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Branstetter BK, Nease K, Accomando AW, Davenport J, Felice M, Peters K, Robeck T. Temporal integration of tone signals by a killer whale (Orcinus orca). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:3906-3915. [PMID: 38117126 DOI: 10.1121/10.0023956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
A psychophysical procedure was used to measure pure-tone detection thresholds for a killer whale (Orcinus orca) as a function of both signal frequency and signal duration. Frequencies ranged between 1 and 100 kHz and signal durations ranged from 50 μs to 2 s, depending on the frequency. Detection thresholds decreased with an increase in signal duration up to a critical duration, which represents the auditory integration time. Integration times ranged from 4 ms at 100 kHz and increased up to 241 ms at 1 kHz. The killer whale data are similar to other odontocete species that have participated in similar experiments. The results have implications for noise impact predictions for signals with durations less than the auditory integration time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Branstetter
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #204, San Diego, California 92106, USA
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific, 528 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Honolulu, Hawaii 96860, USA
| | - Kayla Nease
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #204, San Diego, California 92106, USA
- SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, California 92109, USA
| | - Alyssa W Accomando
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #204, San Diego, California 92106, USA
- Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
| | - Jennifer Davenport
- SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, California 92109, USA
| | - Michael Felice
- SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, California 92109, USA
| | - Ken Peters
- SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, California 92109, USA
| | - Todd Robeck
- SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, 7007 SeaWorld Drive, Orlando, Florida 21821, USA
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Finneran JJ, Strahan MG, Mulsow J, Houser DS. Effects of echo phase on bottlenose dolphin jittered-echo detection. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:3324. [PMID: 37328949 DOI: 10.1121/10.0019717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The ability of bottlenose dolphins to detect changes in echo phase was investigated using a jittered-echo paradigm. The dolphins' task was to produce a conditioned vocalization when phantom echoes with fixed echo delay and phase changed to those with delay and/or phase alternated ("jittered") on successive presentations. Conditions included: jittered delay plus constant phase shifts, ±45° and 0°-180° jittered phase shifts, alternating delay and phase shifts, and random echo-to-echo phase shifts. Results showed clear sensitivity to echo fine structure, revealed as discrimination performance reductions when jittering echo fine structures were similar, but envelopes were different, high performance with identical envelopes but different fine structure, and combinations of echo delay and phase jitter where their effects cancelled. Disruption of consistent echo fine structure via random phase shifts dramatically increased jitter detection thresholds. Sensitivity to echo fine structure in the present study was similar to the cross correlation function between jittering echoes and is consistent with the performance of a hypothetical coherent receiver; however, a coherent receiver is not necessary to obtain the present results, only that the auditory system is sensitive to echo fine structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Finneran
- U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific Code 56710, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
| | - Madelyn G Strahan
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Jason Mulsow
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
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Branstetter BK, Sills JM. Mechanisms of auditory masking in marine mammals. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1029-1047. [PMID: 36018474 PMCID: PMC9617968 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01671-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an increasing threat to marine mammals that rely on sound for communication, navigation, detecting prey and predators, and finding mates. Auditory masking is one consequence of anthropogenic noise, the study of which is approached from multiple disciplines including field investigations of animal behavior, noise characterization from in-situ recordings, computational modeling of communication space, and hearing experiments conducted in the laboratory. This paper focuses on laboratory hearing experiments applying psychophysical methods, with an emphasis on the mechanisms that govern auditory masking. Topics include tone detection in simple, complex, and natural noise; mechanisms for comodulation masking release and other forms of release from masking; the role of temporal resolution in auditory masking; and energetic vs informational masking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Branstetter
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #204, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
| | - Jillian M Sills
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
