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Joseph A Sisneros - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Swim bladder enhances lagenar sensitivity to sound pressure and higher frequencies in female plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus).
The Journal of experimental biology, 2020Co-Authors: Brooke J. Vetter, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:The plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) is an established model for investigating acoustic communication because the reproductive success of this species is dependent on the production and reception of social acoustic signals. Previous work showed that female midshipman have swim bladders with rostral horn-like extensions that project close to the saccule and lagena, while nesting (type I) males lack such rostral swim bladder extensions. The relative close proximity of the swim bladder to the lagena should increase auditory sensitivity to sound pressure and higher frequencies. Here, we test the hypothesis that the swim bladder of female midshipman enhances lagenar sensitivity to sound pressure and higher frequencies. Evoked potentials were recorded from auditory hair cell receptors in the lagena in reproductive females with intact (control condition) and removed (treated condition) swim bladders while pure tone stimuli (85-1005 Hz) were presented by an underwater speaker. Females with intact swim bladders had auditory thresholds 3-6 dB lower than females without swim bladders over a range of frequencies from 85 to 405 Hz. At frequencies from 545 to 1005 Hz, only females with intact swim bladders had measurable auditory thresholds (150-153 dB re. 1 µPa). The higher percentage of evoked lagenar potentials recorded in control females at frequencies >505 Hz indicates that the swim bladder extends the bandwidth of detectable frequencies. These findings reveal that the swim bladders in female midshipman can enhance lagenar sensitivity to sound pressure and higher frequencies, which may be important for the detection of behaviorally relevant social signals.
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auditory evoked potentials of the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus implications for directional hearing
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019Co-Authors: Andrew D Brown, Ruiyu Zeng, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:ABSTRACT The plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus) is an acoustically communicative teleost fish. Here, we evaluated auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in reproductive female midshipman exposed to tones at or near dominant frequencies of the male midshipman advertisement call. An initial series of experiments characterized AEPs at behaviorally relevant suprathreshold sound levels (130–140 dB SPL re. 1 µPa). AEPs decreased in magnitude with increasing stimulus frequency and featured a stereotyped component at twice the stimulus frequency. Recording electrode position was varied systematically and found to affect AEP magnitude and phase characteristics. Later experiments employed stimuli of a single frequency to evaluate contributions of the saccule to the AEP, with particular attention to the effects of sound source azimuth on AEP amplitude. Unilateral excision of saccular otoliths (sagittae) decreased AEP amplitude; unexpectedly, decreases differed for right versus left otolith excision. A final set of experiments manipulated the sound pressure-responsive swim bladder. Swim bladder excision further reduced the magnitude of AEP responses, effectively eliminating responses at the standard test intensity (130 dB SPL) in some animals. Higher-intensity stimulation yielded response minima at forward azimuths ipsilateral to the excised sagitta, but average cross-azimuth modulation generally remained slight. Collectively, the data underscore that electrode position is an essential variable to control in fish AEP studies and suggest that in female midshipman: (1) the saccule contributes to the AEP, but its directionality as indexed by the AEP is limited, (2) a left–right auditory asymmetry may exist and (3) the swim bladder provides gain in auditory sensitivity that may be important for advertisement call detection and phonotaxis.
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Sexually dimorphic swim bladder extensions enhance the auditory sensitivity of female plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus.
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019Co-Authors: Orphal Colleye, Robert A. Mohr, Brooke J. Vetter, Lane Seeley, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:ABSTRACT The plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, is a seasonally breeding, nocturnal marine teleost fish that produces acoustic signals for intraspecific social communication. Females rely on audition to detect and locate ‘singing’ males that produce multiharmonic advertisement calls in the shallow-water, intertidal breeding environments. Previous work showed that females possess sexually dimorphic, horn-like rostral swim bladder extensions that extend toward the primary auditory end organs, the saccule and lagena. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the rostral swim bladder extensions in females increase auditory sensitivity to sound pressure and higher frequencies, which potentially could enhance mate detection and localization in shallow-water habitats. We recorded the auditory evoked potentials that originated from hair cell receptors in the saccule of control females with intact swim bladders and compared them with those from treated females (swim bladders removed) and type I males (intact swim bladders lacking rostral extensions). Saccular potentials were recorded from hair cell populations in vivo while behaviorally relevant pure-tone stimuli (75–1005 Hz) were presented by an underwater speaker. The results indicate that control females were approximately 5–11 dB re. 1 µPa more sensitive to sound pressure than treated females and type I males at the frequencies tested. A higher percentage of the evoked saccular potentials were recorded from control females at frequencies >305 Hz than from treated females and type I males. This enhanced sensitivity in females to sound pressure and higher frequencies may facilitate the acquisition of auditory information needed for conspecific localization and mate choice decisions during the breeding season.
