1
|
Jenkins KM, Foster W, Napoli JG, Meyer DL, Bever GS, Bhullar BAS. Cranial anatomy and phylogenetic affinities of Bolosaurus major, with new information on the unique bolosaurid feeding apparatus and evolution of the impedance-matching ear. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 39072999 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25546] [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: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Resolving the phylogenetic relationships of early amniotes, in particular stem reptiles, remains a difficult problem. Three-dimensional morphological analysis of well-preserved stem-reptile specimens can reveal important anatomical data and clarify regions of phylogeny. Here, we present the first thorough description of the unusual early Permian stem reptile Bolosaurus major, including the first comprehensive description of a bolosaurid braincase. We describe previously obscured details of the palate, allowing for insight into bolosaurid feeding mechanics. Aspects of the rostrum, palate, mandible, and neurocranium suggest that B. major had a particularly strong bite. We additionally found B. major has a surprisingly slender stapes, similar to that of the middle Permian stem reptile Macroleter poezicus, which may suggest enhanced hearing abilities compared to other Paleozoic amniotes (e.g., captorhinids). We incorporated our new anatomical information into a large phylogenetic matrix (150 OTUs, 590 characters) to explore the relationship of Bolosauridae among stem reptiles. Our analyses generally recovered a paraphyletic "Parareptilia," and found Bolosauridae to diverge after Captorhinidae + Araeoscelidia. We also included B. major within a smaller matrix (10 OTUs, 27 characters) designed to explore the interrelationships of Bolosauridae and found all species of Bolosaurus to be monophyletic. While reptile relationships still require further investigation, our phylogeny suggests repeated evolution of impedance-matching ears in Paleozoic stem reptiles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Jenkins
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - William Foster
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - James G Napoli
- Division of Paleontology, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dalton L Meyer
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Gabriel S Bever
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Young BA, Cramberg M. The anatomical basis of amphibious hearing in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:198-207. [PMID: 37259899 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25272] [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: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The different velocities of sound (pressure waves) in air and water make auditory source localization a challenge for amphibious animals. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has an extracolumellar cartilage that abuts the deep surface of the tympanic membrane, and then expands in size beyond the caudal margin of the tympanum. This extracolumellar expansion is the insertion site for two antagonistic skeletal muscles, the tensor tympani, and the depressor tympani. These muscles function to modulate the tension in the tympanic membrane, presumably as part of the well-developed submergence reflex of Alligator. All crocodilians, including Alligator, have internally coupled ears in which paratympanic sinuses connect the contralateral middle ear cavities. The temporal performance of internally coupled ears is determined, in part, by the tension of the tympanic membrane. Switching between a "tensed" and "relaxed" tympanic membrane may allow Alligator to compensate for the increased velocity of sound underwater and, in this way, use a single auditory map for sound localization in two very different physical environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruce A Young
- Department of Anatomy, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Cramberg
- Department of Anatomy, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kirksville, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fritzsch B, Elliott KL. Fish hearing revealed: Do we understand hearing in critical fishes and marine tetrapods. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:3019-3026. [PMID: 37955566 PMCID: PMC10769566 DOI: 10.1121/10.0022355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Hearing evolved in lampreys with a frequency range of 50-200 Hz. This hearing range is comparable to that of elasmobranchs, most non-teleosts, and lungfish. Elasmobranchs most likely use the saccule and the papilla neglecta (PN) for hearing. In non-teleosts and teleosts, lungfish, and certain tetrapods the saccule is the likely sensor for sound reception while the lagena and the PN are important for gravistatic sensing. Coelacanth and most tetrapods have a basilar papilla (BP) for hearing. In coelacanth and tetrapods, the hair cells of the BP are in contact with a basilar and a tectorial membrane. These membranes transmit mechanical vibrations. A cochlear aqueduct (CA) provides a connection between the cerebrospinal fluid that has a sodium rich space in coelacanth and tetrapods while the potassium rich endolymph is known in vertebrates. A unique feature is known in basic sarcopterygians, the intracranial joint, that never developed in actinopterygians and has been lost in lungfish and tetrapods. The BP in coelacanths is thought to generate pressure with the intracranial joint that will be transmitted to the CA. Lungs or a swim bladder are not forming in Chondrichthyes, structures that have a major impact on hearing in teleosts and tetrapods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Karen L Elliott
