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Johannes Schul - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Phonotaxis to male's calls embedded within a chorus by female gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor.
Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2010Co-Authors: Kevin Christie, Johannes Schul, Albert S. FengAbstract:During the reproductive season, male Hyla versicolor produce advertisement calls to attract females. Females exhibit Phonotaxis and approach the individual callers, resulting in amplexus. For frogs that call from dense choruses, the extent to which and the range from which a male’s advertisement call within a chorus can be heard by a receptive female leading to Phonotaxis is unclear. We investigated females’ responses to natural choruses in the field and found that they were attracted and showed directed orientation to breeding choruses at distances up to 100 m. To assess the role of acoustic cues in the directed orientation, we conducted acoustic playback experiments in the laboratory using conspecific call and noise as stimuli, as well as chorus sounds (that contained calls from a focal male) recorded at various distances, all played at naturalistic intensities. Using two response metrics (females’ normalized response times and their Phonotaxis trajectories) we found that, unlike the field experiments, females oriented and were attracted to chorus sounds from 1 to 32 m only, but not from >32 m, or to band-limited noise. Possible reasons for the observed difference in Phonotaxis behavior in the two experimental conditions were discussed.
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Phonotaxis to male's calls embedded within a chorus by female gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor A Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology
Journal of Comparative Physiology A-neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology, 2010Co-Authors: Kevin Christie, Johannes Schul, Albert S. FengAbstract:During the reproductive season, male Hyla versicolor produce advertisement calls to attract females. Females exhibit Phonotaxis and approach the individual callers, resulting in amplexus. For frogs that call from dense choruses, the extent to which and the range from which a male's advertisement call within a chorus can be heard by a receptive female leading to Phonotaxis is unclear. We investigated females' responses to natural choruses in the field and found that they were attracted and showed directed orientation to breeding choruses at distances up to 100 m. To assess the role of acoustic cues in the directed orientation, we conducted acoustic playback experiments in the laboratory using conspecific call and noise as stimuli, as well as chorus sounds (that contained calls from a focal male) recorded at various distances, all played at naturalistic intensities. Using two response metrics (females' normalized response times and their Phonotaxis trajectories) we found that, unlike the field experiments, females oriented and were attracted to chorus sounds from 1 to 32 m only, but not from >32 m, or to band-limited noise. Possible reasons for the observed difference in Phonotaxis behavior in the two experimental conditions were discussed.
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Spectral selectivity during Phonotaxis: a comparative study in Neoconocephalus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).
Journal of Experimental Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Joshua A. Deily, Johannes SchulAbstract:The calls of male Neoconocephalus have most energy concentrated in a relatively narrow low-frequency band. In N. robustus this low-frequency band is centered around 7 kHz, whereas calls of N. nebrascensis and N. bivocatus have center frequencies close to 10 kHz. The importance of the position of the low-frequency band for female Phonotaxis in these three species was determined using a walking compensator. Female N. robustus showed significant Phonotaxis towards call frequencies from 5 to 10 kHz, and spectral selectivity towards higher frequencies did not change with stimulus amplitude. Significant responses in N. nebrascensis and N. bivocatus occurred at significantly higher frequency ranges than in N. robustus. In these species, spectral selectivity changed with stimulus amplitude; at 68 dB sound pressure level (SPL), upper cut-off frequency was significantly lower than at 80 dB SPL in both species. Adding a higher harmonic to the conspecific carrier frequency had a strong inhibitory effect on Phonotaxis in N. robustus: at higher relative amplitudes of the harmonic, Phonotaxis was completely suppressed. Adding a higher harmonic to the conspecific carrier frequency had a much weaker but significant inhibitory effect in N. nebrascensis and little, if any, effect in N. bivocatus. The processing of song spectrum in the sensory system is discussed with regard to the differences in spectral selectivity among the three species. The sharp spectral selectivity of N. robustus is interpreted as an adaptation for species isolation.
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Phonotaxis in Hyla versicolor (Anura, Hylidae): the effect of absolute call amplitude
Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2004Co-Authors: Oliver M. Beckers, Johannes SchulAbstract:The influence of call amplitude on Phonotaxis in female Hyla versicolor was studied using a no-choice paradigm. One set of experiments estimated effects of stimulus amplitude on Phonotaxis toward a synthetic model of a conspecific call. The response strength increased with amplitude from the behavioral threshold (37–43 dB SPL) up to 79 dB SPL and then decreased at higher amplitudes. Females approached the loudspeaker with short walking bouts (≈1 s duration) occurring immediately after call presentations. Increase in response strength was attributed to an increasing proportion of calls that elicited such walking bouts, whereas the decrease at high amplitudes resulted from decreasing distance covered per bout. The quality of orientation remained constant for all above-threshold amplitudes. A second set of experiments tested the selectivity for interval duration and pulse duration at amplitudes of 55, 70, and 85 dB SPL. Selectivity for both parameters was similar at 70 and 85 dB SPL, but tended to increase at 55 dB SPL. The results suggest that selective Phonotaxis in H. versicolor is not adapted for long-distance communication. This finding differs from those of comparable studies of acoustic insects.