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Lagenar potentials of the vocal plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus
Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 2019Co-Authors: Brooke J. Vetter, Lane H. Seeley, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:The plainfin midshipman fish ( Porichthys notatus ) is a species of marine teleost that produces acoustic signals that are important for mediating social behavior. The auditory sensitivity of the saccule is well established in this species, but the sensitivity and function of the midshipman’s putative auditory lagena are unknown. Here, we characterize the auditory-evoked potentials from hair cells in the lagena of reproductive type I males to determine the frequency response and auditory sensitivity of the lagena to behaviorally relevant acoustic stimuli. Lagenar potentials were recorded from the caudal and medial region of the lagena, while acoustic stimuli were presented by an underwater speaker. Our results indicate that the midshipman lagena has a similar low-frequency sensitivity to that of the midshipman saccule based on sound pressure and acceleration (re: 1 µPa and 1 ms^−2, respectively), but the thresholds of the lagena were higher across all frequencies tested. The relatively high auditory thresholds of the lagena may be important for encoding high levels of behaviorally relevant acoustic stimuli when close to a sound source.
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brain activation patterns in response to conspecific and heterospecific social acoustic signals in female plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus
Brain Behavior and Evolution, 2018Co-Authors: Robert A. Mohr, Paul M. Forlano, Ashwin A. Bhandiwad, Yiran Chang, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:While the peripheral auditory system of fish has been well studied, less is known about how the fish's brain and central auditory system process complex social acoustic signals. The plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, has become a good species for investigating the neural basis of acoustic communication because the production and reception of acoustic signals is paramount for this species' reproductive success. Nesting males produce long-duration advertisement calls that females detect and localize among the noise in the intertidal zone to successfully find mates and spawn. How female midshipman are able to discriminate male advertisement calls from environmental noise and other acoustic stimuli is unknown. Using the immediate early gene product cFos as a marker for neural activity, we quantified neural activation of the ascending auditory pathway in female midshipman exposed to conspecific advertisement calls, heterospecific white seabass calls, or ambient environment noise. We hypothesized that auditory hindbrain nuclei would be activated by general acoustic stimuli (ambient noise and other biotic acoustic stimuli) whereas auditory neurons in the midbrain and forebrain would be selectively activated by conspecific advertisement calls. We show that neural activation in two regions of the auditory hindbrain, i.e., the rostral intermediate division of the descending octaval nucleus and the ventral division of the secondary octaval nucleus, did not differ via cFos immunoreactive (cFos-ir) activity when exposed to different acoustic stimuli. In contrast, female midshipman exposed to conspecific advertisement calls showed greater cFos-ir in the nucleus centralis of the midbrain torus semicircularis compared to fish exposed only to ambient noise. No difference in cFos-ir was observed in the torus semicircularis of animals exposed to conspecific versus heterospecific calls. However, cFos-ir was greater in two forebrain structures that receive auditory input, i.e., the central posterior nucleus of the thalamus and the anterior tuberal hypothalamus, when exposed to conspecific calls versus either ambient noise or heterospecific calls. Our results suggest that higher-order neurons in the female midshipman midbrain torus semicircularis, thalamic central posterior nucleus, and hypothalamic anterior tuberal nucleus may be necessary for the discrimination of complex social acoustic signals. Furthermore, neurons in the central posterior and anterior tuberal nuclei are differentially activated by exposure to conspecific versus other acoustic stimuli.
