1
|
Maria B, Tonini JF, Rebouças R, Toledo LF. Hidden shifts in allometry scaling between sound production and perception in anurans. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16322. [PMID: 37941929 PMCID: PMC10629387 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Animal communication consists of signal production and perception, which are crucial for social interactions. The main form used by anurans is auditory communication, in most cases produced as advertisement calls. Furthermore, sound perception happens mainly through an external tympanic membrane, and plays an important role in social behavior. In this study, we evaluated the influence of body and tympanic membrane sizes on call frequency across the phylogeny of anurans. Methods We use data on snout-vent length, tympanic membrane diameter, and dominant frequency of the advertisement call from the literature and from natural history museum collections. We mapped these traits across the anuran phylogeny and tested different models of diversification. Our final dataset includes data on body size, tympanic membrane size, and call dominant frequency of 735 anuran species. Results The best explanatory model includes body and tympanum size with no interaction term. Although our results show that call frequency is strongly constrained by body and tympanum size, we identify five evolutionary shifts in allometry from that ancestral constraint. We relate these evolutionary shifts to the background noise experienced by populations. Body size is important for myriad ecological interactions and tympanum size is strongly associated with female call frequency preferences. Thus, allometric escape in frog calls might arise through environmental selection such as breeding in fast flowing or soundscape competition, as well as sexual selection linked to tympanum size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Maria
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - João F.R. Tonini
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Raoni Rebouças
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
- Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva de Anfíbios, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fritzsch B, Schultze HP, Elliott KL. The evolution of the various structures required for hearing in Latimeria and tetrapods. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2023; 14:325-341. [PMID: 37006720 PMCID: PMC10063410 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcopterygians evolved around 415 Ma and have developed a unique set of features, including the basilar papilla and the cochlear aqueduct of the inner ear. We provide an overview that shows the morphological integration of the various parts needed for hearing, e.g., basilar papilla, tectorial membrane, cochlear aqueduct, lungs, and tympanic membranes. The lagena of the inner ear evolved from a common macula of the saccule several times. It is near this lagena where the basilar papilla forms in Latimeria and tetrapods. The basilar papilla is lost in lungfish, certain caecilians and salamanders, but is transformed into the cochlea of mammals. Hearing in bony fish and tetrapods involves particle motion to improve sound pressure reception within the ear but also works without air. Lungs evolved after the chondrichthyans diverged and are present in sarcopterygians and actinopterygians. Lungs open to the outside in tetraposomorph sarcopterygians but are transformed from a lung into a swim bladder in ray-finned fishes. Elasmobranchs, polypterids, and many fossil fishes have open spiracles. In Latimeria, most frogs, and all amniotes, a tympanic membrane covering the spiracle evolved independently. The tympanic membrane is displaced by pressure changes and enabled tetrapods to perceive airborne sound pressure waves. The hyomandibular bone is associated with the spiracle/tympanic membrane in actinopterygians and piscine sarcopterygians. In tetrapods, it transforms into the stapes that connects the oval window of the inner ear with the tympanic membrane and allows hearing at higher frequencies by providing an impedance matching and amplification mechanism. The three characters-basilar papilla, cochlear aqueduct, and tympanic membrane-are fluid related elements in sarcopterygians, which interact with a set of unique features in Latimeria. Finally, we explore the possible interaction between the unique intracranial joint, basicranial muscle, and an enlarged notochord that allows fluid flow to the foramen magnum and the cochlear aqueduct which houses a comparatively small brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, IA, USA
- Correspondence to: Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | | | - Karen L. Elliott
- Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, IA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li H, Staxäng K, Hodik M, Melkersson KG, Rask-Andersen H. The ultrastructure of a stria vascularis in the auditory organ of the cuban crocodile ( Crocodylus rhombifer). Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1129074. [PMID: 36891513 PMCID: PMC9986273 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1129074] [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: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: An endocochlear potential (EP) exists in the mammalian cochlea generated by the stria vascularis and an associated fibrocyte network. It plays an essential role for sensory cell function and hearing sensitivity. In non-mammalian ectothermic animals the endocochlear potential is low and its origin somewhat unclear. In this study, we explored the crocodilian auditory organ and describe the fine structure of a stria vascularis epithelium that has not been verified in birds. Material and Methods: Three Cuban crocodiles (Crocodylus rhombifer) were analyzed with light and transmission electron microscopy. The ears were fixed in glutaraldehyde The temporal bones were drilled out and decalcified. The ears were dehydrated, and embedded and was followed by semi-thin and thin sectioning. Results: The fine structure of the crocodile auditory organ including the papilla basilaris and endolymph system was outlined. The upper roof of the endolymph compartment was specialized into a Reissner membrane and tegmentum vasculosum. At the lateral limbus an organized, multilayered, vascularized epithelium or stria vascularis was identified. Discussion: Electron microscopy demonstrates that the auditory organ in Crocodylus rhombifer, unlike in birds, contains a stria vascularis epithelium separate from the tegmentum vasculosum. It is believed to secrete endolymph and to generate a low grade endocochlear potential. It may regulate endolymph composition and optimize hearing sensitivity alongside the tegmentum vasculosum. It could represent a parallel evolution essential for the adaptation of crocodiles to their diverse habitats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Head and Neck Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karin Staxäng
