1
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Bayley T, Hedwig B. Tonotopic Ca 2+ dynamics and sound processing in auditory interneurons of the bush-cricket Mecopoda elongata. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:353-369. [PMID: 37222786 PMCID: PMC11106180 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01638-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Two auditory neurons, TN-1 and ON-1, in the bush-cricket, Mecopoda elongata, have large dendritic arborisations which receive excitatory synaptic inputs from tonotopically organised axonal terminals of auditory afferents in the prothoracic ganglion. By combining intracellular microelectrode recording with calcium imaging we demonstrate that the dendrites of both neurons show a clear Ca2+ signal in response to broad-frequency species-specific chirps. Due to the organisation of the afferents frequency specific auditory activation should lead to local Ca2+ increases in their dendrites. In response to 20 ms sound pulses the dendrites of both neurons showed tonotopically organised Ca2+ increases. In ON-1 we found no evidence for a tonotopic organisation of the Ca2+ signal related to axonal spike activity or for a Ca2+ response related to contralateral inhibition. The tonotopic organisation of the afferents may facilitate frequency-specific adaptation in these auditory neurons through localised Ca2+ increases in their dendrites. By combining 10 and 40 kHz test pulses and adaptation series, we provide evidence for frequency-specific adaptation in TN-1 and ON-1. By reversible deactivating of the auditory afferents and removing contralateral inhibition, we show that in ON-1 spike activity and Ca2+ responses increased but frequency-specific adaptation was not evident.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Bayley
- Department of Zoology, Cambridge, CB22 3EJ, UK
| | - B Hedwig
- Department of Zoology, Cambridge, CB22 3EJ, UK.
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2
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Scherberich J, Stange-Marten A, Schöneich S, Merdan-Desik M, Nowotny M. Multielectrode array use in insect auditory neuroscience to unravel the spatio-temporal response pattern in the prothoracic ganglion of Mecopoda elongata. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb245497. [PMID: 38197244 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245497] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Mechanoreceptors in hearing organs transduce sound-induced mechanical responses into neuronal signals, which are further processed and forwarded to the brain along a chain of neurons in the auditory pathway. Bushcrickets (katydids) have their ears in the front leg tibia, and the first synaptic integration of sound-induced neuronal signals takes place in the primary auditory neuropil of the prothoracic ganglion. By combining intracellular recordings of the receptor activity in the ear, extracellular multichannel array recordings on top of the prothoracic ganglion and hook electrode recordings at the neck connective, we mapped the timing of neuronal responses to tonal sound stimuli along the auditory pathway from the ears towards the brain. The use of the multielectrode array allows the observation of spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal responses within the prothoracic ganglion. By eliminating the sensory input from one ear, we investigated the impact of contralateral projecting interneurons in the prothoracic ganglion and added to previous research on the functional importance of contralateral inhibition for binaural processing. Furthermore, our data analysis demonstrates changes in the signal integration processes at the synaptic level indicated by a long-lasting increase in the local field potential amplitude. We hypothesize that this persistent increase of the local field potential amplitude is important for the processing of complex signals, such as the conspecific song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Scherberich
- Animal Physiology Group, Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Annette Stange-Marten
- Animal Physiology Group, Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan Schöneich
- Animal Physiology Group, Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Melisa Merdan-Desik
- Animal Physiology Group, Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Neurobiology and Biosensors Group, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Manuela Nowotny
- Animal Physiology Group, Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
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3
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Greenfield MD, Merker B. Coordinated rhythms in animal species, including humans: Entrainment from bushcricket chorusing to the philharmonic orchestra. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105382. [PMID: 37673282 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105382] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Coordinated group displays featuring precise entrainment of rhythmic behavior between neighbors occur not only in human music, dance and drill, but in the acoustic or optical signaling of a number of species of arthropods and anurans. In this review we describe the mechanisms of phase resetting and phase and tempo adjustments that allow the periodic output of signaling individuals to be aligned in synchronized rhythmic group displays. These mechanisms are well described in some of the synchronizing arthropod species, in which conspecific signals reset an individual's endogenous output oscillators in such a way that the joint rhythmic signals are locked in phase. Some of these species are capable of mutually adjusting both the phase and tempo of their rhythmic signaling, thereby achieving what is called perfect synchrony, a capacity which otherwise is found only in humans. We discuss this disjoint phylogenetic distribution of inter-individual rhythmic entrainment in the context of the functions such entrainment might perform in the various species concerned, and the adaptive circumstances in which it might evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Greenfield
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Lab, CRNL, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne, France; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
| | - Bjorn Merker
- Independent Scholar, SE-29194 Kristianstad, Sweden
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4
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Aihara I, Kominami D, Hosokawa Y, Murata M. Excitatory and inhibitory interactions affect the balance of chorus activity and energy efficiency in the aggregations of male frogs: Numerical simulations using a hybrid dynamical model. J Theor Biol 2023; 558:111352. [PMID: 36368559 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111352] [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: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
We numerically study the role of excitatory and inhibitory interactions in the aggregations of male frogs. In most frogs, males produce sounds to attract conspecific females, which activates the calling behavior of other males and results in collective choruses. While the calling behavior is effective for mate attraction, it requires high energy consumption. In contrast, satellite behavior is an alternative mating strategy in which males deliberately stay silent in the vicinity of a calling male and attempt to intercept the female attracted to the caller, allowing the satellite males to reduce their energy consumption while having a chance of mating. Here we propose a hybrid dynamical model in which male frogs autonomously switch among three behavioral states (i.e., calling state, resting state, and satellite state) due to the excitatory and inhibitory interactions. Numerical simulations of the proposed model demonstrated that (1) both collective choruses and satellite behavior can be reproduced and (2) the satellite males can prolong the energy depletion time of the whole aggregation while they split the maximum chorus activity into two levels over the whole chorusing period. This study highlights the importance of the multiple behavioral types and their transitions for the performance of the whole aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikkyu Aihara
- Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.