Andrew H. Bass - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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melatonin receptor expression in vocal auditory and neuroendocrine centers of a highly vocal fish the plainfin midshipman Porichthys notatus
The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2019Co-Authors: Ni Y Feng, Andrew H. Bass, Margaret A MarchaterreAbstract:Melatonin plays a central role in entraining activity to the day-night cycle in vertebrates. Here, we investigate neuroanatomical substrates of melatonin-dependent vocal-acoustic behavior in the nocturnal and highly vocal teleost fish, the plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus). Using in situ hybridization (ISH) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), we assess the mRNA distribution and transcript abundance of melatonin receptor subtype 1B (mel1b), shown to be important for vocalization in midshipman fish and songbirds. ISH shows robust mel1b expression in major nodes of the central vocal and auditory networks in the subpallium, preoptic area (POA), anterior hypothalamus, dorsal thalamus, posterior tuberculum, midbrain torus semicircularis and periaqueductal gray, and hindbrain. Mel1b label is also abundant in secondary targets of the olfactory, visual, and lateral line systems, as well as telencephalic regions that have been compared to the amygdala, extended amygdala, striatum, septum, and hippocampus of tetrapods. Q-PCR corroborates mel1b abundance throughout the brain and shows significant increases in the morning compared with nighttime in tissue samples inclusive of the telencephalon and POA, but remains stable in other brain regions. Plasma melatonin levels show expected increase at night. Our findings support the hypothesis that melatonin's stimulatory effects on vocal-acoustic mechanisms in midshipman is mediated, in part, by melatonin binding in vocal, auditory, and neuroendocrine centers. Together with robust mel1b expression in multiple telencephalic nuclei and sensory systems, the results further indicate an expression pattern comparable to that in birds and mammals that is indicative of melatonin's broad involvement in the modulation of physiology and behavior.
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Preoptic galanin neuron activation is specific to courtship reproductive tactic in fish with two male morphs
2019Co-Authors: Joel A. Tripp, Isabella Salas-allende, Andrea Makowski, Andrew H. BassAbstract:Species exhibiting alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) provide ideal models for investigating neural mechanisms underlying robust and consistent differences in social behavioral phenotypes between individuals within a single sex. Using phospho-S6 protein (pS6), a neural activity marker, we investigate the activation of galanin-expressing neurons in the preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (POA-AH) during ARTs in midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) that have two adult male morphs: type I9s that reproduce using an acoustic-dependent courtship tactic or a cuckolding tactic, and type II9s that only cuckold. The proportion of pS6-labelled galanin neurons increases during mating by courting type I males, but not cuckolders of either male morph or females, and is not explained by vocalization, eggs in the nest, or cuckolders present during mating. These differences within the same behavioral context indicate a male phenotype-specific role for galanin neurons in mating interactions, providing the most direct evidence to date for the role of a specific neuronal population in the differential activation of one mating behavior over the other in species exhibiting ARTs. More broadly, together with their known role in mammalian mating, the results suggest a deep-rooted, phylogenetically shared function for POA-AH galanin neurons in reproductive behavior. As such, these findings also provide new insights into the evolutionary relationship between POA-AH populations involved in social behavior regulation in teleosts, the most species-rich vertebrate group, with those in the more highly differentiated POA-AH of mammals.
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RESEARCH ARTICLE Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors
2013Co-Authors: Adam S Arterbery, David L. Deitcher, Daniel J. Fergus, Elizabeth A Fogarty, John Mayberry, Lee W Kraus, Andrew H. BassAbstract:Background: Corticosteroid receptors include mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. Teleost fishes have a single MR and duplicate GRs that show variable sensitivities to mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. How these receptors compare functionally to tetrapod MR and GR, and the evolutionary significance of maintaining two GRs, remains unclear. Results: We used up to seven steroids (including aldosterone, cortisol and 11-deoxycorticosterone [DOC]) to compare the ligand specificity of the ligand binding domains of corticosteroid receptors between a mammal (Mus musculus) and the midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), a teleost model for steroid regulation of neural and behavioral plasticity. Variation in mineralocorticoid sensitivity was considered in a broader phylogenetic context by examining the aldosterone sensitivity of MR and GRs from the distantly related daffodil cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher), another teleost model for neurobehavioral plasticity. Both teleost species had a single MR and duplicate GRs. All MRs were sensitive to DOC, consistent with the hypothesis that DOC was the initial ligand of the ancestral MR. Variation in GR steroid-specificity corresponds to nine identified amino acid residue substitutions rather than phylogenetic relationships based on receptor sequences. Conclusion: The mineralocorticoid sensitivity of duplicate GRs in teleosts is highly labile in the context of thei