- Department of Biology & Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Han D, Carr CE. Central projections of auditory nerve fibers in the western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus). J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:1261-1273. [PMID: 37245999 PMCID: PMC10590474 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25495] [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: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Despite the absence of tympanic middle ears, snakes can hear. They are thought to primarily detect substrate vibration via connections between the lower jaw and the inner ear. We used the western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) to determine how vibration is processed in the brain. We measured vibration-evoked potential recordings to reveal sensitivity to low-frequency vibrations. We then used tract tracing combined with immunohistochemistry and Nissl staining to describe the central projections of the papillar branch of the VIIIth nerve. Applications of biotinylated dextran amine to the basilar papilla (homologous to the organ of Corti of mammals) labeled bouton-like terminals in two first-order cochlear nuclei, a rostrolateral nucleus angularis (NA) and a caudomedial nucleus magnocellularis (NM). NA formed a distinct dorsal eminence, consisted of heterogenous cell types, and was parvalbumin positive. NM was smaller and poorly separated from the surrounding vestibular nuclei. NM was distinguished by positive calbindin label and included fusiform and round cells. Thus, the atympanate western rat snake shares similar first-order projections to tympanate reptiles. Auditory pathways may be used for detecting vibration, not only in snakes but also potentially in atympanate early tetrapods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Han
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Catherine E. Carr
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Capshaw G, Brown AD, Peña JL, Carr CE, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Tollin DJ, Womack MC, McCullagh EA. The continued importance of comparative auditory research to modern scientific discovery. Hear Res 2023; 433:108766. [PMID: 37084504 PMCID: PMC10321136 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2023.108766] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
A rich history of comparative research in the auditory field has afforded a synthetic view of sound information processing by ears and brains. Some organisms have proven to be powerful models for human hearing due to fundamental similarities (e.g., well-matched hearing ranges), while others feature intriguing differences (e.g., atympanic ears) that invite further study. Work across diverse "non-traditional" organisms, from small mammals to avians to amphibians and beyond, continues to propel auditory science forward, netting a variety of biomedical and technological advances along the way. In this brief review, limited primarily to tetrapod vertebrates, we discuss the continued importance of comparative studies in hearing research from the periphery to central nervous system with a focus on outstanding questions such as mechanisms for sound capture, peripheral and central processing of directional/spatial information, and non-canonical auditory processing, including efferent and hormonal effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace Capshaw
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
| | - Andrew D Brown
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - José L Peña
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Catherine E Carr
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Tollin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Molly C Womack
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
| | - Elizabeth A McCullagh
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rich acoustic landscapes dominated the Mesozoic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220459120. [PMID: 36623182 PMCID: PMC9933097 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220459120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
|
7
|
Gerhardt HC, Bee MA, Christensen-Dalsgaard J. Neuroethology of sound localization in anurans. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:115-129. [PMID: 36201014 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01576-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Albert Feng pioneered the study of neuroethology of sound localization in anurans by combining behavioral experiments on phonotaxis with detailed investigations of neural processing of sound direction from the periphery to the central nervous system. The main advantage of these studies is that many species of female frogs readily perform phonotaxis towards loudspeakers emitting the species-specific advertisement call. Behavioral studies using synthetic calls can identify which parameters are important for phonotaxis and also quantify localization accuracy. Feng was the first to investigate binaural processing using single-unit recordings in the first two auditory nuclei in the central auditory pathway and later investigated the directional properties of auditory nerve fibers with free-field stimulation. These studies showed not only that the frog ear is inherently directional by virtue of acoustical coupling or crosstalk between the two eardrums, but also confirmed that there are extratympanic pathways that affect directionality in the low-frequency region of the frog's hearing range. Feng's recordings in the midbrain also showed that directional information is enhanced by cross-midline inhibition. An important contribution toward the end of his career involved his participation in neuroethological research with a team of scientists working with frogs that produce ultrasonic calls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Carl Gerhardt
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|