of the same species. In this paper, we review these methods, with a particular focus on how biologists can apply them to their own work. We discuss several components of machine vision-based analyses: methods to record high-quality video for automated analyses, video-based tracking algorithms for estimating the positions of interacting animals, and machine learning methods for recognizing patterns of interactions. These methods are extremely general in their applicability, and we review a subset of successful applications of them to biological questions in several model systems with very different types of social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice A. Robie
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Kelly M. Seagraves
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - S. E. Roian Egnor
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Kristin Branson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
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14
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Balenger SL, Lara LM, Zuk M. Relative Amplitude of Courtship Song Chirp and Trill Components Does Not Alter Female
Teleogryllus oceanicus
Mating Behavior. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Susan L. Balenger
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Laura M. Lara
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Marlene Zuk
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
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15
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Ni R, Bender DA, Shanechi AM, Gamble JR, Barbour DL. Contextual effects of noise on vocalization encoding in primary auditory cortex. J Neurophysiol 2016; 117:713-727. [PMID: 27881720 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00476.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Robust auditory perception plays a pivotal function for processing behaviorally relevant sounds, particularly with distractions from the environment. The neuronal coding enabling this ability, however, is still not well understood. In this study, we recorded single-unit activity from the primary auditory cortex (A1) of awake marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) while delivering conspecific vocalizations degraded by two different background noises: broadband white noise and vocalization babble. Noise effects on neural representation of target vocalizations were quantified by measuring the responses' similarity to those elicited by natural vocalizations as a function of signal-to-noise ratio. A clustering approach was used to describe the range of response profiles by reducing the population responses to a summary of four response classes (robust, balanced, insensitive, and brittle) under both noise conditions. This clustering approach revealed that, on average, approximately two-thirds of the neurons change their response class when encountering different noises. Therefore, the distortion induced by one particular masking background in single-unit responses is not necessarily predictable from that induced by another, suggesting the low likelihood of a unique group of noise-invariant neurons across different background conditions in A1. Regarding noise influence on neural activities, the brittle response group showed addition of spiking activity both within and between phrases of vocalizations relative to clean vocalizations, whereas the other groups generally showed spiking activity suppression within phrases, and the alteration between phrases was noise dependent. Overall, the variable single-unit responses, yet consistent response types, imply that primate A1 performs scene analysis through the collective activity of multiple neurons. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The understanding of where and how auditory scene analysis is accomplished is of broad interest to neuroscientists. In this paper, we systematically investigated neuronal coding of multiple vocalizations degraded by two distinct noises at various signal-to-noise ratios in nonhuman primates. In the process, we uncovered heterogeneity of single-unit representations for different auditory scenes yet homogeneity of responses across the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiye Ni
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - David A Bender
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Amirali M Shanechi
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jeffrey R Gamble
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Dennis L Barbour
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
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16
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Hedwig BG. Sequential Filtering Processes Shape Feature Detection in Crickets: A Framework for Song Pattern Recognition. Front Physiol 2016; 7:46. [PMID: 26941647 PMCID: PMC4766296 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific acoustic communication requires filtering processes and feature detectors in the auditory pathway of the receiver for the recognition of species-specific signals. Insects like acoustically communicating crickets allow describing and analysing the mechanisms underlying auditory processing at the behavioral and neural level. Female crickets approach male calling song, their phonotactic behavior is tuned to the characteristic features of the song, such as the carrier frequency and the temporal pattern of sound pulses. Data from behavioral experiments and from neural recordings at different stages of processing in the auditory pathway lead to a concept of serially arranged filtering mechanisms. These encompass a filter for the carrier frequency at the level of the hearing organ, and the pulse duration through phasic onset responses of afferents and reciprocal inhibition of thoracic interneurons. Further, processing by a delay line and coincidence detector circuit in the brain leads to feature detecting neurons that specifically respond to the species-specific pulse rate, and match the characteristics of the phonotactic response. This same circuit may also control the response to the species-specific chirp pattern. Based on these serial filters and the feature detecting mechanism, female phonotactic behavior is shaped and tuned to the characteristic properties of male calling song.