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divergent expression of 11beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 11beta hydroxylase genes between male morphs in the central nervous system sonic muscle and testis of a vocal fish
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2010Co-Authors: Adam S Arterbery, David L. Deitcher, Andrew H. BassAbstract:The vocalizing midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, has two male morphs that exhibit alternative mating tactics. Only territorial males acoustically court females with long duration (minutes to >1h) calls, whereas sneaker males attempt to steal fertilizations. During the breeding season, morph-specific tactics are paralleled by a divergence in relative testis and vocal muscle size, plasma levels of the androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) and the glucocorticoid cortisol, and mRNA expression levels in the central nervous system (CNS) of the steroid-synthesizing enzyme aromatase (estrogen synthase). Here, we tested the hypothesis that the midshipman's two male morphs would further differ in the CNS, as well as in the testis and vocal muscle, in mRNA abundance for the enzymes 11beta-hydroxylase (11betaH) and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) that directly regulate both 11KT and cortisol synthesis. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated male morph-specific profiles for both enzymes. Territorial males had higher 11betaH and 11betaHSD mRNA levels in testis and vocal muscle. By contrast, sneaker males had the higher CNS expression, especially for 11betaHSD, in the region containing an expansive vocal pacemaker circuit that directly determines the temporal attributes of natural calls. We propose for territorial males that higher enzyme expression in testis underlies its greater plasma 11KT levels, which in vocal muscle provides both gluconeogenic and androgenic support for its long duration calling. We further propose for sneaker males that higher enzyme expression in the vocal CNS contributes to known cortisol-specific effects on its vocal physiology.
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alternative male spawning tactics and acoustic signals in the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus girard teleostei batrachoididae
Ethology, 2010Co-Authors: Richard K. Brantley, Andrew H. BassAbstract:The plainfin midshipman Porichthys notatus has two male reproductive morphs, ‘Type I’ and ‘Type II’, which are distinguishable by their physical traits alone. Type I males are eight times larger in body mass than Type II males and have a six-fold larger relative sonic (vocal) muscle mass than Type II males. In contrast, the testicles of Type II males are seven times larger than those of Type I males. This study demonstrates morph-specific patterns of reproduction, including acoustic signals, for Type I and II males. Field censuses of nests showed that only Type 1 males maintained nests. Type II males and females transiently appeared in these nests in association with each other. Infra-red video and hydrophone recordings in aquaria showed that Type I males maintained nests and readily vocalized. Long-duration ‘hums’ and sequences of short-duration ‘grunts’ were produced during advertisement and agonistic contexts, respectively. Humming Type I males attracted females to their nests, pair-spawned, and then guarded egg clutches alone. By contrast, Type II males neither acoustically courted females nor maintained available nest sites, but rather ‘sneak-’ or ‘satellite-spawned’ at the nests of Type I males. Type II males infrequently produced low amplitude, short duration grunts that were similar in spectral, temporal and amplitude characteristics to the grunts of females. Type II males appear to be obligate sexual parasites of the nest-building, mate-calling, and egg-guarding Type I males. The dimorphic body and vocal muscle traits of the two male morphs in the plainfin midshipman are thus paralleled by a divergence in their reproductive tactics and the properties of their acoustic signals.
Peter W. Alderks - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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development of the acoustically evoked behavioral response in larval plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus
PLOS ONE, 2013Co-Authors: Peter W. Alderks, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:The ontogeny of hearing in fishes has become a major interest among bioacoustics researchers studying fish behavior and sensory ecology. Most fish begin to detect acoustic stimuli during the larval stage which can be important for navigation, predator avoidance and settlement, however relatively little is known about the hearing capabilities of larval fishes. We characterized the acoustically evoked behavioral response (AEBR) in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, and used this innate startle-like response to characterize this species’ auditory capability during larval development. Age and size of larval midshipman were highly correlated (r 2 =0.92). The AEBR was first observed in larvae at 1.4 cm TL. At a size $1.8 cm TL, all larvae responded to a broadband stimulus of 154 dB re1 mPa or 215.2 dB re 1 g (z-axis). Lowest AEBR thresholds were 140–150 dB re 1 mPa or 233 to 223 dB re 1 g for frequencies below 225 Hz. Larval fish with size ranges of 1.9–2.4 cm TL had significantly lower best evoked frequencies than the other tested size groups. We also investigated the development of the lateral line organ and its function in mediating the AEBR. The lateral line organ is likely involved in mediating the AEBR but not necessary to evoke the startle-like response. The midshipman auditory and lateral line systems are functional during early development when the larvae are in the nest and the auditory system appears to have similar tuning characteristics throughout all life history stages.