- The Rudbeck TEM laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Monika Hodik
- The Rudbeck TEM laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Helge Rask-Andersen
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Head and Neck Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Araújo R, David R, Benoit J, Lungmus JK, Stoessel A, Barrett PM, Maisano JA, Ekdale E, Orliac M, Luo ZX, Martinelli AG, Hoffman EA, Sidor CA, Martins RMS, Spoor F, Angielczyk KD. Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy. Nature 2022; 607:726-731. [PMID: 35859179 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04963-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Endothermy underpins the ecological dominance of mammals and birds in diverse environmental settings1,2. However, it is unclear when this crucial feature emerged during mammalian evolutionary history, as most of the fossil evidence is ambiguous3-17. Here we show that this key evolutionary transition can be investigated using the morphology of the endolymph-filled semicircular ducts of the inner ear, which monitor head rotations and are essential for motor coordination, navigation and spatial awareness18-22. Increased body temperatures during the ectotherm-endotherm transition of mammal ancestors would decrease endolymph viscosity, negatively affecting semicircular duct biomechanics23,24, while simultaneously increasing behavioural activity25,26 probably required improved performance27. Morphological changes to the membranous ducts and enclosing bony canals would have been necessary to maintain optimal functionality during this transition. To track these morphofunctional changes in 56 extinct synapsid species, we developed the thermo-motility index, a proxy based on bony canal morphology. The results suggest that endothermy evolved abruptly during the Late Triassic period in Mammaliamorpha, correlated with a sharp increase in body temperature (5-9 °C) and an expansion of aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Contrary to previous suggestions3-14, all stem mammaliamorphs were most probably ectotherms. Endothermy, as a crucial physiological characteristic, joins other distinctive mammalian features that arose during this period of climatic instability28.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Araújo
- Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. .,Institut des Sciences de L'Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
| | - Romain David
- Natural History Museum, London, UK. .,Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline K Lungmus
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA
| | - Alexander Stoessel
- Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Jessica A Maisano
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Eric Ekdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.,Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Maëva Orliac
- Institut des Sciences de L'Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Zhe-Xi Luo
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Agustín G Martinelli
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 'Bernardino Rivadavia', Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eva A Hoffman
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christian A Sidor
- Burke Museum and Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rui M S Martins
- Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Fred Spoor
- Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kenneth D Angielczyk
- Neguanee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Klembara J, Ruta M, Hain M, Berman DS. Braincase and Inner Ear Anatomy of the Late Carboniferous Tetrapod Limnoscelis dynatis (Diadectomorpha) Revealed by High-Resolution X-ray Microcomputed Tomography. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.709766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The braincase anatomy of the Pennsylvanian diadectomorph Limnoscelis dynatis is described in detail, based upon high-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography. Both supraoccipitals and most of the prootics and opisthotics are preserved. The known portions of the left prootic, opisthotic, and supraoccipital enclose complete sections of the endosseous labyrinth, including the anterior, posterior, and lateral semicircular canals, the vestibule, the cochlear recess, and the canal for the endolymphatic duct. The fossa subarcuata is visible anteromedial to the anterior semicircular canal. The presumed endolymphatic fossae occur in the dorsal wall of the posteromedial portion of the supraoccipital. Both the fossa subarcuata and the fossa endolymphatica lie in the cerebellar portion of the cranial cavity. In order to investigate the phylogenetic position of L. dynatis we used a recently published data matrix, including characters of the braincase, and subjected it to maximum parsimony analyses under a variety of character weighting schemes and to a Bayesian analysis. Limnoscelis dynatis emerges as sister taxon to L. paludis, and both species form the sister group to remaining diadectomorphs. Synapsids and diadectomorphs are resolved as sister clades in ∼90% of all the most parsimonious trees from the unweighted analysis, in the single trees from both the reweighted and the implied weights analyses, as well in the Bayesian tree.