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17
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Miyashita A, Kizaki H, Sekimizu K, Kaito C. No Effect of Body Size on the Frequency of Calling and Courtship Song in the Two-Spotted Cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146999. [PMID: 26785351 PMCID: PMC4718538 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between body size and vocalization parameters has been studied in many animal species. In insect species, however, the effect of body size on song frequency has remained unclear. Here we analyzed the effect of body size on the frequency spectra of mating songs produced by the two-spotted cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. We recorded the calling songs and courtship songs of male crickets of different body sizes. The calling songs contained a frequency component that peaked at 5.7 kHz. On the other hand, courtship songs contained two frequency components that peaked at 5.8 and 14.7 kHz. The dominant frequency of each component in both the calling and courtship songs was constant regardless of body size. The size of the harp and mirror regions in the cricket forewings, which are the acoustic sources of the songs, correlated positively with body size. These findings suggest that the frequency contents of both the calling and courtship songs of the cricket are unaffected by whole body, harp, or mirror size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Miyashita
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3–1, 7-chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
| | - Hayato Kizaki
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3–1, 7-chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
| | - Kazuhisa Sekimizu
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3–1, 7-chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
| | - Chikara Kaito
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3–1, 7-chome, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113–0033, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Rau F, Clemens J, Naumov V, Hennig RM, Schreiber S. Firing-rate resonances in the peripheral auditory system of the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:1075-90. [PMID: 26293318 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1036-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In many communication systems, information is encoded in the temporal pattern of signals. For rhythmic signals that carry information in specific frequency bands, a neuronal system may profit from tuning its inherent filtering properties towards a peak sensitivity in the respective frequency range. The cricket Gryllus bimaculatus evaluates acoustic communication signals of both conspecifics and predators. The song signals of conspecifics exhibit a characteristic pulse pattern that contains only a narrow range of modulation frequencies. We examined individual neurons (AN1, AN2, ON1) in the peripheral auditory system of the cricket for tuning towards specific modulation frequencies by assessing their firing-rate resonance. Acoustic stimuli with a swept-frequency envelope allowed an efficient characterization of the cells' modulation transfer functions. Some of the examined cells exhibited tuned band-pass properties. Using simple computational models, we demonstrate how different, cell-intrinsic or network-based mechanisms such as subthreshold resonances, spike-triggered adaptation, as well as an interplay of excitation and inhibition can account for the experimentally observed firing-rate resonances. Therefore, basic neuronal mechanisms that share negative feedback as a common theme may contribute to selectivity in the peripheral auditory pathway of crickets that is designed towards mate recognition and predator avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Rau
- Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jan Clemens
- Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Victor Naumov
- Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - R Matthias Hennig
- Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Schreiber
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 13, Haus 4, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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Clemens J, Rau F, Hennig RM, Hildebrandt KJ. Context-dependent coding and gain control in the auditory system of crickets. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2390-406. [PMID: 26179973 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sensory systems process stimuli that greatly vary in intensity and complexity. To maintain efficient information transmission, neural systems need to adjust their properties to these different sensory contexts, yielding adaptive or stimulus-dependent codes. Here, we demonstrated adaptive spectrotemporal tuning in a small neural network, i.e. the peripheral auditory system of the cricket. We found that tuning of cricket auditory neurons was sharper for complex multi-band than for simple single-band stimuli. Information theoretical considerations revealed that this sharpening improved information transmission by separating the neural representations of individual stimulus components. A network model inspired by the structure of the cricket auditory system suggested two putative mechanisms underlying this adaptive tuning: a saturating peripheral nonlinearity could change the spectral tuning, whereas broad feed-forward inhibition was able to reproduce the observed adaptive sharpening of temporal tuning. Our study revealed a surprisingly dynamic code usually found in more complex nervous systems and suggested that stimulus-dependent codes could be implemented using common neural computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Clemens
- Behavioral Physiology Group, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Florian Rau
- Behavioral Physiology Group, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - R Matthias Hennig