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RESEARCH ARTICLE Local acoustic particle motion guides sound-source localization behavior in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus
2012Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Andrew Acob, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:SUMMARY Sound-source localization behavior was studied in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) by making use of the naturally occurring phonotaxis response of gravid females to playback of the maleʼs advertisement call. The observations took place outdoors in a circular concrete tank. A dipole sound projector was placed at the center of the tank and an 80–90Hz tone (the approximate fundamental frequency to the maleʼs advertisement call) was broadcast to gravid females that were released from alternative sites approximately 100cm from the source. The phonotaxic responses of females to the source were recorded, analyzed and compared with the sound field. One release site was approximately along the vibratory axis of the dipole source, and the other was approximately orthogonal to the vibratory axis. The sound field in the tank was fully characterized through measurements of the sound pressure field using hydrophones and acoustic particle motion using an accelerometer. These measurements confirmed that the sound field was a nearly ideal dipole. When released along the dipole vibratory axis, the responding female fish took essentially straight paths to the source. However, when released approximately 90deg to the sourceʼs vibratory axis, the responding females took highly curved paths to the source that were approximately in line with the local particle motion axes. These results indicate that the acoustic cues used by fish during sound-source localization include the axes of particle motion of the local sound field.
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Local acoustic particle motion guides sound-source localization behavior in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus.
Journal of Experimental Biology, 2011Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Andrew Acob, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:SUMMARY Sound-source localization behavior was studied in the plainfin midshipman fish ( Porichthys notatus ) by making use of the naturally occurring phonotaxis response of gravid females to playback of the male9s advertisement call. The observations took place outdoors in a circular concrete tank. A dipole sound projector was placed at the center of the tank and an 80–90 Hz tone (the approximate fundamental frequency to the male9s advertisement call) was broadcast to gravid females that were released from alternative sites approximately 100 cm from the source. The phonotaxic responses of females to the source were recorded, analyzed and compared with the sound field. One release site was approximately along the vibratory axis of the dipole source, and the other was approximately orthogonal to the vibratory axis. The sound field in the tank was fully characterized through measurements of the sound pressure field using hydrophones and acoustic particle motion using an accelerometer. These measurements confirmed that the sound field was a nearly ideal dipole. When released along the dipole vibratory axis, the responding female fish took essentially straight paths to the source. However, when released approximately 90 deg to the source9s vibratory axis, the responding females took highly curved paths to the source that were approximately in line with the local particle motion axes. These results indicate that the acoustic cues used by fish during sound-source localization include the axes of particle motion of the local sound field.
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ontogeny of auditory saccular sensitivity in the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus
Journal of Comparative Physiology A-neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology, 2011Co-Authors: Peter W. Alderks, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:The auditory system of the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, is an important sensory receiver system used to encode intraspecific social communication signals in adults, but the response properties and function of this receiver system in pre-adult stages are less known. In this study we examined the response properties of auditory-evoked potentials from the midshipman saccule, the main organ of hearing in this species, to determine whether the frequency response and auditory threshold of saccular hair cells to behaviorally relevant single tone stimuli change during ontogeny. Saccular potentials were recorded from three relative sizes of midshipman fish: small juveniles [1.9–3.1 cm standard length (SL), large juveniles (6.8–8.0 cm SL) and non-reproductive adults (9.0–22.6 cm SL)]. The auditory evoked potentials were recorded from the rostral, middle and caudal regions of the saccule while single tone stimuli (75–1,025 Hz) were presented via an underwater speaker. We show that the frequency response and auditory threshold of the midshipman saccule is established early in development and retained throughout ontogeny. We also show that saccular sensitivity to frequencies greater than 385 Hz increases with age/size and that the midshipman saccule of small and large juveniles, like that of non-reproductive adults, is best suited to detect low frequency sounds (<105 Hz) in their natural acoustic environment.