| | - Daichi Kominami
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yushi Hosokawa
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masayuki Murata
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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5
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Perez DM, Klunk CL, Araujo SBL. Imperfect synchrony in animal displays: why does it occur and what is the true role of leadership? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200339. [PMID: 34420387 PMCID: PMC8384059 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchrony can be defined as the precise coordination between independent individuals, and this behaviour is more enigmatic when it is imperfect. The traditional theoretical explanation for imperfect synchronous courtship is that it arises as a by-product of the competition between males to broadcast leading signals to attract female attention. This competition is considered an evolutionary stable strategy maintained through sexual selection. However, previous studies have revealed that leading signals are not honest indicators of male quality. We studied imperfect courtship synchrony in fiddler crabs to mainly test whether (i) signal leadership and rate are defined by male quality and (ii) signal leadership generates synchrony. Fiddler crab males wave their enlarged claws during courtship, and females prefer leading males-displaying ahead of their neighbour(s). We filmed groups of waving males in the field to detect how often individuals were leaders and if they engaged in synchrony. Overall, we found that courtship effort is not directly related to male size, a general proxy for quality. Contrary to the long-standing assumption, we also revealed that leadership is not directly related to group synchrony, but faster wave rate correlates with both leadership and synchrony. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M. Perez
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
| | - Cristian L. Klunk
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
| | - Sabrina B. L. Araujo
- Department of Physics, Laboratory of Biological Interactions, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
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6
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Henry MJ, Cook PF, de Reus K, Nityananda V, Rouse AA, Kotz SA. An ecological approach to measuring synchronization abilities across the animal kingdom. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200336. [PMID: 34420382 PMCID: PMC8380968 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In this perspective paper, we focus on the study of synchronization abilities across the animal kingdom. We propose an ecological approach to studying nonhuman animal synchronization that begins from observations about when, how and why an animal might synchronize spontaneously with natural environmental rhythms. We discuss what we consider to be the most important, but thus far largely understudied, temporal, physical, perceptual and motivational constraints that must be taken into account when designing experiments to test synchronization in nonhuman animals. First and foremost, different species are likely to be sensitive to and therefore capable of synchronizing at different timescales. We also argue that it is fruitful to consider the latent flexibility of animal synchronization. Finally, we discuss the importance of an animal's motivational state for showcasing synchronization abilities. We demonstrate that the likelihood that an animal can successfully synchronize with an environmental rhythm is context-dependent and suggest that the list of species capable of synchronization is likely to grow when tested with ecologically honest, species-tuned experiments. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly J Henry
- Research Group 'Neural and Environmental Rhythms', Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Grüneburgweg 14, 60322 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter F Cook
- Department of Psychology, New College of Florida, 5800 Bayshore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34234, USA
| | - Koen de Reus
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Boulevard de la Plaine 9, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
| | - Vivek Nityananda
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Andrew A Rouse
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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7
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Legett HD, Aihara I, Bernal XE. The dual benefits of synchronized mating signals in a Japanese treefrog: attracting mates and manipulating predators. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200340. [PMID: 34420389 PMCID: PMC8380967 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In dense mating aggregations, such as leks and choruses, acoustic signals produced by competing male conspecifics often overlap in time. When signals overlap at a fine temporal scale the ability of females to discriminate between individual signals is reduced. Yet, despite this cost, males of some species deliberately overlap their signals with those of conspecifics, synchronizing signal production in the chorus. Here, we investigate two hypotheses of synchronized mating signals in a Japanese treefrog (Buergeria japonica): (1) increased female attraction to the chorus (the beacon effect hypothesis) and (2) reduced attraction of eavesdropping predators (the eavesdropper avoidance hypothesis). Our results from playback experiments on female frogs and eavesdropping micropredators (midges and mosquitoes) support both hypotheses. Signal transmission and female phonotaxis experiments suggest that away from the chorus, synchronized calls are more attractive to females than unsynchronized calls. At the chorus, however, eavesdroppers are less attracted to calls that closely follow an initial call, while female attraction to individual signals is not affected. Therefore, synchronized signalling likely benefits male B. japonica by both increasing attraction of females to the chorus and reducing eavesdropper attacks. These findings highlight how multiple selective pressures likely promoted the evolution and maintenance of this behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry D. Legett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Ikkyu Aihara
- Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
| | - X. E. Bernal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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8
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Bouwer FL, Nityananda V, Rouse AA, ten Cate C. Rhythmic abilities in humans and non-human animals: a review and recommendations from a methodological perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200335. [PMID: 34420380 PMCID: PMC8380979 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic behaviour is ubiquitous in both human and non-human animals, but it is unclear whether the cognitive mechanisms underlying the specific rhythmic behaviours observed in different species are related. Laboratory experiments combined with highly controlled stimuli and tasks can be very effective in probing the cognitive architecture underlying rhythmic abilities. Rhythmic abilities have been examined in the laboratory with explicit and implicit perception tasks, and with production tasks, such as sensorimotor synchronization, with stimuli ranging from isochronous sequences of artificial sounds to human music. Here, we provide an overview of experimental findings on rhythmic abilities in human and non-human animals, while critically considering the wide variety of paradigms used. We identify several gaps in what is known about rhythmic abilities. Many bird species have been tested on rhythm perception, but research on rhythm production abilities in the same birds is lacking. By contrast, research in mammals has primarily focused on rhythm production rather than perception. Many experiments also do not differentiate between possible components of rhythmic abilities, such as processing of single temporal intervals, rhythmic patterns, a regular beat or hierarchical metrical structures. For future research, we suggest a careful choice of paradigm to aid cross-species comparisons, and a critical consideration of the multifaceted abilities that underlie rhythmic behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur L. Bouwer
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC), University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94242, 1090 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 15900, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vivek Nityananda
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Andrew A. Rouse
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Carel ten Cate
- Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, PO Box 9505, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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9
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Greenfield MD, Aihara I, Amichay G, Anichini M, Nityananda V. Rhythm interaction in animal groups: selective attention in communication networks. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200338. [PMID: 34420386 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals communicating interactively with conspecifics often time their broadcasts to avoid overlapping interference, to emit leading, as opposed to following, signals or to synchronize their signalling rhythms. Each of these adjustments becomes more difficult as the number of interactants increases beyond a pair. Among acoustic species, insects and anurans generally deal with the problem of group signalling by means of 'selective attention' in which they focus on several close or conspicuous neighbours and ignore the rest. In these animals, where signalling and receiving are often dictated by sex, the process of selective attention in signallers may have a parallel counterpart in receivers, which also focus on close neighbours. In birds and mammals, local groups tend to be extended families or clans, and group signalling may entail complex timing mechanisms that allow for attention to all individuals. In general, the mechanisms that allow animals to communicate in groups appear to be fully interwoven with the basic process of rhythmic signalling. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Greenfield