- Behavioral Physiology Group, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - K Jannis Hildebrandt
- Cluster of Excellence 'Hearing4all', Department for Neuroscience, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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20
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Shestakov LS, Vedenina VY. Broad Selectivity for Courtship Song in the CricketGryllus bimaculatus. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lev S. Shestakov
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems; Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow Russia
| | - Varvara Yu. Vedenina
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems; Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow Russia
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Robillard T, ter Hofstede HM, Orivel J, Vicente NM. Bioacoustics of the Neotropical Eneopterinae (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Gryllidae). BIOACOUSTICS 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2014.996915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tony Robillard
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution et Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7205, CP 50, 75231Paris Cedex 05, France
| | | | - Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, Ecologie de Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), UMR 8172, Campus Agronomique, BP 316, 97379Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Natállia M. Vicente
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution et Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7205, CP 50, 75231Paris Cedex 05, France
- Laboratório de Bioinformática e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
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22
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Pitchers WR, Klingenberg CP, Tregenza T, Hunt J, Dworkin I. The potential influence of morphology on the evolutionary divergence of an acoustic signal. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2163-76. [PMID: 25223712 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 07/20/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of acoustic behaviour and that of the morphological traits mediating its production are often coupled. Lack of variation in the underlying morphology of signalling traits has the potential to constrain signal evolution. This relationship is particularly likely in field crickets, where males produce acoustic advertisement signals to attract females by stridulating with specialized structures on their forewings. In this study, we characterize the size and geometric shape of the forewings of males from six allopatric populations of the black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus) known to have divergent advertisement calls. We sample from each of these populations using both wild-caught and common-garden-reared cohorts, allowing us to test for multivariate relationships between wing morphology and call structure. We show that the allometry of shape has diverged across populations. However, there was a surprisingly small amount of covariation between wing shape and call structure within populations. Given the importance of male size for sexual selection in crickets, the divergence we observe among populations has the potential to influence the evolution of advertisement calls in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- W R Pitchers
- Department of Zoology, Program in Ecology Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, UK
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Maroja LS, McKenzie ZM, Hart E, Jing J, Larson EL, Richardson DP. Barriers to gene exchange in hybridizing field crickets: the role of male courtship effort and cuticular hydrocarbons. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:65. [PMID: 24678642 PMCID: PMC4137559 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pre-zygotic barriers often involve some form of sexual selection, usually
interpreted as female choice, as females are typically the choosier sex.
However, males typically show some mate preferences, which are increasingly
reported. Here we document previously uncharacterized male courtship
behavior (effort and song) and cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles in the
hybridizing crickets Gryllus firmus and G. pennsylvanicus.
These two species exhibit multiple barriers to gene exchange that act
throughout their life history, including a behavioral barrier that results
in increased time to mate in heterospecific pairs. Results We demonstrated that male mate choice (as courtship effort allocation) plays
a more important role in the prezygotic behavioral barrier than previously
recognized. In gryllids females ultimately decide whether or not to mate,
yet we found males were selective by regulating courtship effort intensity
toward the preferred (conspecific) females. Females were also selective by
mating with more intensely courting males, which happened to be
conspecifics. We report no differences in courtship song between the two
species and suggest that the mechanism that allows males to act
differentially towards conspecific and heterospecific females is the
cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) composition. CHC profiles differed between males
and females of both species, and there were clear differences in CHC
composition between female G. firmus and G. pennsylvanicus
but not between the males of each species. Conclusion Although many barriers to gene exchange are known in this system, the
mechanism behind the mate recognition leading to reduced heterospecific
mating remains unknown. The CHC profiles might be the phenotypic cue that
allow males to identify conspecifics and thus to adjust their courtship
intensity accordingly, leading to differential mating between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana S Maroja
- Department of Biology, Williams College, 31 Morley Drive, 01267 Williamstown, MA, USA.
