Zebra finches are sensitive to combinations of temporally distributed features in a model of word recognition.

Discrimination between spoken words composed of overlapping elements, such as "captain" and "captive," relies on sensitivity to unique combinations of prefix and suffix elements that span a "uniqueness point" where the word candidates diverge. To model such combinatorial processing, adult female zebra finches were trained to discriminate between target and distractor syllable sequences that shared overlapping "contextual" prefixes and differed only in their "informative" suffixes. The transition from contextual to informative syllables thus created a uniqueness point analogous to that present between overlapping word candidates, where targets and distractors diverged. It was found that target recognition depended not only on informative syllables, but also on contextual syllables that were shared with distractors. Moreover, the influence of each syllable depended on proximity to the uniqueness point. Birds were then trained birds with targets and distractors that shared both prefix and suffix sequences and could only be discriminated by recognizing unique combinations of those sequences. Birds learned to robustly discriminate target and distractor combinations and maintained significant discrimination when the local transitions from prefix to suffix were disrupted. These findings indicate that birds, like humans, combine information across temporally distributed features, spanning contextual and informative elements, in recognizing and discriminating word-like stimuli.

Effective biosonar echo-to-clutter rejection ratio in a complex dynamic scene.

Biosonar guidance in a rapidly changing complex scene was examined by flying big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) through a Y-shaped maze composed of rows of strongly reflective vertical plastic chains that presented the bat with left and right corridors for passage. Corridors were 80-100 cm wide and 2-4 m long. Using the two-choice Y-shaped paradigm to compensate for left-right bias and spatial memory, a moveable, weakly reflective thin-net barrier randomly blocked the left or right corridor, interspersed with no-barrier trials. Flight path and beam aim were tracked using an array of 24 microphones surrounding the flight room. Each bat flew on a path centered in the entry corridor (base of Y) and then turned into the left or right passage, to land on the far wall or to turn abruptly, reacting to avoid a collision. Broadcasts were broadly beamed in the direction of flight, smoothly leading into an upcoming turn. Duration of broadcasts decreased slowly from 3 to 2 ms during flights to track the chains' progressively closer ranges. Broadcast features and flight velocity changed abruptly about 1 m from the barrier, indicating that echoes from the net were perceived even though they were 18-35 dB weaker than overlapping echoes from surrounding chains.

Spatial memory and stereotypy of flight paths by big brown bats in cluttered surroundings.

The big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, uses echolocation for foraging and orientation. The limited operating range of biosonar implies that bats must rely upon spatial memory in familiar spaces with dimensions larger than a few meters. Prior experiments with bats flying in obstacle arrays have revealed differences in flight and acoustic emission patterns depending on the density and spatial extent of the obstacles. Using the same method, combined with acoustic microphone array tracking, we flew big brown bats in an obstacle array that varied in density and distribution in different locations in the flight room. In the initial experiment, six bats learned individually stereotyped flight patterns as they became familiar with the space. After the first day, the repetition rate of sonar broadcasts dropped to a stable level, consistent with low-density clutter. In a second experiment, after acquiring their stable paths, each bat was released from each of two unfamiliar locations in the room. Each bat still followed the same flight path it learned originally. In a third experiment, performed 1 month after the first two experiments, three of the bats were re-flown in the same configuration of obstacles; these three resumed flying in their accustomed path. The other three bats were flown in a mirror-image reconfiguration of the obstacles; these bats quickly found stable flight paths that differed from their originally learned paths. Overall, the flight patterns indicate that the bats perceive the cluttered space as a single scene through which they develop globally organized flight paths.

Movements of Rana catesbeiana tadpoles in weak current flows resemble a directed random walk.

Current flow is an important biological stimulus for larval anuran amphibians, but little is known about how it is perceived. We quantified behavioral responses to controlled water flow in the bullfrog tadpole (Rana catesbeiana) at developmental stages prior to metamorphic climax, and examined the contribution of a functioning lateral line system to these behaviors. Tadpoles at these developmental stages show a significant preference for the sides and bottom of a flow tank. In response to water flow at three different rates, they exhibit a significant, time-dependent tendency to move downstream, away from the source of the flow, and to remain in areas where flow is minimized. The consistency of these behaviors at all tested flow rates suggests that the animals are not simply passively pushed by the current; instead, they actively swim away from the current source. Tadpoles do not exhibit positive rheotaxis towards the source of the flow at any flow rate but as a group are randomly oriented. Treatment with cobalt chloride, a known blocker of superficial neuromast function, significantly reduces the tendency to move downstream, but does not alter the preference for the sides and bottom of the tank. Tadpoles' movements under flow are consistent with a model of locomotion based on a directed random walk.

Spatial location influences vocal interactions in bullfrog choruses.

A multiple sensor array was employed to identify the spatial locations of all vocalizing male bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) in five natural choruses. Patterns of vocal activity collected with this array were compared with computer simulations of chorus activity. Bullfrogs were not randomly spaced within choruses, but tended to cluster into closely spaced groups of two to five vocalizing males. There were nonrandom, differing patterns of vocal interactions within clusters of closely spaced males and between different clusters. Bullfrogs located within the same cluster tended to overlap or alternate call notes with two or more other males in that cluster. These near-simultaneous calling bouts produced advertisement calls with more pronounced amplitude modulation than occurred in nonoverlapping notes or calls. Bullfrogs located in different clusters more often alternated entire calls or overlapped only small segments of their calls. They also tended to respond sequentially to calls of their farther neighbors compared to their nearer neighbors. Results of computational analyses showed that the observed patterns of vocal interactions were significantly different than expected based on random activity. The use of a multiple sensor array provides a richer view of the dynamics of choruses than available based on single microphone techniques.