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang D, Zhou J. The Kinocilia of Cochlear Hair Cells: Structures, Functions, and Diseases. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:715037. [PMID: 34422834 PMCID: PMC8374625 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.715037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary cilia are evolutionarily conserved and highly specialized organelles that protrude from cell membranes. Mutations in genes encoding ciliary proteins can cause structural and functional ciliary defects and consequently multiple diseases, collectively termed ciliopathies. The mammalian auditory system is responsible for perceiving external sound stimuli that are ultimately processed in the brain through a series of physical and biochemical reactions. Here we review the structure and function of the specialized primary cilia of hair cells, termed kinocilia, found in the mammalian auditory system. We also discuss areas that might prove amenable for therapeutic management of auditory ciliopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Difei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Foratto RM, Llusia D, Toledo LF, Forti LR. Treefrogs adjust their acoustic signals in response to harmonics structure of intruder calls. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Spectral properties of animal acoustic signals may help individuals to assess the characteristics of rivals and to adjust their competitive strategies in territorial disputes. Thus, we hypothesized that the distribution of energy across frequency bands in anuran calls determines behavioral responses in male–male competition. Using playback experiments, we investigated the relevance of the harmonic calls in the acoustic communication of the treefrog Dendropsophus minutus. We exposed territorial males to three synthetic acoustic stimuli composed of aggressive notes: 1) standard call (all harmonics and peak frequency corresponding to the second band); 2) inverted-energy call (all harmonics and peak frequency corresponding to the first band); and 3) concentrated-energy call (all energy contained in the second harmonic). Males responded aggressively to all stimuli, mainly by increasing the rate and duration of their aggressive notes. However, when exposed to stimuli with different harmonic configurations, males changed the harmonic structure of their own calls, emitting more A- and B-notes with peak power in the fundamental frequency, particularly when exposed to the concentrated-energy call. Our results suggest that male frogs may use the harmonic structure of calls to assess opponents and modulate territorial and aggressive behavior, triggering complex acoustic adjustments. This study contributes to our knowledge about the functions of acoustic traits in amphibian social interactions, and particularly of the presence of harmonics that has received less attention compared to other acoustic properties in the study of animal acoustic communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roseli Maria Foratto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083–970, R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório Multiusuário de Bioacústica (LMBio) and Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083–970, R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diego Llusia
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Calle Darwin, 2, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Darwin, 2, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Ecologia, Laboratório de Herpetologia e Comportamento Animal, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), Campus Samambaia, Avenida Esperança, S/N - 74001-970 Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083–970, R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório Multiusuário de Bioacústica (LMBio) and Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083–970, R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas Rodriguez Forti
- Laboratório Multiusuário de Bioacústica (LMBio) and Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083–970, R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus de Ondina, R. Barão de Jeremoabo, 668, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Digitizing extant bat diversity: An open-access repository of 3D μCT-scanned skulls for research and education. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203022. [PMID: 30226875 PMCID: PMC6143191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological specimens are primary records of organismal ecology and history. As such, museum collections are invaluable repositories for testing ecological and evolutionary hypotheses across the tree of life. Digitizing and broadly sharing the phenotypic data from these collections serves to expand the traditional reach of museums, enabling widespread data sharing, collaboration, and education at an unprecedented scale. In recent years, μCT-scanning has been adopted as one way for efficiently digitizing museum specimens. Here, we describe a large repository of 3D, μCT-scanned images and surfaces of skulls from 359 extant species of bats, a highly diverse clade of modern vertebrates. This digital repository spans much of the taxonomic, biogeographic, and morphological diversity present across bats. All data have been published to the MorphoSource platform, an online database explicitly designed for the archiving of 3D morphological data. We demonstrate one potential use of this repository by testing for convergence in skull shape among one particularly diverse group of bats, the superfamily Noctilionoidea. Beyond its intrinsic utility to bat biologists, our digital specimens represent a resource for educators and for any researchers seeking to broadly test theories of trait evolution, functional ecology, and community assembly.