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Localization of monopole and dipole sound sources by midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus).
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Andrew D Brown, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Allison B. Coffin, Ashwin Bandiwad, Rober A. Mohr, Peter J. Rogers, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:A series of experiments was undertaken to investigate methods of sound source localization by fish. In these experiments, positive phonotaxic responses of gravid female plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) to low‐frequency, playback tones (80–90 Hz) were studied as they approached sound sources. The sound fields for simple (monopole) and relatively complex (dipole) sources within the behavioral arena were measured and characterized in terms of pressure and particle motion. Results indicate that female midshipman fish are able to locate sound sources in the near field using acoustic cues alone, and that they used the particle motion vectors to locate the source in both the monopole and dipole sound fields. It was also found that neither the lateral line nor the swim bladder was necessary for localization behavior, and that the fish were able to solve the 180 deg ambiguity inherent in the particle motion vectors. [Work was supported by the National Science Foundation.]
Richard R Fay - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Intra‐ and Intersexual swim bladder dimorphisms in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus): Implications of swim bladder proximity to the inner ear for sound pressure detection
Journal of morphology, 2017Co-Authors: Robert A. Mohr, Richard R Fay, Paul M. Forlano, Elizabeth A. Whitchurch, Ryan D. Anderson, Timothy C. Cox, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:The plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, is a nocturnal marine teleost that uses social acoustic signals for communication during the breeding season. Nesting type I males produce multiharmonic advertisement calls by contracting their swim bladder sonic muscles to attract females for courtship and spawning while subsequently attracting cuckholding type II males. Here, we report intra- and intersexual dimorphisms of the swim bladder in a vocal teleost fish and detail the swim bladder dimorphisms in the three sexual phenotypes (females, type I and II males) of plainfin midshipman fish. Micro-computerized tomography revealed that females and type II males have prominent, horn-like rostral swim bladder extensions that project toward the inner ear end organs (saccule, lagena, and utricle). The rostral swim bladder extensions were longer, and the distance between these swim bladder extensions and each inner-ear end organ type was significantly shorter in both females and type II males compared to that in type I males. Our results revealed that the normalized swim bladder length of females and type II males was longer than that in type I males while there was no difference in normalized swim bladder width among the three sexual phenotypes. We predict that these intrasexual and intersexual differences in swim bladder morphology among midshipman sexual phenotypes will afford greater sound pressure sensitivity and higher frequency detection in females and type II males and facilitate the detection and localization of conspecifics in shallow water environments, like those in which midshipman breed and nest.
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tank acoustics and sound source localization by plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2014Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Peter H. Rogers, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:A series of experiments was undertaken to investigate methods of sound source localization by fish. In these experiments, positive phonotaxic responses of gravid female plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) to low-frequency, playback tones (80–90 Hz) were studied as they approached sound sources. The sound fields for simple (monopole) and relatively complex (dipole) sources within the behavioral arena were measured and characterized in terms of pressure and particle motion. Results indicate that female midshipman fish are able to locate sound sources in the near field using acoustic cues alone, and that they used the particle motion vectors to locate the source in both the monopole and dipole sound fields. The tank acoustics were modeled and compared to the measured pressure and particle motion sound fields. [This work was supported by the National Science Foundation.]
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RESEARCH ARTICLE Local acoustic particle motion guides sound-source localization behavior in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus
2012Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Andrew Acob, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:SUMMARY Sound-source localization behavior was studied in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) by making use of the naturally occurring phonotaxis response of gravid females to playback of the maleʼs advertisement call. The observations took place outdoors in a circular concrete tank. A dipole sound projector was placed at the center of the tank and an 80–90Hz tone (the approximate fundamental frequency to the maleʼs advertisement call) was broadcast to gravid females that were released from alternative sites approximately 100cm from the source. The phonotaxic responses of females to the source were recorded, analyzed and compared with the sound field. One release site was approximately along the vibratory axis of the dipole source, and the other was approximately orthogonal to the vibratory axis. The sound field in the tank was fully characterized through measurements of the sound pressure field using hydrophones and acoustic particle motion using an accelerometer. These measurements confirmed that the sound field was a nearly ideal dipole. When released along the dipole vibratory axis, the responding female fish took essentially straight paths to the source. However, when released approximately 90deg to the sourceʼs vibratory axis, the responding females took highly curved paths to the source that were approximately in line with the local particle motion axes. These results indicate that the acoustic cues used by fish during sound-source localization include the axes of particle motion of the local sound field.