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.,Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro-PSI, CNRS UMR 9197, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, 42023 Saint Etienne, France
| | - Ikkyu Aihara
- Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Japan
| | - Guy Amichay
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Marianna Anichini
- Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study, 'Brain' Research Area, 27753 Delmenhorst, Germany.,Animal Physiology and Behavior Group, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Vivek Nityananda
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
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10
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Patel AD. Vocal learning as a preadaptation for the evolution of human beat perception and synchronization. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200326. [PMID: 34420384 PMCID: PMC8380969 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human capacity to synchronize movements to an auditory beat is central to musical behaviour and to debates over the evolution of human musicality. Have humans evolved any neural specializations for music processing, or does music rely entirely on brain circuits that evolved for other reasons? The vocal learning and rhythmic synchronization hypothesis proposes that our ability to move in time with an auditory beat in a precise, predictive and tempo-flexible manner originated in the neural circuitry for complex vocal learning. In the 15 years, since the hypothesis was proposed a variety of studies have supported it. However, one study has provided a significant challenge to the hypothesis. Furthermore, it is increasingly clear that vocal learning is not a binary trait animals have or lack, but varies more continuously across species. In the light of these developments and of recent progress in the neurobiology of beat processing and of vocal learning, the current paper revises the vocal learning hypothesis. It argues that an advanced form of vocal learning acts as a preadaptation for sporadic beat perception and synchronization (BPS), providing intrinsic rewards for predicting the temporal structure of complex acoustic sequences. It further proposes that in humans, mechanisms of gene-culture coevolution transformed this preadaptation into a genuine neural adaptation for sustained BPS. The larger significance of this proposal is that it outlines a hypothesis of cognitive gene-culture coevolution which makes testable predictions for neuroscience, cross-species studies and genetics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniruddh D. Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Program in Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
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11
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Nityananda V, Balakrishnan R. Synchrony of complex signals in an acoustically communicating katydid. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.241877. [PMID: 33785502 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.241877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to entrain to auditory stimuli has been a powerful method to investigate the comparative rhythm abilities of different animals. While synchrony to regular simple rhythms is well documented, synchrony to complex stimuli, with multiple components at unequal time intervals, is rarer. Several katydid species with simple calls have been shown to achieve synchrony as part of their natural calling interactions in multi-individual choruses. Yet no study so far has demonstrated synchrony in any insect with a complex call. Using natural calling behaviour and playback experiments, we investigated acoustic synchrony and the mechanisms underlying it in the katydid species Mecopoda 'Two Part Caller'. This species has a complex call consisting of a long trill followed by two or more chirps. We found that individual males synchronized trills and, to a lesser extent, chirps. Further investigation of trill synchrony showed that the timing of trills is modified by external trills but not chirps. Chirp synchrony is modified by external chirps, but also by trills. We suggest a qualitative two-oscillator model underlying synchrony in this species and discuss the implications for the evolution of acoustic synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Nityananda
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle University, United Kingdom NE2 3AE, UK
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru - 560012, India
| | - Rohini Balakrishnan
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru - 560012, India
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12
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Schranz M, Umlauft M, Sende M, Elmenreich W. Swarm Robotic Behaviors and Current Applications. Front Robot AI 2020; 7:36. [PMID: 33501204 PMCID: PMC7805972 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2020.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In swarm robotics multiple robots collectively solve problems by forming advantageous structures and behaviors similar to the ones observed in natural systems, such as swarms of bees, birds, or fish. However, the step to industrial applications has not yet been made successfully. Literature is light on real-world swarm applications that apply actual swarm algorithms. Typically, only parts of swarm algorithms are used which we refer to as basic swarm behaviors. In this paper we collect and categorize these behaviors into spatial organization, navigation, decision making, and miscellaneous. This taxonomy is then applied to categorize a number of existing swarm robotic applications from research and industrial domains. Along with the classification, we give a comprehensive overview of research platforms that can be used for testing and evaluating swarm behavior, systems that are already on the market, and projects that target a specific market. Results from this survey show that swarm robotic applications are still rare today. Many industrial projects still rely on centralized control, and even though a solution with multiple robots is employed, the principal idea of swarm robotics of distributed decision making is neglected. We identified mainly following reasons: First of all, swarm behavior emerging from local interactions is hard to predict and a proof of its eligibility for applications in an industrial context is difficult to provide. Second, current communication architectures often do not match requirements for swarm communication, which often leads to a system with a centralized communication infrastructure. Finally, testing swarms for real industrial applications is an issue, since deployment in a productive environment is typically too risky and simulations of a target system may not be sufficiently accurate. In contrast, the research platforms present a means for transforming swarm robotics solutions from theory to prototype industrial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wilfried Elmenreich
- Institute of Networked and Embedded Systems, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
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13
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Ravignani A, Verga L, Greenfield MD. Interactive rhythms across species: the evolutionary biology of animal chorusing and turn-taking. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:12-21. [PMID: 31515817 PMCID: PMC6790674 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The study of human language is progressively moving toward comparative and interactive frameworks, extending the concept of turn-taking to animal communication. While such an endeavor will help us understand the interactive origins of language, any theoretical account for cross-species turn-taking should consider three key points. First, animal turn-taking must incorporate biological studies on animal chorusing, namely how different species coordinate their signals over time. Second, while concepts employed in human communication and turn-taking, such as intentionality, are still debated in animal behavior, lower level mechanisms with clear neurobiological bases can explain much of animal interactive behavior. Third, social behavior, interactivity, and cooperation can be orthogonal, and the alternation of animal signals need not be cooperative. Considering turn-taking a subset of chorusing in the rhythmic dimension may avoid overinterpretation and enhance the comparability of future empirical work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Artificial Intelligence LabVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Institute for Advanced StudyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamthe Netherlands
- Research DepartmentSealcentre PieterburenPieterburenthe Netherlands
| | - Laura Verga
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department NP&PPMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtthe Netherlands
| | - Michael D. Greenfield
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKansas
- Equipe Neuro‐Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/Neuro‐PSI, CNRS UMR 9197Université de Lyon/Saint‐EtienneSaint EtienneFrance
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14
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Okobi DE, Banerjee A, Matheson AMM, Phelps SM, Long MA. Motor cortical control of vocal interaction in neotropical singing mice. Science 2019; 363:983-988. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aau9480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Like many adaptive behaviors, acoustic communication often requires rapid modification of motor output in response to sensory cues. However, little is known about the sensorimotor transformations that underlie such complex natural behaviors. In this study, we examine vocal exchanges in Alston’s singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina). We find that males modify singing behavior during social interactions on a subsecond time course that resembles both traditional sensorimotor tasks and conversational speech. We identify an orofacial motor cortical region and, via a series of perturbation experiments, demonstrate a hierarchical control of vocal production, with the motor cortex influencing the pacing of singing behavior on a moment-by-moment basis, enabling precise vocal interactions. These results suggest a systems-level framework for understanding the sensorimotor transformations that underlie natural social interactions.
