Lung-to-ear sound transmission does not improve directional hearing in green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea).
J Exp Biol
; 223(Pt 20)2020 10 29.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32895324
ABSTRACT
Amphibians are unique among extant vertebrates in having middle ear cavities that are internally coupled to each other and to the lungs. In frogs, the lung-to-ear sound transmission pathway can influence the tympanum's inherent directionality, but what role such effects might play in directional hearing remains unclear. In this study of the American green treefrog (Hyla cinerea), we tested the hypothesis that the lung-to-ear sound transmission pathway functions to improve directional hearing, particularly in the context of intraspecific sexual communication. Using laser vibrometry, we measured the tympanum's vibration amplitude in females in response to a frequency modulated sweep presented from 12 sound incidence angles in azimuth. Tympanum directionality was determined across three states of lung inflation (inflated, deflated, reinflated) both for a single tympanum in the form of the vibration amplitude difference (VAD) and for binaural comparisons in the form of the interaural vibration amplitude difference (IVAD). The state of lung inflation had negligible effects (typically less than 0.5â
dB) on both VADs and IVADs at frequencies emphasized in the advertisement calls produced by conspecific males (834 and 2730â
Hz). Directionality at the peak resonance frequency of the lungs (1558â
Hz) was improved by â¼3â
dB for a single tympanum when the lungs were inflated versus deflated, but IVADs were not impacted by the state of lung inflation. Based on these results, we reject the hypothesis that the lung-to-ear sound transmission pathway functions to improve directional hearing in frogs.
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1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Localización de Sonidos
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Biol
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Dinamarca