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Local acoustic particle motion guides sound-source localization behavior in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus.
Journal of Experimental Biology, 2011Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Andrew Acob, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:SUMMARY Sound-source localization behavior was studied in the plainfin midshipman fish ( Porichthys notatus ) by making use of the naturally occurring phonotaxis response of gravid females to playback of the male9s advertisement call. The observations took place outdoors in a circular concrete tank. A dipole sound projector was placed at the center of the tank and an 80–90 Hz tone (the approximate fundamental frequency to the male9s advertisement call) was broadcast to gravid females that were released from alternative sites approximately 100 cm from the source. The phonotaxic responses of females to the source were recorded, analyzed and compared with the sound field. One release site was approximately along the vibratory axis of the dipole source, and the other was approximately orthogonal to the vibratory axis. The sound field in the tank was fully characterized through measurements of the sound pressure field using hydrophones and acoustic particle motion using an accelerometer. These measurements confirmed that the sound field was a nearly ideal dipole. When released along the dipole vibratory axis, the responding female fish took essentially straight paths to the source. However, when released approximately 90 deg to the source9s vibratory axis, the responding females took highly curved paths to the source that were approximately in line with the local particle motion axes. These results indicate that the acoustic cues used by fish during sound-source localization include the axes of particle motion of the local sound field.
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Localization of monopole and dipole sound sources by midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus).
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2011Co-Authors: David G Zeddies, Andrew D Brown, Michael D Gray, Richard R Fay, Peter W. Alderks, Allison B. Coffin, Ashwin Bandiwad, Rober A. Mohr, Peter J. Rogers, Joseph A SisnerosAbstract:A series of experiments was undertaken to investigate methods of sound source localization by fish. In these experiments, positive phonotaxic responses of gravid female plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) to low‐frequency, playback tones (80–90 Hz) were studied as they approached sound sources. The sound fields for simple (monopole) and relatively complex (dipole) sources within the behavioral arena were measured and characterized in terms of pressure and particle motion. Results indicate that female midshipman fish are able to locate sound sources in the near field using acoustic cues alone, and that they used the particle motion vectors to locate the source in both the monopole and dipole sound fields. It was also found that neither the lateral line nor the swim bladder was necessary for localization behavior, and that the fish were able to solve the 180 deg ambiguity inherent in the particle motion vectors. [Work was supported by the National Science Foundation.]
Sigal Balshine - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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consequences of nest site selection vary along a tidal gradient
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2021Co-Authors: Nicholas A W Brown, Noah Houpt, Nicole L Yee, Jennifer E M Curtis, Benjamin M Bolker, Francis Juanes, Sigal BalshineAbstract:Parents providing care must sometimes choose between rearing locations that are most favourable for offspring versus those that are most favourable for themselves. Here, we measured how both parental and offspring performance varied in nest sites distributed along an environmental gradient. The plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus nests along a tidal gradient. When ascending from the subtidal to the high intertidal at low tide, both nest temperature and frequency of air exposure increase. We used one lab and two field experiments to investigate how parental nest site choices across tidal elevations are linked to the physiological costs incurred by parents and the developmental benefits accrued by offspring. Under warmer incubation conditions, simulating high intertidal nests, offspring developed faster but had higher mortality rates compared to those incubated in cooler conditions that mimicked subtidal nests. In the field, males in higher intertidal nests were more active caregivers, but their young still died at the fastest rates. Larger males claimed and retained low intertidal nests, where offspring survival and development rates were also highest. Our results suggest that males compete more intensively for nest sites in the low intertidal, where they can raise their young quickly and with lower per-offspring investments. Smaller, less-competitive males forced into higher intertidal sites nest earlier in the season and provide more active parental care, possibly to bolster brood survival under harsh environmental conditions.
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Sperm maturation and male tactic-specific differences in ejaculates in the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus.