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15
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Ronacher B. Innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns: basic ethological concepts as drivers for neuroethological studies on acoustic communication in Orthoptera. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:33-50. [PMID: 30617601 PMCID: PMC6394777 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-01311-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This review addresses the history of neuroethological studies on acoustic communication in insects. One objective is to reveal how basic ethological concepts developed in the 1930s, such as innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns, have influenced the experimental and theoretical approaches to studying acoustic communication systems in Orthopteran insects. The idea of innateness of behaviors has directly fostered the search for central pattern generators that govern the stridulation patterns of crickets, katydids or grasshoppers. A central question pervading 50 years of research is how the essential match between signal features and receiver characteristics has evolved and is maintained during evolution. As in other disciplines, the tight interplay between technological developments and experimental and theoretical advances becomes evident throughout this review. While early neuroethological studies focused primarily on proximate questions such as the implementation of feature detectors or central pattern generators, later the interest shifted more towards ultimate questions. Orthoptera offer the advantage that both proximate and ultimate questions can be tackled in the same system. An important advance was the transition from laboratory studies under well-defined acoustic conditions to field studies that allowed to measure costs and benefits of acoustic signaling as well as constraints on song evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Ronacher
- Behavioural Physiology Group, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, Haus 18, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
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16
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Backwell PRY. Synchronous waving in fiddler crabs: a review. Curr Zool 2018; 65:83-88. [PMID: 30697243 PMCID: PMC6347057 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals that use acoustic communication synchronize their mate attraction signals: individuals precisely time their calls to overlap those of their neighbors. In contrast, synchrony in the mate attraction displays of species with visual/motion-based signals is rare. It has only been documented in five species of fiddler crabs. In all of them, small groups of males wave their single large claw in close synchrony. Here, I review what we know about synchrony in fiddler crabs, comparing the five species with each other to determine whether similar mechanisms and functions are common to all. I also propose future research questions that, if answered, would shed light on synchronous behavior in both visual and acoustic signallers.
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17
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Creativity, information, and consciousness: The information dynamics of thinking. Phys Life Rev 2018; 34-35:1-39. [PMID: 29803403 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents a theory of the basic operation of mind, Information Dynamics of Thinking, which is intended for computational implementation and thence empirical testing. It is based on the information theory of Shannon, and treats the mind/brain as an information processing organ that aims to be information-efficient, in that it predicts its world, so as to use information efficiently, and regularly re-represents it, so as to store information efficiently. The theory is presented in context of a background review of various research areas that impinge upon its development. Consequences of the theory and testable hypotheses arising from it are discussed.
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18
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Nityananda V. Attention-like processes in insects. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1986. [PMID: 27852803 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention is fundamentally important for sensory systems to focus on behaviourally relevant stimuli. It has therefore been an important field of study in human psychology and neuroscience. Primates, however, are not the only animals that might benefit from attention-like processes. Other animals, including insects, also have to use their senses and select one among many stimuli to forage, avoid predators and find mates. They have evolved different mechanisms to reduce the information processed by their brains to focus on only relevant stimuli. What are the mechanisms used by insects to selectively attend to visual and auditory stimuli? Do these attention-like mechanisms achieve the same functions as they do in primates? To investigate these questions, I use an established framework for investigating attention in non-human animals that proposes four fundamental components of attention: salience filters, competitive selection, top-down sensitivity control and working memory. I discuss evidence for each of these component processes in insects and compare the characteristics of these processes in insects to what we know from primates. Finally, I highlight important outstanding questions about insect attention that need to be addressed for us to understand the differences and similarities between vertebrate and insect attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Nityananda
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Institute for Advanced Study, Wallotstraße 19, 14193, Berlin, Germany .,Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building for Neuroecology, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
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19
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Murphy MA, Gerhardt HC, Schul J. Leader preference in Neoconocephalus ensiger katydids: a female preference for a nonheritable male trait. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:2222-2229. [PMID: 28976614 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Female preferences for males producing their calls just ahead of their neighbours, leader preferences, are common in acoustically communicating insects and anurans. While these preferences have been well studied, their evolutionary origins remain unclear. We tested whether females gain a fitness benefit by mating with leading males in Neoconocephalus ensiger katydids. We mated leading and following males with random females and measured the number and quality of F1 , the number of F2 and the heritability of the preferred male trait. We found that females mating with leaders and followers did not differ in the number of F1 or F2 offspring. Females mating with leading males had offspring that were in better condition than those mating with following males suggesting a benefit in the form of higher quality offspring. We found no evidence that the male trait, the production of leading calls, was heritable. This suggests that there is no genetic correlate for the production of leading calls and that the fitness benefit gained by females must be a direct benefit, potentially mediated by seminal proteins. The presence of benefits indicates that leader preference is adaptive in N. ensiger, which may explain the evolutionary origin of leader preference; further tests are required to determine whether fitness benefits can explain the phylogenetic distribution of leader preference in Neoconocephalus. The absence of heritability will prevent leader preference from becoming coupled with or exaggerating the male trait and prevent females from gaining a 'sexy-sons' benefit, weakening the overall selection for leader preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Murphy