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Vedenina VY, Pollack GS. Recognition of variable courtship song in the field cricket Gryllus assimilis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 215:2210-9. [PMID: 22675181 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.068429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We analyzed the courtship song of the field cricket Gryllus assimilis. The song comprises two elements: groups of ca. 10 pulses (chirps) with low fundamental frequency (3.5-3.7 kHz) alternating with high-frequency (15-17 kHz) pulses (ticks) that usually occur as doublets. Some elements of courtship song are quite variable (high coefficient of variation) both within and between males, whereas others are more stereotypical. In experiments with playback of synthesized courtship songs, we studied the importance of several song parameters for mating success, which we evaluated as the probability with which females mounted muted, courting males. Altering some features that show little variability, such as chirp-pulse rate or carrier frequency of ticks, resulted in significant decreases in mounting frequency, consistent with the notion that trait values showing little variability are constrained by stabilizing selection exerted by females. However, alteration of one invariant trait, the occurrence of both song components, by omitting either component from test songs only slightly affected female responsiveness. Alteration of a variable song trait, the number of ticks per song phrase, had no effect on female response rate, thus failing to provide support for the idea that variable traits provide a substrate for sexual selection. An unusual characteristic feature of the song of G. assimilis is that chirp pulses often contain substantial high-frequency power, and indeed may entirely lack power at the fundamental frequency. Playback experiments showed that such songs are, nevertheless, behaviorally effective. To understand the neural basis for this, we recorded the responses of the two principal ascending auditory interneurons of crickets, AN1 and AN2. Our results suggest that the frequency selectivity of the neurons is sufficiently broad to tolerate the spectral variability of courtship chirps.
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26
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Multiple arithmetic operations in a single neuron: the recruitment of adaptation processes in the cricket auditory pathway depends on sensory context. J Neurosci 2011; 31:14142-50. [PMID: 21976499 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2556-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory pathways process behaviorally relevant signals in various contexts and therefore have to adapt to differing background conditions. Depending on changes in signal statistics, this adjustment might be a combination of two fundamental computational operations: subtractive adaptation shifting a neuron's threshold and divisive gain control scaling its sensitivity. The cricket auditory system has to deal with highly stereotyped conspecific songs at low carrier frequencies, and likely much more variable predator signals at high frequencies. We proposed that due to the differences between the two signal classes, the operation that is implemented by adaptation depends on the carrier frequency. We aimed to identify the biophysical basis underlying the basic computational operations of subtraction and division. We performed in vivo intracellular and extracellular recordings in a first-order auditory interneuron (AN2) that is active in both mate recognition and predator avoidance. We demonstrated subtractive shifts at the carrier frequency of conspecific songs and division at the predator-like carrier frequency. Combined application of current injection and acoustic stimuli for each cell allowed us to demonstrate the subtractive effect of cell-intrinsic adaptation currents. Pharmacological manipulation enabled us to demonstrate that presynaptic inhibition is most likely the source of divisive gain control. We showed that adjustment to the sensory context can depend on the class of signals that are relevant to the animal. We further revealed that presynaptic inhibition is a simple mechanism for divisive operations. Unlike other proposed mechanisms, it is widely available in the sensory periphery of both vertebrates and invertebrates.
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27
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Thomas ML, Simmons LW. Crickets detect the genetic similarity of mating partners via cuticular hydrocarbons. J Evol Biol 2011; 24:1793-800. [PMID: 21649764 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02319.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Animals should decipher information about the genetic make-up of conspecifics in order to enhance the fitness benefits associated with mate choice. Although there is increasing evidence to suggest that animals make genetically informed decisions about their mating partners, we understand relatively little about the sensory mechanisms informing these decisions. Here, we investigate whether cuticular hydrocarbons, chemical compounds found on the cuticle of most terrestrial arthropods, provide a means of discerning genetic similarity during mate choice in the cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus. We found that individuals preferentially mated with partners who share more dissimilar cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and that similarity in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles between mating pairs correlated with their genetic similarity. Our results provide good evidence that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles offer a means of assessing genetic compatibility in T. oceanicus, enabling individuals to choose their most genetically suitable mate.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Thomas
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
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28
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Rebar D, Zuk M, Bailey NW. Mating experience in field crickets modifies pre- and postcopulatory female choice in parallel. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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29
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Drayton JM, Milner RNC, Hall MD, Jennions MD. Inbreeding and courtship calling in the cricket Teleogryllus commodus. J Evol Biol 2010; 24:47-58. [PMID: 21054622 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02135.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J M Drayton
- Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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30