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Phonotaxis in Hyla versicolor (Anura, Hylidae): the effect of absolute call amplitude.
Journal of comparative physiology. A Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology, 2004Co-Authors: Oliver M. Beckers, Johannes SchulAbstract:The influence of call amplitude on Phonotaxis in female Hyla versicolor was studied using a no-choice paradigm. One set of experiments estimated effects of stimulus amplitude on Phonotaxis toward a synthetic model of a conspecific call. The response strength increased with amplitude from the behavioral threshold (37-43 dB SPL) up to 79 dB SPL and then decreased at higher amplitudes. Females approached the loudspeaker with short walking bouts (approximately 1 s duration) occurring immediately after call presentations. Increase in response strength was attributed to an increasing proportion of calls that elicited such walking bouts, whereas the decrease at high amplitudes resulted from decreasing distance covered per bout. The quality of orientation remained constant for all above-threshold amplitudes. A second set of experiments tested the selectivity for interval duration and pulse duration at amplitudes of 55, 70, and 85 dB SPL. Selectivity for both parameters was similar at 70 and 85 dB SPL, but tended to increase at 55 dB SPL. The results suggest that selective Phonotaxis in H. versicolor is not adapted for long-distance communication. This finding differs from those of comparable studies of acoustic insects.
Berthold Hedwig - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Substrate texture affects female cricket walking response to male calling song.
Royal Society open science, 2018Co-Authors: Edith Julieta Sarmiento-ponce, Michael P.f. Sutcliffe, Berthold HedwigAbstract:Field crickets are extensively used as a model organism to study female phonotactic walking behaviour, i.e. their attraction to the male calling song. Laboratory-based Phonotaxis experiments generally rely on arena or trackball-based settings; however, no attention has been paid to the effect of substrate texture on the response. Here, we tested Phonotaxis in female Gryllus bimaculatus, walking on trackballs machined from methyl-methacrylate foam with different cell sizes. Surface height variations of the trackballs, due to the cellular composition of the material, were measured with profilometry and characterized as smooth, medium or rough, with roughness amplitudes of 7.3, 16 and 180 µm. Female Phonotaxis was best on a rough and medium trackball surface, a smooth surface resulted in a significant lower phonotactic response. Claws of the cricket foot were crucial for effective walking. Females insert their claws into the surface pores to allow mechanical interlocking with the substrate texture and a high degree of attachment, which cannot be established on smooth surfaces. These findings provide insight to the biomechanical basis of insect walking and may inform behavioural studies that the surface texture on which walking insects are tested is crucial for the resulting behavioural response.
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behavioural integration of auditory and antennal stimulation during Phonotaxis in the field cricket gryllus bimaculatus degeer
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2016Co-Authors: Hannah Haberkern, Berthold HedwigAbstract:Animals need to flexibly respond to stimuli from their environment without compromising behavioural consistency. For example, female crickets orienting toward a conspecific male's calling song in search of a mating partner need to stay responsive to other signals that provide information about obstacles and predators. Here, we investigate how spontaneously walking crickets and crickets engaging in acoustically guided goal-directed navigation, i.e. Phonotaxis, respond to mechanosensory stimuli detected by their long antennae. We monitored walking behaviour of female crickets on a trackball during lateral antennal stimulation, which was achieved by moving a wire mesh transiently into reach of one antenna. During antennal stimulation alone, females reduced their walking speed, oriented toward the object and actively explored it with antennal movements. Additionally, some crickets initially turned away from the approaching object. Females responded in a similar way when the antennal stimulus was presented during ongoing Phonotaxis: forward velocity was reduced and phonotactic steering was suppressed while the females turned toward and explored the object. Further, rapid steering bouts to individual chirps, typical for female Phonotaxis, no longer occurred. Our data reveal that in this experimental situation, antennal stimulation overrides Phonotaxis for extended time periods. Phonotaxis in natural environments, which require the integration of multiple sensory cues, may therefore be more variable than Phonotaxis measured under ideal laboratory conditions. Combining this new behavioural paradigm with neurophysiological methods will show where the sensory-motor integration of antennal and acoustic stimulation occurs and how this is achieved on a mechanistic level.