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, USA
| | - H C Gerhardt
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - J Schul
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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20
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Greenfield MD, Marin-Cudraz T, Party V. Evolution of synchronies in insect choruses. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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21
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22
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Clulow S, Mahony M, Elliott L, Humfeld S, Gerhardt HC. Near-synchronous calling in the hip-pocket frog Assa darlingtoni. BIOACOUSTICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2016.1260054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Clulow
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Mahony
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Sarah Humfeld
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - H. Carl Gerhardt
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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23
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Forth J, Agres K, Purver M, Wiggins GA. Entraining IDyOT: Timing in the Information Dynamics of Thinking. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1575. [PMID: 27803682 PMCID: PMC5067415 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a novel hypothetical account of entrainment in music and language, in context of the Information Dynamics of Thinking model, IDyOT. The extended model affords an alternative view of entrainment, and its companion term, pulse, from earlier accounts. The model is based on hierarchical, statistical prediction, modeling expectations of both what an event will be and when it will happen. As such, it constitutes a kind of predictive coding, with a particular novel hypothetical implementation. Here, we focus on the model's mechanism for predicting when a perceptual event will happen, given an existing sequence of past events, which may be musical or linguistic. We propose a range of tests to validate or falsify the model, at various different levels of abstraction, and argue that computational modeling in general, and this model in particular, can offer a means of providing limited but useful evidence for evolutionary hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Geraint A. Wiggins
- Computational Creativity Lab, Computational Linguistics Lab, Cognitive Science Group, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of LondonLondon, UK
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24
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Finely tuned choruses: bush crickets adjust attention to neighboring singers in relation to the acoustic environment they create. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2166-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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25
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Effects of acoustic environment on male calling activity and timing in Neotropical forest katydids. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2157-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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26
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Hartbauer M, Römer H. Rhythm Generation and Rhythm Perception in Insects: The Evolution of Synchronous Choruses. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:223. [PMID: 27303257 PMCID: PMC4885851 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect sounds dominate the acoustic environment in many natural habitats such as rainforests or meadows on a warm summer day. Among acoustic insects, usually males are the calling sex; they generate signals that transmit information about the species-identity, sex, location, or even sender quality to conspecific receivers. Males of some insect species generate signals at distinct time intervals, and other males adjust their own rhythm relative to that of their conspecific neighbors, which leads to fascinating acoustic group displays. Although signal timing in a chorus can have important consequences for the calling energetics, reproductive success and predation risk of individuals, still little is known about the selective forces that favor the evolution of insect choruses. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the neuronal network responsible for acoustic pattern generation of a signaler, and pattern recognition in receivers. We also describe different proximate mechanisms that facilitate the synchronous generation of signals in a chorus and provide examples of suggested hypotheses to explain the evolution of chorus synchrony in insects. Some hypotheses are related to sexual selection and inter-male cooperation or competition, whereas others refer to the selection pressure exerted by natural predators. In this article, we summarize the results of studies that address chorus synchrony in the tropical katydid Mecopoda elongata, where some males persistently signal as followers although this reduces their mating success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Hartbauer
- Behavioural Ecology and Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of GrazGraz, Austria
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27
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Keeping up with the neighbor: a novel mechanism of call synchrony in Neoconocephalus ensiger katydids. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2016; 202:225-34. [PMID: 26809565 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-016-1068-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
During solo calling, pulse periods gradually changed by up to 15% over several minutes. Pairs of calling males synchronized their pulses. The pulse rate (10-14 Hz) was considerably faster than the rate of synchronized signal units in other insects (0.5-3 Hz). Within each pulse cycle, males made only small adjustments to their pulse period, leading to regular switches of leader and follower roles. Large-scale timing adjustments only occurred in response to large delays. Stimulation with single pulses had no predictable effect on the timing of the male's next pulse, resulting in a flat phase response curve. When entrained to a stimulus with a faster pulse period, males briefly interrupted calling; they resumed calling largely synchronized with the stimulus. Throughout the stimulus, males made gradual changes to their pulse period, similar to those during pair calling. After the stimulus ended, pulse periods increased over several minutes, but did not return to their pre-stimulus values. Thus social context and intrinsic state of the males influenced pulse period in Neoconocephalus ensiger. These results indicate that N. ensiger males synchronize calls by adjusting their intrinsic pulse period, instead of adjusting the timing of individual pulses, as described in other synchronizing insects.