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THOMAS MELISSAL, SIMMONS LEIGHW. Cuticular hydrocarbons influence female attractiveness to males in the Australian field cricket,Teleogryllus oceanicus. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:707-14. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.01943.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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31
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Rebar D, Bailey NW, Zuk M. Courtship song's role during female mate choice in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Behav Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Tinghitella RM, Zuk M. ASYMMETRIC MATING PREFERENCES ACCOMMODATED THE RAPID EVOLUTIONARY LOSS OF A SEXUAL SIGNAL. Evolution 2009; 63:2087-98. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00698.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Zuk M, Rotenberry JT, Tinghitella RM. Silent night: adaptive disappearance of a sexual signal in a parasitized population of field crickets. Biol Lett 2008; 2:521-4. [PMID: 17148278 PMCID: PMC1834006 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual signals are often critical for mate attraction and reproduction, although their conspicuousness exposes them to parasites and predators. We document the near-disappearance of song, the sexual signal of crickets, and its replacement with a novel silent morph, in a population subject to strong natural selection by a deadly acoustically orienting parasitoid fly. On the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, more than 90% of male field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) shifted in less than 20 generations from a normal-wing morphology to a mutated wing that renders males unable to call (flatwing). Flatwing morphology protects male crickets from the parasitoid, which uses song to find hosts, but poses obstacles for mate attraction, since females also use the males' song to locate mates. Field experiments support the hypothesis that flatwings overcome the difficulty of attracting females without song by acting as 'satellites' to the few remaining callers, showing enhanced phonotaxis to the calling song that increases female encounter rate. Thus, variation in behaviour facilitated establishment of an otherwise maladaptive morphological mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Zuk
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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35
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Bailey NW, McNabb JR, Zuk M. Preexisting behavior facilitated the loss of a sexual signal in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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36
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Rapid evolutionary change in a sexual signal: genetic control of the mutation 'flatwing' that renders male field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) mute. Heredity (Edinb) 2007; 100:261-7. [PMID: 18000520 DOI: 10.1038/sj.hdy.6801069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonizing events may expose organisms to physical and ecological environments found nowhere else in their range. Novel selection pressures can then influence subsequent rapid evolutionary changes. Here, I investigate the genetics of one such rapid change in the sexual signal of Polynesian field crickets, Teleogryllus oceanicus, that recently colonized the Hawaiian Islands. In Hawaii, T. oceanicus encounter a deadly parasitoid fly found nowhere else in their range. In <20 generations, a wing mutation, flatwing, that eliminates the crickets' song, an important sexual signal, but protects them from the fly, spread to >90% of males on the island of Kauai. I show, using crosses between flatwing males and females from a population that has never contained flatwings, that the song-suppressing mutation is due to a change in a single sex-linked locus. Contemporary evolution of secondary sexual characteristics has only rarely been identified as the result of single-gene changes and never before as a single sex-linked locus, but sex-linked inheritance is thought to facilitate the rapid evolution of these types of traits. Because divergence of sexual signals can influence reproductive isolation, understanding how colonization events and subsequent selection affect signals, and the genetic mechanisms of such change, can shed light on processes likely to play a role in speciation.
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Abstract
Brief episodes of high-frequency firing of sensory neurons, or bursts, occur in many systems, including mammalian auditory and visual systems, and are believed to signal the occurrence of particularly important stimulus features, i.e., to function as feature detectors. However, the behavioral relevance of sensory bursts has not been established in any system. Here, we show that bursts in an identified auditory interneuron of crickets reliably signal salient stimulus features and reliably predict behavioral responses. Our results thus demonstrate the close link between sensory bursts and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Marsat
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
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38
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Tregenza T, Simmons LW, Wedell N, Zuk M. Female preference for male courtship song and its role as a signal of immune function and condition. Anim Behav 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
This review presents an overview of the physiology of primary receptors serving tympanal hearing in insects. Auditory receptor responses vary with frequency, intensity, and temporal characteristics of sound stimuli. Various insect species exploit each of these parameters to differing degrees in the neural coding of auditory information, depending on the nature of the relevant stimuli. Frequency analysis depends on selective tuning in individual auditory receptors. In those insect groups that have individually tuned receptors, differences in physiology are correlated with structural differences among receptors and with the anatomical arrangement of receptors within the ear. Intensity coding is through the rate-level characteristics of tonically active auditory receptors and through variation in the absolute sensitivities of individual receptors (range fractionation). Temporal features of acoustic stimuli may be copied directly in the timing of afferent responses. Salient signal characteristics may also be represented by variation in the timing of afferent responses on a finer temporal scale, or by the synchrony of responses across a population of receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Mason
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada.