Collapse
|
9
|
von May R, Lehr E, Rabosky DL. Evolutionary radiation of earless frogs in the Andes: molecular phylogenetics and habitat shifts in high-elevation terrestrial breeding frogs. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4313. [PMID: 29492332 PMCID: PMC5825883 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss of hearing structures and loss of advertisement calls in many terrestrial breeding frogs (Strabomantidae) living at high elevations in South America are common and intriguing phenomena. The Andean frog genus Phrynopus Peters, 1873 has undergone an evolutionary radiation in which most species lack the tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus, yet the phylogenetic relationships among species in this group remain largely unknown. Here, we present an expanded molecular phylogeny of Phrynopus that includes 24 nominal species. Our phylogeny includes Phrynopus peruanus, the type species of the genus, and 10 other species for which genetic data were previously unavailable. We found strong support for monophyly of Phrynopus, and that two nominal species-Phrynopus curator and Phrynopus nicoleae-are junior synonyms of Phrynopus tribulosus. Using X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging, we demonstrate that the absence of external hearing structures is associated with complete loss of the auditory skeletal elements (columella) in at least one member of the genus. We mapped the tympanum condition on to a species tree to infer whether the loss of hearing structures took place once or multiple times. We also assessed whether tympanum condition, body size, and body shape are associated with the elevational distribution and habitat use. We identified a single evolutionary transition that involved the loss of both the tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus, which in turn is correlated with the absence of advertisement calls. We also identified several species pairs where one species inhabits the Andean grassland and the other montane forest. When accounting for phylogenetic relatedness among species, we detected a significant pattern of increasing body size with increasing elevation. Additionally, species at higher elevations tend to develop shorter limbs, shorter head, and shorter snout than species living at lower elevations. Our findings strongly suggest a link between ecological divergence and morphological diversity of terrestrial breeding frogs living in montane gradients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf von May
- Museum of Zoology & Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America.,Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America
| | - Edgar Lehr
- Department of Biology, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL, United States of America
| | - Daniel L Rabosky
- Museum of Zoology & Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Goutte S, Mason MJ, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Montealegre-Z F, Chivers BD, Sarria-S FA, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C, Almeida Sato L, Felipe Toledo L. Evidence of auditory insensitivity to vocalization frequencies in two frogs. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12121. [PMID: 28935936 PMCID: PMC5608807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12145-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and maintenance of animal communication systems requires the co-evolution of signal and receiver. Frogs and toads rely heavily on acoustic communication for coordinating reproduction and typically have ears tuned to the dominant frequency of their vocalizations, allowing discrimination from background noise and heterospecific calls. However, we present here evidence that two anurans, Brachycephalus ephippium and B. pitanga, are insensitive to the sound of their own calls. Both species produce advertisement calls outside their hearing sensitivity range and their inner ears are partly undeveloped, which accounts for their lack of high-frequency sensitivity. If unheard by the intended receivers, calls are not beneficial to the emitter and should be selected against because of the costs associated with signal production. We suggest that protection against predators conferred by their high toxicity might help to explain why calling has not yet disappeared, and that visual communication may have replaced auditory in these colourful, diurnal frogs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Goutte
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-862, Brazil.