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28
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Ravignani A. Evolving perceptual biases for antisynchrony: a form of temporal coordination beyond synchrony. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:339. [PMID: 26483622 PMCID: PMC4588693 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrussels, Belgium
- Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Group, Universität RostockRostock, Germany
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29
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Party V, Streiff R, Marin-Cudraz T, Greenfield MD. Group synchrony and alternation as an emergent property: elaborate chorus structure in a bushcricket is an incidental by-product of female preference for leading calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-2008-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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30
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Hartbauer M, Siegert ME, Römer H. Male age and female mate choice in a synchronizing katydid. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:763-72. [PMID: 25957628 PMCID: PMC4511073 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1012-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In acoustically communicating species, females often evaluate the frequency content, signal duration and the temporal signal pattern to gain information about the age of the signaller. This is different in the synchronizing bush cricket Mecopoda elongata where females select males on the basis of relative signal timing in duets. In a longitudinal approach, we recorded songs of M. elongata males produced 2 weeks (young male) and 9 weeks (old male) after their ultimate moult. Signal timing of both age categories was studied in acoustic interactions, and female preference was investigated in choice situations. Young male chirps were significantly shorter and contained less energy compared to "old chirps". In mixed-age duets younger males timed their chirps as leader significantly more often. Females preferred the young male chirp when broadcast as leader over the old male chirp, but choice was random when the old male chirp was leader. This choice asymmetry was abolished after reducing the duration of the "old chirp". Results were mirrored in response of a bilateral pair of auditory neurons, where the asymmetry in spike count and first-spike latency correlated with behaviour. We suggest that older males may compensate their disadvantage in a more complex chorus situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hartbauer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria,
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31
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Hummel J, Wolf K, Kössl M, Nowotny M. Processing of simple and complex acoustic signals in a tonotopically organized ear. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20141872. [PMID: 25339727 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of complex signals in the hearing organ remains poorly understood. This paper aims to contribute to this topic by presenting investigations on the mechanical and neuronal response of the hearing organ of the tropical bushcricket species Mecopoda elongata to simple pure tone signals as well as to the conspecific song as a complex acoustic signal. The high-frequency hearing organ of bushcrickets, the crista acustica (CA), is tonotopically tuned to frequencies between about 4 and 70 kHz. Laser Doppler vibrometer measurements revealed a strong and dominant low-frequency-induced motion of the CA when stimulated with either pure tone or complex stimuli. Consequently, the high-frequency distal area of the CA is more strongly deflected by low-frequency-induced waves than by high-frequency-induced waves. This low-frequency dominance will have strong effects on the processing of complex signals. Therefore, we additionally studied the neuronal response of the CA to native and frequency-manipulated chirps. Again, we found a dominant influence of low-frequency components within the conspecific song, indicating that the mechanical vibration pattern highly determines the neuronal response of the sensory cells. Thus, we conclude that the encoding of communication signals is modulated by ear mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Hummel
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Konstantin Wolf
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Manfred Kössl
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Manuela Nowotny
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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32
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Ravignani A, Bowling DL, Fitch WT. Chorusing, synchrony, and the evolutionary functions of rhythm. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1118. [PMID: 25346705 PMCID: PMC4193405 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A central goal of biomusicology is to understand the biological basis of human musicality. One approach to this problem has been to compare core components of human musicality (relative pitch perception, entrainment, etc.) with similar capacities in other animal species. Here we extend and clarify this comparative approach with respect to rhythm. First, whereas most comparisons between human music and animal acoustic behavior have focused on spectral properties (melody and harmony), we argue for the central importance of temporal properties, and propose that this domain is ripe for further comparative research. Second, whereas most rhythm research in non-human animals has examined animal timing in isolation, we consider how chorusing dynamics can shape individual timing, as in human music and dance, arguing that group behavior is key to understanding the adaptive functions of rhythm. To illustrate the interdependence between individual and chorusing dynamics, we present a computational model of chorusing agents relating individual call timing with synchronous group behavior. Third, we distinguish and clarify mechanistic and functional explanations of rhythmic phenomena, often conflated in the literature, arguing that this distinction is key for understanding the evolution of musicality. Fourth, we expand biomusicological discussions beyond the species typically considered, providing an overview of chorusing and rhythmic behavior across a broad range of taxa (orthopterans, fireflies, frogs, birds, and primates). Finally, we propose an "Evolving Signal Timing" hypothesis, suggesting that similarities between timing abilities in biological species will be based on comparable chorusing behaviors. We conclude that the comparative study of chorusing species can provide important insights into the adaptive function(s) of rhythmic behavior in our "proto-musical" primate ancestors, and thus inform our understanding of the biology and evolution of rhythm in human music and language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria
| | - Daniel L Bowling
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna Austria
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33
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Hartbauer M, Haitzinger L, Kainz M, Römer H. Competition and cooperation in a synchronous bushcricket chorus. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2014; 1:140167. [PMID: 26064537 PMCID: PMC4448899 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Synchronous signalling within choruses of the same species either emerges from cooperation or competition. In our study on the katydid Mecopoda elongata, we aim to identify mechanisms driving evolution towards synchrony. The increase of signal amplitude owing to synchronous signalling and the preservation of a conspecific signal period may represent cooperative mechanisms, whereas chorus synchrony may also result from the preference of females for leading signals and the resulting competition for the leader role. We recorded the timing of signals and the resulting communal signal amplitudes in small choruses and performed female choice experiments to identify such mechanisms. Males frequently timed their signals either as leader or follower with an average time lag of about 70 ms. Females selected males in such choruses on the basis of signal order and signal duration. Two-choice experiments revealed a time lag of only 70 ms to bias mate choice in favour of the leader. Furthermore, a song model with a conspecific signal period of 2 s was more attractive than a song model with an irregular or longer and shorter than average signal period. Owing to a high degree of overlap and plasticity of signals produced in 'four male choruses', peak and root mean square amplitudes increased by about 7 dB relative to lone singers. Modelling active space of synchronous males and solo singing males revealed a strongly increased broadcast area of synchronous signallers, but a slightly reduced per capita mating possibility compared with lone singers. These results suggest a strong leader preference of females as the ultimate causation of inter-male competition for timing signals as leader. The emerging synchrony increases the amplitude of signals produced in a chorus and has the potential to compensate a reduction of mating advantage in a chorus. We discuss a possible fitness benefit of males gained through a beacon effect and the possibility that signalling as follower is stabilized via natural selection.