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40
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Murakami S, Itoh MT. Removal of both antennae influences the courtship and aggressive behaviors in male crickets. JOURNAL OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2003; 57:110-8. [PMID: 12973832 DOI: 10.1002/neu.10255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
To test whether insect antennae are necessary for eliciting courtship and aggression toward appropriate partners, we antennectomized adult male crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) and observed their behavior toward other antennectomized males and intact females. At 7 days after removal of both antennae, pairs of antennectomized males were placed together; 80% displayed courtship behavior, generating courtship song by rubbing their forewings together, toward other antennectomized males, and 20% displayed aggressive behavior. Only 45% courted intact females. No intact males courted antennectomized males, and 80% displayed aggressive behavior. All intact males courted females. The results for males with one antenna removed were essentially the same as for intact males. These findings indicate that a high proportion of male crickets with both antennae removed court other males and fail to display male-male aggression, demonstrating that removal of antennae from male crickets induces male-male courtship and that an antenna is necessary for the expression of male-male aggression. Moreover, brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) levels in male crickets were significantly reduced at 7 days after removal of antennae. The reduction of 5-HT was detected primarily in the central body of the brain. Thus, 5-HT in the central body of the male cricket brain may be involved in the behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shio Murakami
- Green Flask Co., Ltd., 1-25-1 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-0035, Japan
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41
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RANTALA MARKUSJ, KORTET RAINE. Courtship song and immune function in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2003. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00202.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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42
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Fitzpatrick MJ, Gray DA. Divergence between the Courtship Songs of the Field Crickets Gryllus texensis and Gryllus rubens (Orthoptera, Gryllidae). Ethology 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2001.00730.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Huang Y, Ortí G, Sutherlin M, Duhachek A, Zera A. Phylogenetic relationships of north American field crickets inferred from mitochondrial DNA data. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2000; 17:48-57. [PMID: 11020304 DOI: 10.1006/mpev.2000.0815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A well-supported molecular phylogeny for North American Gryllus species based on a combined data set of mitochondrial (mt) DNA is presented. A total of 26 individuals representing 13 populations of 11 species of the genus Gryllus and 4 individuals of two outgroup species, Teleogryllus oceanicus and Acheta domestica, were sampled in this study. The complete cytochrome b gene (1036 bp) and a 500-bp fragment of the 16S rRNA gene were sequenced for each individual. Since results from separate analyses of the cytochrome b and 16S data sets, as well as a previously published mtDNA restriction-site data set, were not conflicting, all data were combined for phylogenetic analyses. The clade of European Gryllus was clearly separated from the North American clade. The amount of sequence divergence between these clades was significantly greater than within the clades, suggesting a basal drift-vicariant event in the genus. This is the first phylogenetic analysis of North American Gryllus that includes western species. Four well-supported groups were identified but their relationships showed no clear east-west structure. Our phylogeny supports the recent reassignment of G. integer Scudder 1901 from Texas to G. texensis Cade and Otte 2000. The evolution of cricket song and life cycle is discussed using the new phylogenetic framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Huang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
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45
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Faulkes Z, Pollack GS. Effects of inhibitory timing on contrast enhancement in auditory circuits in crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus). J Neurophysiol 2000; 84:1247-55. [PMID: 10979999 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2000.84.3.1247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus), the paired auditory interneuron Omega Neuron 1 (ON1) responds to sounds with frequencies in the range from 3 to 40 kHz. The neuron is tuned to frequencies similar to that of conspecific songs (4.5 kHz), but its latency is longest for these same frequencies by a margin of 5-10 ms. Each ON1 is strongly excited by input from the ipsilateral ear and inhibits contralateral auditory neurons that are excited by the contralateral ear, including the interneurons ascending neurons 1 and 2 (AN1 and AN2). We investigated the functional consequences of ON1's long latency to cricket-like sound and the resulting delay in inhibition of AN1 and AN2. Using dichotic stimuli, we controlled the timing of contralateral inhibition of the ANs relative to their excitation by ipsilateral stimuli. Advancing the stimulus to the ear driving ON1 relative to that driving the ANs "subtracted" ON1's additional latency to 4.5 kHz. This had little effect on the spike counts of AN1 and AN2. The response latencies of these neurons, however, increased markedly. This is because in the absence of a delay in ON1's response, inhibition arrived at AN1 and AN2 early enough to abolish the first spikes in their responses. This also increased the variability of AN1 latency. This suggests that one possible function of the delay in ON1's response may be to protect the precise timing of the onset of response in the contralateral AN1, thus preserving interaural difference in response latency as a reliable potential cue for sound localization. Hyperpolarizing ON1 removed all detectable contralateral inhibition of AN1 and AN2, suggesting that ON1 is the main, if not the only, source of contralateral inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Faulkes