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Accomando AW, Mulsow J, Houser DS, Finneran JJ. Classification of simulated complex echoes based on highlight time separation in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:1795. [PMID: 36182330 DOI: 10.1121/10.0014114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies suggested that dolphins perceive echo spectral features on coarse (macrospectrum) and fine (microspectrum) scales. This study was based on a finding that these auditory percepts are, to some degree, dependent on the dolphin's ∼250-μs auditory temporal window (i.e., "critical interval"). Here, two dolphins were trained to respond on passively detecting a simulated "target" echo complex [a pair of echo "highlights" with a characteristic 120-μs inter-highlight interval (IHI)]. This target had unique micro- and macrospectral features and was presented among "distractor" echoes with IHIs from 50 to 500 μs (i.e., microspectra) and various highlight durations (i.e., macrospectra). Following acquisition of this discrimination task, probe echo complexes with the macrospectrum of the target but IHIs matching the distractors were infrequently presented. Both dolphins initially responded more often to probes with IHIs of 80-200 μs. Response strategies diverged with increasing probe presentations; one dolphin responded to a progressively narrower range of probe IHIs while the second increased response rates for probes with IHIs > 250 μs. These results support previous conclusions that perception of macrospectra for complex echoes is nonconstant as the IHI decreases below ∼100 μs, but results approaching and exceeding 250 μs-the temporal window upper boundary-were more ambiguous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa W Accomando
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Jason Mulsow
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - James J Finneran
- U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific Code 56710, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
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Branstetter BK, Brietenstein R, Goya G, Tormey M, Wu T, Finneran JJ. Spatial acuity of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) biosonar system with a bat and human comparison. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:3847. [PMID: 35778192 DOI: 10.1121/10.0011676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal angular resolution was measured in two bottlenose dolphins using a two-alternative forced-choice, biosonar target discrimination paradigm. The task required a stationary dolphin positioned in a hoop to discriminate two physical targets at a range of 4 m. The angle separating the targets was manipulated to estimate an angular discrimination threshold of 1.5°. In a second experiment, a similar two-target biosonar discrimination task was conducted with one free-swimming dolphin, to test whether its emission beam was a critical factor in discriminating the targets. The spatial separation between two targets was manipulated to measure a discrimination threshold of 6.7 cm. There was a relationship between differences in acoustic signals received at each target and the dolphin's performance. The results of the angular resolution experiment were in good agreement with measures of the minimum audible angle of both dolphins and humans and remarkably similar to measures of angular difference discrimination in echolocating dolphins, bats, and humans. The results suggest that horizontal auditory spatial acuity may be a common feature of the mammalian auditory system rather than a specialized feature exclusive to echolocating auditory predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Branstetter
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Rachel Brietenstein
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Gavin Goya
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Megan Tormey
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Teri Wu
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - James J Finneran
- United States Navy Marine Mammal Program, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California 92152, USA
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Malinka CE, Rojano-Doñate L, Madsen PT. Directional biosonar beams allow echolocating harbour porpoises to actively discriminate and intercept closely spaced targets. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271830. [PMID: 34387665 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Echolocating toothed whales face the problem that high sound speeds in water mean that echoes from closely spaced targets will arrive at time delays within their reported auditory integration time of some 264 µs. Here, we test the hypothesis that echolocating harbour porpoises cannot resolve and discriminate targets within a clutter interference zone given by their integration time. To do this, we trained two harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) to actively approach and choose between two spherical targets at four varying inter-target distances (13.5, 27, 56 and 108 cm) in a two-alternative forced-choice task. The free-swimming, blindfolded porpoises were tagged with a sound and movement tag (DTAG4) to record their echoic scene and acoustic outputs. The known ranges between targets and the porpoise, combined with the sound levels received on target-mounted hydrophones revealed how the porpoises controlled their acoustic gaze. When targets were close together, the discrimination task was more difficult because of smaller echo time delays and lower echo level ratios between the targets. Under these conditions, buzzes were longer and started from farther away, source levels were reduced at short ranges, and the porpoises clicked faster, scanned across the targets more, and delayed making their discrimination decision until closer to the target. We conclude that harbour porpoises can resolve and discriminate closely spaced targets, suggesting a clutter rejection zone much shorter than their auditory integration time, and that such clutter rejection is greatly aided by spatial filtering with their directional biosonar beam.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe E Malinka