Journal of fish biology, 2019Co-Authors: Jessica S. Miller, Aneesh P. H. Bose, John L. Fitzpatrick, Sigal BalshineAbstract:Using the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus, a species with alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), we investigated how sperm maturation shapes sperm competitive abilities. We compared sperm performance and morphology before and after final sperm maturation by sampling sperm from the testes and stripped ejaculates of guarders and sneakers. In accordance with sperm competition risk theory, ejaculates from sneaker males had three times as much sperm as ejaculates from guarder males and sneaker males produced faster swimming sperm than guarder males, but this was only the case after final sperm maturation had occurred. Additionally, fully mature sperm found in ejaculates had larger heads and midpieces than sperm found in the testes. These results emphasize the important role played by non-sperm components of an ejaculate in mediating sperm performance and potentially also morphology.
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otolith morphology varies between populations sexes and male alternative reproductive tactics in a vocal toadfish Porichthys notatus
Journal of Fish Biology, 2017Co-Authors: Aneesh P. H. Bose, Joseph B Adragna, Sigal BalshineAbstract:In this study, the morphology of sagittal otoliths of the plainfin midshipman fish Porichthys notatus was compared between populations, sexes and male alternative reproductive phenotypes (known as 'type I males or guarders' and 'type II males or sneakers'). Sagitta size increased with P. notatus size and changes in shape were also detected with increasing body size. Porichthys notatus sagittae begin as simple rounded structures, but then elongate as they grow and take on a more triangular and complex shape with several prominent notches and indentations along the dorsal and caudal edges. Moreover, the sagittae of the two geographically and genetically distinct populations of P. notatus (northern and southern) differed in shape. Porichthys notatus from the north possessed taller sagittae with deeper caudal indentations compared to P. notatus from the south. Sagitta shape also differed between females and males of the conventional guarder tactic. Furthermore, guarder males had smaller sagittae for their body size than did sneaker males or females. These differences in sagittal otolith morphology are discussed in relation to ecological and life history differences between the sexes and male tactics of this species. This is the first study to investigate teleost otolith morphology from the perspective of alternative reproductive tactics.
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impacts of direct and indirect paternity cues on paternal care in a singing toadfish
Behavioral Ecology, 2016Co-Authors: Aneesh P. H. Bose, Henry H Kou, Sigal BalshineAbstract:Effort spent on raising unrelated offspring can be costly and wasteful, and parents are expected to reduce their level of investment when they have low or uncertain relatedness to the young under their care. Although the relationship between parental certainty and parental investment is theoretically well established, empirical support has been mixed. Here, we report on a series of lab and field experiments that test whether paternal investment is reduced as paternity decreases in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), a species of toadfish with male-only care. We explored what cues plainfin midshipman males use to assess their paternity. We show that a nest takeover, in which a male displaces another male from a nest, can be a reliable indirect cue of paternity information and leads to a drop in offspring survival. We also show that, when presented in isolation, direct cues of reduced offspring relatedness do not result in a decline in offspring survival in midshipman. Our findings help clarify what systems, species, and theoretical assumptions best reveal the link between parental investment and parentage.
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Cannibalism, competition, and costly care in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus
Behavioral Ecology, 2015Co-Authors: Aneesh P. H. Bose, Grant B. Mcclelland, Sigal BalshineAbstract:Caring for offspring is energetically expensive, and when the costs of care are sufficiently high, the use of cost-reducing strategies can be favored. Such strategies may include the avoidance of nest construction through nest take-over and the restoration of depleted energy reserves through offspring cannibalism. Despite extensive theoretical and empirical work on parental care, neither the actual energetic costs of care nor the putative benefits of cost-reducing strategies have been systematically measured. Using plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, we assessed how energy reserves of caring parents varied with duration of care, offspring cannibalism, and nest take-overs. We show that liver glycogen and lipid contents declined by 58% and 18.7%, respectively, that liver investment (measured via a hepatosomatic index) declined by 32.6%, and that muscle protein content declined by 8.8%. Other measures of body condition and energy reserves, such as hepatic glucose and adenosine triphosphate, remained stable over the extraordinarily long care period (3 months). Experimentally starved fish showed depletions of energy stores similar to caring fish. Fish that took over nests or that cannibalized eggs both had higher glycogen reserves than fish that did not adopt these strategies. These findings show that even when parental care is energetically costly, starvation may not be the dominant driving factor behind parent–offspring cannibalism.