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34
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Signal interactions and interference in insect choruses: singing and listening in the social environment. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 201:143-54. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0938-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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35
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Hartbauer M, Römer H. From microseconds to seconds and minutes-time computation in insect hearing. Front Physiol 2014; 5:138. [PMID: 24782783 PMCID: PMC3990047 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The computation of time in the auditory system of insects is of relevance at rather different time scales, covering a large range from microseconds to several minutes. At the one end of this range, only a few microseconds of interaural time differences are available for directional hearing, due to the small distance between the ears, usually considered too small to be processed reliably by simple nervous systems. Synapses of interneurons in the afferent auditory pathway are, however, very sensitive to a time difference of only 1–2 ms provided by the latency shift of afferent activity with changing sound direction. At a much larger time scale of several tens of milliseconds to seconds, time processing is important in the context species recognition, but also for those insects where males produce acoustic signals within choruses, and the temporal relationship between song elements strongly deviates from a random distribution. In these situations, some species exhibit a more or less strict phase relationship of song elements, based on phase response properties of their song oscillator. Here we review evidence on how this may influence mate choice decisions. In the same dimension of some tens of milliseconds we find species of katydids with a duetting communication scheme, where one sex only performs phonotaxis to the other sex if the acoustic response falls within a very short time window after its own call. Such time windows show some features unique to insects, and although its neuronal implementation is unknown so far, the similarity with time processing for target range detection in bat echolocation will be discussed. Finally, the time scale being processed must be extended into the range of many minutes, since some acoustic insects produce singing bouts lasting quite long, and female preferences may be based on total signaling time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heiner Römer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University Graz Graz, Austria
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36
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Party V, Brunel-Pons O, Greenfield MD. Priority of precedence: receiver psychology, female preference for leading calls and sexual selection in insect choruses. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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37
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Siegert ME, Römer H, Hartbauer M. Maintaining acoustic communication at a cocktail party: heterospecific masking noise improves signal detection through frequency separation. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:4655-65. [PMID: 24307713 PMCID: PMC3971153 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.089888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We examined acoustic masking in a chirping katydid species of the Mecopoda elongata complex due to interference with a sympatric Mecopoda species where males produce continuous trills at high amplitudes. Frequency spectra of both calling songs range from 1 to 80 kHz; the chirper species has more energy in a narrow frequency band at 2 kHz and above 40 kHz. Behaviourally, chirper males successfully phase-locked their chirps to playbacks of conspecific chirps under masking conditions at signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of -8 dB. After the 2 kHz band in the chirp had been equalised to the level in the masking trill, the breakdown of phase-locked synchrony occurred at a SNR of +7 dB. The remarkable receiver performance is partially mirrored in the selective response of a first-order auditory interneuron (TN1) to conspecific chirps under these masking conditions. However, the selective response is only maintained for a stimulus including the 2 kHz component, although this frequency band has no influence on the unmasked TN1 response. Remarkably, the addition of masking noise at 65 dB sound pressure level (SPL) to threshold response levels of TN1 for pure tones of 2 kHz enhanced the sensitivity of the response by 10 dB. Thus, the spectral dissimilarity between masker and signal at a rather low frequency appears to be of crucial importance for the ability of the chirping species to communicate under strong masking by the trilling species. We discuss the possible properties underlying the cellular/synaptic mechanisms of the 'novelty detector'.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. E. Siegert
- Institut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - H. Römer
- Institut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - M. Hartbauer
- Institut für Zoologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
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Römer H. Masking by Noise in Acoustic Insects: Problems and Solutions. ANIMAL SIGNALS AND COMMUNICATION 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-41494-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Hartbauer M, Siegert ME, Fertschai I, Römer H. Acoustic signal perception in a noisy habitat: lessons from synchronising insects. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2012; 198:397-409. [PMID: 22427234 PMCID: PMC3357476 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-012-0718-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2012] [Revised: 02/29/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Acoustically communicating animals often have to cope with ambient noise that has the potential to interfere with the perception of conspecific signals. Here we use the synchronous display of mating signals in males of the tropical katydid Mecopoda elongata in order to assess the influence of nocturnal rainforest noise on signal perception. Loud background noise may disturb chorus synchrony either by masking the signals of males or by interaction of noisy events with the song oscillator. Phase-locked synchrony of males was studied under various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) using either native noise or the audio component of noise (<9 kHz). Synchronous entrainment was lost at a SNR of −3 dB when native noise was used, whereas with the audio component still 50 % of chirp periods matched the pacer period at a SNR of −7 dB. Since the chirp period of solo singing males remained almost unaffected by noise, our results suggest that masking interference limits chorus synchrony by rendering conspecific signals ambiguous. Further, entrainment with periodic artificial signals indicates that synchrony is achieved by ignoring heterospecific signals and attending to a conspecific signal period. Additionally, the encoding of conspecific chirps was studied in an auditory neuron under the same background noise regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hartbauer
- Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Graz, Austria.
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Siegert ME, Römer H, Hashim R, Hartbauer M. Neuronal correlates of a preference for leading signals in the synchronizing bushcricket Mecopoda elongata (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 214:3924-34. [PMID: 22071183 PMCID: PMC3236105 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.057901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Acoustically interacting males of the tropical katydid Mecopoda elongata synchronize their chirps imperfectly, so that one male calls consistently earlier in time than the other. In choice situations, females prefer the leader signal, and it has been suggested that a neuronal mechanism based on directional hearing may be responsible for the asymmetric, stronger representation of the leader signal in receivers. Here, we investigated the potential mechanism in a pair of interneurons (TN1 neuron) of the afferent auditory pathway, known for its contralateral inhibitory input in directional hearing. In this interneuron, conspecific signals are reliably encoded under natural conditions, despite high background noise levels. Unilateral presentations of a conspecific chirp elicited a TN1 response where each suprathreshold syllable in the chirp was reliably copied in a phase-locked fashion. Two identical chirps broadcast with a 180 deg spatial separation resulted in a strong suppression of the response to the follower signal, when the time delay was 20 ms or more. Muting the ear on the leader side fully restored the response to the follower signal compared with unilateral controls. Time-intensity trading experiments, in which the disadvantage of the follower signal was traded against higher sound pressure levels, demonstrated the dominating influence of signal timing on the TN1 response, and this was especially pronounced at higher sound levels of the leader. These results support the hypothesis that the female preference for leader signals in M. elongata is the outcome of a sensory mechanism that originally evolved for directional hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Siegert
- Department of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Graz, Austria
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Hartbauer M, Stabentheiner A, Römer H. Signalling plasticity and energy saving in a tropical bushcricket. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2011; 198:203-17. [PMID: 22095456 PMCID: PMC3282901 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-011-0700-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2011] [Revised: 10/27/2011] [Accepted: 11/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Males of the tropical bushcricket Mecopoda elongata synchronize their acoustic advertisement signals (chirps) in interactions with other males. However, synchrony is not perfect and distinct leader and follower roles are often maintained. In entrainment experiments in which conspecific signals were presented at various rates, chirps displayed as follower showed notable signal plasticity. Follower chirps were shortened by reducing the number and duration of syllables, especially those of low and medium amplitude. The degree of shortening depended on the time delay between leader and follower signals and the sound level of the entraining stimulus. The same signal plasticity was evident in male duets, with the effect that the last syllables of highest amplitude overlapped more strongly. Respiratory measurements showed that solo singing males producing higher chirp rates suffered from higher metabolic costs compared to males singing at lower rates. In contrast, respiratory rate was rather constant during a synchronous entrainment to a conspecific signal repeated at various rates. This allowed males to maintain a steady duty cycle, associated with a constant metabolic rate. Results are discussed with respect to the preference for leader signals in females and the possible benefits males may gain by overlapping their follower signals in a chorus.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hartbauer
- Department of Zoology, Karl-Franzens Universität Graz, Graz, Austria.