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Behavioural integration of auditory and antennal stimulation during Phonotaxis in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus.
The Journal of experimental biology, 2016Co-Authors: Hannah Haberkern, Berthold HedwigAbstract:Animals need to flexibly respond to stimuli from their environment without compromising behavioural consistency. For example, female crickets orienting toward a conspecific male's calling song in search of a mating partner need to stay responsive to other signals that provide information about obstacles and predators. Here, we investigate how spontaneously walking crickets and crickets engaging in acoustically guided goal-directed navigation, i.e. Phonotaxis, respond to mechanosensory stimuli detected by their long antennae. We monitored walking behaviour of female crickets on a trackball during lateral antennal stimulation, which was achieved by moving a wire mesh transiently into reach of one antenna. During antennal stimulation alone, females reduced their walking speed, oriented toward the object and actively explored it with antennal movements. Additionally, some crickets initially turned away from the approaching object. Females responded in a similar way when the antennal stimulus was presented during ongoing Phonotaxis: forward velocity was reduced and phonotactic steering was suppressed while the females turned toward and explored the object. Further, rapid steering bouts to individual chirps, typical for female Phonotaxis, no longer occurred. Our data reveal that in this experimental situation, antennal stimulation overrides Phonotaxis for extended time periods. Phonotaxis in natural environments, which require the integration of multiple sensory cues, may therefore be more variable than Phonotaxis measured under ideal laboratory conditions. Combining this new behavioural paradigm with neurophysiological methods will show where the sensory-motor integration of antennal and acoustic stimulation occurs and how this is achieved on a mechanistic level.
Hiroto Ogawa - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Internal state transition to switch behavioral strategies in cricket Phonotaxis.
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2020Co-Authors: Naoto Hommaru, Hisashi Shidara, Noriyasu Ando, Hiroto OgawaAbstract:ABSTRACTAnimals employ multiple behavioral strategies for exploring food and mating partners based on both their internal state and external environment. Here, we examined how cricket Phonotaxis, which was considered an innate reactive behavior of females to approach the calling song of conspecific males, depended on these internal and external conditions. Our observation revealed that the Phonotaxis process consisted of two distinctive phases: wandering and approaching. In the latter phase, crickets moved directly towards the sound source. The transition into this phase, referred to as the ‘approach phase’, was based on changes in the animal's internal state. Moreover, retention of the approach phase required recognition of the calling song, while song loss downregulated cricket mobility and induced frequent stopping. This is a typical movement in local search behaviors. Our results indicate that Phonotaxis is not only a reactive response but a complicated process including multiple behavioral strategies.
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internal state transition to switch behavioral strategies in cricket Phonotaxis
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2020Co-Authors: Naoto Hommaru, Hisashi Shidara, Noriyasu Ando, Hiroto OgawaAbstract:Animals employ multiple behavioral strategies for exploring food and mating partners based on both their internal state and external environment. Here, we examined how cricket Phonotaxis, which was considered an innate reactive behavior of females to approach the calling song of conspecific males, depended on these internal and external conditions. Our observation revealed that the Phonotaxis process consisted of two distinctive phases: wandering and approaching. In the latter phase, crickets moved straightly and directly toward the sound source. The transition into this phase, referred to as the ‘approach phase’, was based on changes in animal9s internal state. Moreover, retention of the approach phase required recognition of the calling song while song loss downregulated cricket mobility and induced frequent stopping. This is a typical movement in local search behaviors. Our results indicate that Phonotaxis is not only a reactive response but a complicated process including multiple behavioral strategies.
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Living Machines - Auditory-Visual Virtual Reality for the Study of Multisensory Integration in Insect Navigation
Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems, 2019Co-Authors: Koki Makino, Naoto Hommaru, Hisashi Shidara, Noriyasu Ando, Ryohei Kanzaki, Hiroto OgawaAbstract:Insects have the ability to navigate through a complex environment. It has been reported that using multisensory information improves their ability to navigate. To reveal when and how insects utilize multiple sensory information, we developed a multisensory virtual reality system for crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus), which enables us to manipulate auditory and visual stimuli from every direction. We investigated how visual information influenced their Phonotaxis towards a conspecific male calling song. Our results showed that crickets exhibit Phonotaxis under virtual reality and that a visual target with a sound source reduced the variability of the body angle towards the source. These results suggested the possibility that crickets utilize visual cues to localize sound sources. Further investigation with our system will reveal how crickets effectively utilize multiple sensory information in complex environments.