| | - Matthew J Mason
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fernando Montealegre-Z
- Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Green Lane, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom
| | - Benedict D Chivers
- Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Green Lane, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom
| | - Fabio A Sarria-S
- Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Green Lane, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom
| | - Marta M Antoniazzi
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | - Carlos Jared
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, 05503-900, Brazil
| | | | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-862, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Womack MC, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Hoke KL. Better late than never: effective air-borne hearing of toads delayed by late maturation of the tympanic middle ear structures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:3246-3252. [PMID: 27520654 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Most vertebrates have evolved a tympanic middle ear that enables effective hearing of airborne sound on land. Although inner ears develop during the tadpole stages of toads, tympanic middle ear structures are not complete until months after metamorphosis, potentially limiting the sensitivity of post-metamorphic juveniles to sounds in their environment. We tested the hearing of five species of toads to determine how delayed ear development impairs airborne auditory sensitivity. We performed auditory brainstem recordings to test the hearing of the toads and used micro-computed tomography and histology to relate the development of ear structures to hearing ability. We found a large (14-27 dB) increase in hearing sensitivity from 900 to 2500 Hz over the course of ear development. Thickening of the tympanic annulus cartilage and full ossification of the middle ear bone are associated with increased hearing ability in the final stages of ear maturation. Thus, juvenile toads are at a hearing disadvantage, at least in the high-frequency range, throughout much of their development, because late-forming ear elements are critical to middle ear function at these frequencies. We discuss the potential fitness consequences of late hearing development, although research directly addressing selective pressures on hearing sensitivity across ontogeny is lacking. Given that most vertebrate sensory systems function very early in life, toad tympanic hearing may be a sensory development anomaly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Molly C Womack
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | | | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pereyra MO, Womack MC, Barrionuevo JS, Blotto BL, Baldo D, Targino M, Ospina-Sarria JJ, Guayasamin JM, Coloma LA, Hoke KL, Grant T, Faivovich J. The complex evolutionary history of the tympanic middle ear in frogs and toads (Anura). Sci Rep 2016; 6:34130. [PMID: 27677839 PMCID: PMC5039693 DOI: 10.1038/srep34130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Most anurans possess a tympanic middle ear (TME) that transmits sound waves to the inner ear; however, numerous species lack some or all TME components. To understand the evolution of these structures, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of their occurrence across anurans and performed ancestral character state reconstructions. Our analysis indicates that the TME was completely lost at least 38 independent times in Anura. The inferred evolutionary history of the TME is exceptionally complex in true toads (Bufonidae), where it was lost in the most recent common ancestor, preceding a radiation of >150 earless species. Following that initial loss, independent regains of some or all TME structures were inferred within two minor clades and in a radiation of >400 species. The reappearance of the TME in the latter clade was followed by at least 10 losses of the entire TME. The many losses and gains of the TME in anurans is unparalleled among tetrapods. Our results show that anurans, and especially bufonid toads, are an excellent model to study the behavioural correlates of earlessness, extratympanic sound pathways, and the genetic and developmental mechanisms that underlie the morphogenesis of TME structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martín O. Pereyra
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina
| | - Molly C. Womack
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - J. Sebastián Barrionuevo
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina
| | - Boris L. Blotto
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Diego Baldo
- Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Posadas, N3300LQF, Argentina
| | - Mariane Targino
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Juan M. Guayasamin
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Ingeniería en Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Facultad de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, 17-1200-841, Quito, EC170103, Ecuador
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, 170901, Ecuador
| | - Luis A. Coloma
- Centro Jambatu de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios, Fundación Otonga, Geovanni Farina 566 y Baltra, San Rafael, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Muyuna, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Kim L. Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Taran Grant
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Julián Faivovich
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”-CONICET, Buenos Aires, C1405DJR, Argentina
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1428EGA, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|