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Reichert MS. Call timing is determined by response call type, but not by stimulus properties, in the treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1289-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Variation in signal timing behavior: implications for male attractiveness and sexual selection. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1142-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Hartbauer M, Radspieler G, Römer H. Reliable detection of predator cues in afferent spike trains of a katydid under high background noise levels. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 213:3036-46. [PMID: 20709932 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.042432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Katydid receivers face the problem of detecting behaviourally relevant predatory cues from echolocating bats in the same frequency domain as their own conspecific mating signals. We therefore tested the hypothesis that katydids are able to detect the presence of insectivorous bats in spike discharges at early stages of nervous processing in the auditory pathway by using the temporal details characteristic for responses to echolocation sequences. Spike activity was recorded from an identified nerve cell (omega neuron) under both laboratory and field conditions. In the laboratory, the preparation was stimulated with sequences of bat calls at different repetition rates typical for the guild of insectivorous bats, in the presence of background noise. The omega cell fired brief high-frequency bursts of action potentials in response to each bat sound pulse. Repetition rates of 18 and 24 Hz of these pulses resulted in a suppression of activity resulting from background noise, thus facilitating the detection of bat calls. The spike activity typical for responses to bat echolocation contrasts to responses to background noise, producing different distributions of inter-spike intervals. This allowed development of a 'neuronal bat detector' algorithm, optimized to detect responses to bats in afferent spike trains. The algorithm was applied to more than 24 hours of outdoor omega-recordings performed either at a rainforest clearing with high bat activity or in rainforest understory, where bat activity was low. In 95% of cases, the algorithm detected a bat reliably, even under high background noise, and correctly rejected responses when an electronic bat detector showed no response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Hartbauer
- Institute of Zoology, Neurobiology and Behaviour Group, Karl-Franzens University, Universitätsplatz 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
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Granada A, Hennig RM, Ronacher B, Kramer A, Herzel H. Phase response curves elucidating the dynamics of coupled oscillators. Methods Enzymol 2009; 454:1-27. [PMID: 19216921 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(08)03801-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Phase response curves (PRCs) are widely used in circadian clocks, neuroscience, and heart physiology. They quantify the response of an oscillator to pulse-like perturbations. Phase response curves provide valuable information on the properties of oscillators and their synchronization. This chapter discusses biological self-sustained oscillators (circadian clock, physiological rhythms, etc.) in the context of nonlinear dynamics theory. Coupled oscillators can synchronize with different frequency ratios, can generate toroidal dynamics (superposition of independent frequencies), and may lead to deterministic chaos. These nonlinear phenomena can be analyzed with the aid of a phase transition curve, which is intimately related to the phase response curve. For illustration purposes, this chapter discusses a model of circadian oscillations based on a delayed negative feedback. In a second part, the chapter provides a step-by-step recipe to measure phase response curves. It discusses specifications of this recipe for circadian rhythms, heart rhythms, neuronal spikes, central pattern generators, and insect communication. Finally, it stresses the predictive power of measured phase response curves. PRCs can be used to quantify the coupling strength of oscillations, to classify oscillator types, and to predict the complex dynamics of periodically driven oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Granada
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Korsunovskaya OS. Acoustic signals in katydids (Orthoptera, Tettigonidae). Communication I. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1134/s0013873808090029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Nityananda V, Balakrishnan R. Modeling the role of competition and cooperation in the evolution of katydid acoustic synchrony. Behav Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The precise timing of individual signals in response to those of signaling neighbors is seen in many animal species. Synchrony is the most striking of the resultant timing patterns. One of the best examples of acoustic synchrony is in katydid choruses where males produce chirps with a high degree of temporal overlap. Cooperative hypotheses that speculate on the evolutionary origins of acoustic synchrony include the preservation of the species-specific call pattern, reduced predation risks, and increased call intensity. An alternative suggestion is that synchrony evolved as an epiphenomenon of competition between males in response to a female preference for chirps that lead other chirps. Previous models investigating the evolutionary origins of synchrony focused only on intrasexual competitive interactions. We investigated both competitive and cooperative hypotheses for the evolution of synchrony in the katydid Mecopoda “Chirper” using physiologically and ecologically realistic simulation models incorporating the natural variation in call features, ecology, female preferences, and spacing patterns, specifically aggregation. We found that although a female preference for leading chirps enables synchronous males to have some selective advantage, it is the female preference for the increased intensity of aggregations of synchronous males that enables synchrony to evolve as an evolutionarily stable strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Nityananda
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Rohini Balakrishnan
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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Hartbauer M, Römer H. A novel distributed swarm control strategy based on coupled signal oscillators. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2007; 2:42-56. [PMID: 17848790 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3182/2/3/002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The miniaturization of microrobots is accompanied by limitations of signaling, sensing and agility. Control of a swarm of simple microrobots has to cope with such constraints in a way which still guarantees the accomplishment of a task. A recently proposed communication method, which is based on the coupling of signal oscillators of individual agents [13], may provide a basis for a distributed control of a simulated swarm of simple microrobots (similar to I-Swarm microrobots) engaged in a cleaning scenario. This self-organized communication method was biologically inspired from males of chorusing insects which are known for the rapid synchronization of their acoustic signals in a chorus. Signal oscillator properties were used to generate waves of synchronized signaling (s-waves) among a swarm of agents. In a simulation of a cleaning scenario, agents on the dump initiated concentrically spreading s-waves by shortening their intrinsic signal period. Dirt-carrying agents localized the dump by heading against the wave front. After optimization of certain control parameters the properties of this distributed control strategy were investigated in different variants of a cleaning scenario. These include a second dump, obstacles, different agent densities, agent drop-out and a second signal oscillator.
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