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Zhao L, Zhang M, Qin Y, Wang T, Zhai X, Cui J, Wang J. Auditory sensitivity and tympanic middle ear in a vocal and a non-vocal frog. Hear Res 2024; 444:108970. [PMID: 38367458 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The tympanic middle ear is important for anuran hearing on land. However, many species have partly or entirely lost their tympanic apparatus. Previous studies have compared hearing sensitivities in species that possess and lack tympanic membranes capable of sound production and acoustic communication. However, little is known about how these hearing abilities are comparable to those of mutant species. Here, we compared the eardrum and middle ear anatomies of two sympatric sibling species from a noisy stream habitat, namely the "non-vocal" Hainan torrent frog (Amolops hainanensis) and the "vocal" little torrent frog (Amolops torrentis), the latter of which is capable of acoustic communication. Our results showed that the relative (to head size) eardrum diameter of A. hainanensis was smaller than that of A. torrentis, although the absolute size was not smaller. Unlike A. torrentis, the tympanic membrane area of A. hainanensis was not clearly differentiated from the surrounding skin. The middle ear, however, was well-developed in both species. We measured the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of A. hainanensis and compared the ABR thresholds and latencies to those previously obtained for A. torrentis. Our results suggested that these two species exhibited significant differences in hearing sensitivity. A. hainanensis (smaller relative eardrum, nonvocal) had higher ABR thresholds and longer initial response times than A. torrentis (larger relative eardrum, vocal) at lower frequencies. Neurophysiological responses from the brain were obtained for tone pips between 800 Hz and 7,000 Hz, with peak sensitivities found at 3,000 Hz (73 dB SPL) for A. hainanensis, and at 1,800 Hz (61 dB SPL) for A. torrentis. Our results suggest that the non-vocal A. hainanensis has lower hearing sensitivity than its vocal sister species (i.e., A. torrentis), which may be related to differences in tympanic or inner ear structure and morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhui Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Meihua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Yuanyu Qin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Xiaofei Zhai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, PR China.
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, PR China.
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Vélez A, Sandoval SM. Size matters: individual variation in auditory sensitivity may influence sexual selection in Pacific treefrogs (Pseudacris regilla). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024:10.1007/s00359-024-01690-w. [PMID: 38367051 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-024-01690-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The matched filter hypothesis proposes a close match between senders and receivers and is supported by several studies on variation in signal properties and sensory-processing mechanisms among species and populations. Importantly, within populations, individual variation in sensory processing may affect how receivers perceive signals. Our main goals were to characterize hearing sensitivity of Pacific treefrogs (Pseudacris regilla), assess patterns of individual variation in hearing sensitivity, and evaluate how among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity and call frequency content affect auditory processing of communication signals. Overall, males and females are most sensitive to frequencies between 2.0 and 2.5 kHz, which matches the dominant frequency of the call, and have a second region of high sensitivity between 400 and 800 Hz that does not match the fundamental frequency of the call. We found high levels of among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity, primarily driven by subject size. Importantly, patterns of among-individual variation in hearing differ between males and females. Cross-correlation analyses reveal that among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity may lead to differences on how receivers, particularly females, perceive male calls. Our results suggest that individual variation in sensory processing may affect signal perception and influence the evolution of sexually selected traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Vélez
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA.
| | - Sam Moreno Sandoval
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA
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James LS, Taylor RC, Hunter KL, Ryan MJ. Evolutionary and Allometric Insights into Anuran Auditory Sensitivity and Morphology. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 97:140-150. [PMID: 34864726 DOI: 10.1159/000521309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As species change through evolutionary time, the neurological and morphological structures that underlie behavioral systems typically remain coordinated. This is especially important for communication systems, in which these structures must remain coordinated both within and between senders and receivers for successful information transfer. The acoustic communication of anurans ("frogs") offers an excellent system to ask when and how such coordination is maintained, and to allow researchers to dissociate allometric effects from independent correlated evolution. Anurans constitute one of the most speciose groups of vocalizing vertebrates, and females typically rely on vocalizations to localize males for reproduction. Here, we compile and compare data on various aspects of auditory morphology, hearing sensitivity, and call-dominant frequency across 81 species of anurans. We find robust, phylogenetically independent scaling effects of body size for all features measured. Furthermore, after accounting for body size, we find preliminary evidence that morphological evolution beyond allometry can correlate with hearing sensitivity and dominant frequency. These data provide foundational results regarding constraints imposed by body size on communication systems and motivate further data collection and analysis using comparative approaches across the numerous anuran species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama
| | - Ryan C Taylor
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland, USA
| | - Kimberly L Hunter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA,
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama,
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Penna M, Solís R, Corradini P, Moreno-Gómez FN. Diverse patterns of temporal selectivity in the evoked vocal responses of a frog from the temperate austral forest, Batrachyla taeniata (Batrachylidae). BIOACOUSTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1616616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Penna
- Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rigoberto Solís
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paulina Corradini
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe N. Moreno-Gómez
- Departamento de Biología y Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
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Wang T, Li H, Cui J, Zhai X, Shi H, Wang J. Auditory brainstem responses in the red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans (Testudoformes: Emydidae) reveal sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:847-854. [PMID: 31654192 PMCID: PMC6863946 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01372-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Hearing sensitivity is of general interest from the perspective of understanding the functionality and evolution of vertebrate auditory systems. Sexual dimorphism of auditory systems has been reported in several species of vertebrates, but little is known about this phenomenon in turtles. Some morphological characteristics, such as middle ear and tympanic membrane that influence the hearing sensitivity of animals can result in hearing sexual dimorphism. To examine whether sexual dimorphism in hearing sensitivity occurs in turtles and to compare hearing characteristics with respect to the shape of the tympanic membrane, we measured the hearing sensitivity and tympanum diameter in both sexes of Trachemys scripta elegans. The results showed that, with the exception of 0.9 kHz, auditory brainstem response thresholds were significantly lower in females than in males for frequencies in the 0.2-1.1 kHz range, indicating that the hearing of females shows greater sensitivity. No significant differences were detected in the tympanum diameter of both sexes. These results showed that sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity has evolved in turtles; however, this difference does not appear to be related to differences in the size of the tympanic membrane. The possible origin and function of the sexual differences in auditory characteristic are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongliang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Handong Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
| | - Haitao Shi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China.
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Sun X, Zhao L, Chen Q, Wang J, Cui J. Auditory sensitivity changes with diurnal temperature variation in little torrent frogs (Amolops torrentis). BIOACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2019.1662845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Sun
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Longhui Zhao
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qinghua Chen
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jichao Wang
- Department of Biology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Jianguo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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