Michael J. Ryan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Temporal updating during Phonotaxis in male túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus)
Amphibia-Reptilia, 2010Co-Authors: Alexander T. Baugh, Michael J. RyanAbstract:AbstractIn acoustically advertising anurans the male courtship call elicits species-typical responses from conspecifics – usually phonotactic approach and mate choice in gravid females and an evoked vocal response in adult males. Males in several species, however, are also known to perform Phonotaxis, sometimes with the same acoustic preferences as females. Female túngara frogs are known to update their phonotactic approach as male advertisement signals change dynamically in attractiveness. Here we show that males also perform such temporal updating during Phonotaxis in response to dynamic playbacks. While males exhibit slower phonotactic approaches than females, their responsiveness to dynamic changes in call complexity does not differ significantly compared to females. These results demonstrate that males are sensitive to the location of preferred call types on a moment-to-moment basis and suggest that similarities between male and female sexual behaviour in anurans might often be overlooked. We suggest that anuran Phonotaxis is more widespread and serves different functions in reproductive females and males. Lastly, these temporal updating results suggest that male frogs are highly selective about site selection in a chorus.
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The development of sexual behavior in túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus).
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington D.C. : 1983), 2010Co-Authors: Alexander T. Baugh, Michael J. RyanAbstract:We examined the emergence of a critical component of sex, response to sexual signals-Phonotaxis-in male and female tungara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus). We determined the ontogenetic trajectories of phonotactic responses as animals developed from metamorphic froglets to reproductive adults. The results demonstrated that species-typical Phonotaxis emerges quite early during postmetamorphic development, well before sexual maturity, suggesting that a developmentally early bias in the auditory system for species-typical signals might be a more general phenomenon than previously thought, and that the neural circuits responsible for processing and responding to conspecific advertisement signals in a species-typical manner might develop long before the coordinated behavior is demanded of the organism.
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SPECIES RECOGNITION AND SEXUAL SELECTION AS A UNITARY PROBLEM IN ANIMAL COMMUNICATION.
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 1993Co-Authors: Michael J. Ryan, A. Stanley RandAbstract:We investigated patterns of mating call preference and mating call recognition by examining Phonotaxis of female tungara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus, in response to conspecific and heterospecific calls. There are four results: females always prefer conspecific calls; most heterospecific calls do not elicit Phonotaxis; some heterospecific calls do elicit Phonotaxis and thus are effective mate recognition signals; and females prefer conspecific calls to which a component of a heterospecific call has been added to a normal conspecific call. We use these data to illustrate how concepts of species recognition and sexual selection can be understood in a unitary framework by comparing the distribution of signal traits to female preference functions.
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UNITARY PROBLEM IN ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
1993Co-Authors: Michael J. Ryan, A. Stanley RandAbstract:We investigated pattems of mating call preference and mating call recognition by ex- amining Phonotaxis of female tuingara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus, in response to conspecific and heterospecific calls. There are four results: females always prefer conspecific calls; most hetero- specific calls do not elicit Phonotaxis; some heterospecific calls do elicit Phonotaxis and thus are effective mate recognition signals; and females prefer conspecific calls to which a component of a heterospecific call has been added to a normal conspecific call. We use these data to illustrate how concepts of species recognition and sexual selection can be understood in a unitary framework by comparing the distribution of signal traits to female preference functions.
Robert J. Young - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Neglecting the call of the wild: Captive frogs like the sound of their own voice.
PloS one, 2017Co-Authors: Luiza Figueiredo Passos, Gerardo Garcia, Robert J. YoungAbstract:Acoustic communication is highly influential in the expression of social behavior by anuran amphibians, transmitting information about the individual’s physical condition and motivation. We studied the phonotactic (approach movements) responses of wild and captive male golden mantella frogs to conspecific wild and captive playback calls to determine the impact of captivity on social behaviour mediated by vocalisations. Calls were recorded from one wild and two captive populations. Phonotaxis experiments were then conducted by attracting M. aurantiaca males across a PVC grid on the forest floor or enclosure floor to a speaker. For each playback, the following parameters were recorded to define the accuracy of Phonotaxis: (1) number of jumps; (2) jump angles; (3) jump distances; (4) path straightness. During this experiment we observed that wild frogs had a similar behavioural (Phonotaxis) response to calls independent of their source while frogs from Chester Zoo had a significantly stronger response to calls of other conspecifics held separately at Chester Zoo. The lack of appropriate Phonotaxis response by captive bred frogs to the calls of wild conspecifics could have serious negative conservation implications, if the captive bred individuals were released back to the wild.