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada
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Wagner WE, Reiser MG. The importance of calling song and courtship song in female mate choice in the variable field cricket. Anim Behav 2000; 59:1219-1226. [PMID: 10877901 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Male field crickets produce calling songs, courtship songs, tactile signals and chemical signals. Although calling songs are known to play an important role in female mate choice, the importance of the other signals in mate choice is poorly understood. In the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, females select mates, in part, based on variation in male calling song. Females prefer higher chirp rates, a trait which is partially dependent on male nutrient intake, and females prefer longer chirp durations, a trait which appears to be independent of male nutrient intake. We tested whether females also have preferences based on variation in male courtship song, and whether the structure of male courtship song varies with nutrient intake. First, we reexamined female preference for calling song chirp rate. Then, we examined: (1) female preference based on courtship song chirp rate; (2) the relative importance of calling song and courtship song chirp rate; (3) the nutrition dependence of courtship song chirp rate; and (4) the correlation between calling song and courtship song chirp rate. As reported previously, females preferred higher calling song chirp rates, and in addition, preferred higher courtship song chirp rates. Females were more likely to switch from a speaker broadcasting more attractive calling song to a speaker broadcasting less attractive calling song when the attractive calling song was associated with an unattractive courtship song than when it was associated with an attractive courtship song. Preferences based on courtship song may thus cause females to alter the choices that they made based on calling song. Males that received greater nutrients did not produce higher courtship song chirp rates. There was no correlation between calling song and courtship song chirp rate. As a result, the two traits may provide information to females about different aspects of male quality. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- WE Wagner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska
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Abstract
Crickets provide a useful model to study neural processing of sound frequency. Sound frequency is one parameter that crickets use to discriminate between conspecific signals and sounds made by predators, yet little is known about how frequency is represented at the level of auditory receptors. In this paper, we study the physiological properties of auditory receptor fibers (ARFs) by making single-unit recordings in the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Characteristic frequencies (CFs) of ARFs are distributed discontinuously throughout the range of frequencies that we investigated (2-40 kHz) and appear to be clustered around three frequency ranges (</=5.5, 10-12, and >/=18 kHz). A striking characteristic of cricket ARFs is the occurrence of additional sensitivity peaks at frequencies other than CFs. These additional sensitivity peaks allow crickets to detect sound over a wide frequency range, although the CFs of ARFs cover only the frequency bands mentioned above. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the extension of an animal's hearing range through multiple sensitivity peaks of auditory receptors.
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Abstract
The Orthoptera include many species established as important model systems in the study of animal behaviour, particularly in relation to communication and mating systems. Although most interest has focused on auditory communication, increasing circumstantial evidence suggests that there may be a widespread additional communication channel in the form of cuticular contact pheromones. Using the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatuswe conducted a behavioural assay which demonstrated that males can distinguish the sex of conspecifics using such a channel. Male response to females (courtship song) was completely abolished by using an organic solvent to remove cuticular hydrocarbons and associated compounds from a stimulus female. It was subsequently restored by painting the washed female with the dissolved extract. This technique controls for the possibility, inherent in previous tests, that the lack of response to washed body parts might be due to the washing process itself. The composition of the cuticles of males and females was analysed using gas chromatography. This revealed that the two sexes differ markedly in the quantities of the majority of the compounds found in the cuticular extract that had previously been shown to be used in mate recognition. This suggests that mate recognition is likely to be due to the relative concentrations of several cuticular compounds, rather than a single 'sex pheromone'. It supports previous assertions of the existence of contact pheromones in the Orthoptera, suggesting that they may be widespread in this group.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
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Affiliation(s)
- T Tregenza
- Department of Biology, University of Leeds
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