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Laia Rojano-Doñate
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
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Ming C, Haro S, Simmons AM, Simmons JA. A comprehensive computational model of animal biosonar signal processing. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008677. [PMID: 33596199 PMCID: PMC7888678 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational models of animal biosonar seek to identify critical aspects of echo processing responsible for the superior, real-time performance of echolocating bats and dolphins in target tracking and clutter rejection. The Spectrogram Correlation and Transformation (SCAT) model replicates aspects of biosonar imaging in both species by processing wideband biosonar sounds and echoes with auditory mechanisms identified from experiments with bats. The model acquires broadband biosonar broadcasts and echoes, represents them as time-frequency spectrograms using parallel bandpass filters, translates the filtered signals into ten parallel amplitude threshold levels, and then operates on the resulting time-of-occurrence values at each frequency to estimate overall echo range delay. It uses the structure of the echo spectrum by depicting it as a series of local frequency nulls arranged regularly along the frequency axis of the spectrograms after dechirping them relative to the broadcast. Computations take place entirely on the timing of threshold-crossing events for each echo relative to threshold-events for the broadcast. Threshold-crossing times take into account amplitude-latency trading, a physiological feature absent from conventional digital signal processing. Amplitude-latency trading transposes the profile of amplitudes across frequencies into a profile of time-registrations across frequencies. Target shape is extracted from the spacing of the object's individual acoustic reflecting points, or glints, using the mutual interference pattern of peaks and nulls in the echo spectrum. These are merged with the overall range-delay estimate to produce a delay-based reconstruction of the object's distance as well as its glints. Clutter echoes indiscriminately activate multiple parts in the null-detecting system, which then produces the equivalent glint-delay spacings in images, thus blurring the overall echo-delay estimates by adding spurious glint delays to the image. Blurring acts as an anticorrelation process that rejects clutter intrusion into perceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Ming
- Department of Neuroscience and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Providence, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Haro
- Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology, Harvard University, Boston, United States of America
| | - Andrea Megela Simmons
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Providence, United States of America
| | - James A. Simmons
- Department of Neuroscience and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University Providence, United States of America
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Finneran JJ, Mulsow J, Strahan MG, Houser DS, Burkard RF. Role of the temporal window in dolphin auditory brainstem response onset. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:3360. [PMID: 33261407 DOI: 10.1121/10.0002703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to linear-enveloped, broadband noisebursts were measured in six bottlenose dolphins to examine relationships between sound onset envelope properties and the ABR peak amplitude. Two stimulus manipulations were utilized: (1) stimulus onset envelope pressure rate-of-change was held constant while plateau pressure and risetime were varied and (2) plateau duration was varied while plateau pressure and risetime were held constant. When the stimulus onset envelope pressure rate-of-change was held constant, ABR amplitudes increased with risetime and were fit well with an exponential growth model. The model best-fit time constants for ABR peaks P1 and N5 were 55 and 64 μs, respectively, meaning ABRs reached 99% of their maximal amplitudes for risetimes of 275-320 μs. When plateau pressure and risetime were constant, ABR amplitudes increased linearly with stimulus sound exposure level up to durations of ∼250 μs. The results highlight the relationship between ABR amplitude and the integral of some quantity related to the stimulus pressure envelope over the first ∼250 μs following stimulus onset-a time interval consistent with prior estimates of the dolphin auditory temporal window, also known as the "critical interval" in hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Finneran
- United States Navy Marine Mammal Program, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific Code 56710, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
| | - Jason Mulsow
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive Number 200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Madelyn G Strahan
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive Number 200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive Number 200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Robert F Burkard
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, University at Buffalo, 626 Kimball Tower, Buffalo, New York 14214, USA
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