Functional basis of the sexual dimorphism in the auditory fovea of the duetting bushcricket Ancylecha fenestrata
Functional basis of the sexual dimorphism in the auditory fovea of the duetting bushcricket Ancylecha fenestrata
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2017.1426
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发表时间：
2017-10
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Jan Scherberich;J. Hummel;S. Schöneich;M. Nowotny
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文献类型：
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作者：
Jan Scherberich;J. Hummel;S. Schöneich;M. Nowotny
从哺乳动物到昆虫，声音交流在许多物种中对于成功繁殖至关重要。在二重唱中，雌雄间的声音交流是不对称的。我们调查了这些信号的差异是如何反映他们的耳朵的性别二型性。雄性和雌性的前肢上都有鼓耳，但雄性的耳朵有一个明显更长的听嵴，其中包含35%以上的鼓耳。随着更多的感觉细胞覆盖类似的听觉范围，男性听觉器官显示出显着扩大的听觉中央凹，被调谐到女性回答的主导频率，以促进语音定位的配偶发现。这种性别特异性的听觉凹被证明是机械和神经反应沿着tonotopically组织的听嵴的激光振动和电生理频率映射，分别。听嵴的形态测量分析显示，仅在此听觉中心凹区域内器官高度存在间断梯度，而所有其他解剖参数从近端到远端连续下降。结合行为，解剖学，生物力学和神经生理学信息，我们证明了一个明显的听觉中央凹的证据，作为一个性别特异性的适应昆虫的听觉器官种内声学通信。
From mammals to insects, acoustic communication is in many species crucial for successful reproduction. In the duetting bushcricket Ancylecha fenestrata, the mutual acoustic communication between males and females is asymmetrical. We investigated how those signalling disparities are reflected by sexual dimorphism of their ears. Both sexes have tympanic ears in their forelegs, but male ears possess a significantly longer crista acustica containing 35% more scolopidia. With more sensory cells to cover a similar hearing range, the male hearing organ shows a significantly expanded auditory fovea that is tuned to the dominant frequency of the female reply to facilitate phonotactic mate finding. This sex-specific auditory fovea is demonstrated in the mechanical and neuronal responses along the tonotopically organized crista acustica by laservibrometric and electrophysiological frequency mapping, respectively. Morphometric analysis of the crista acustica revealed an interrupted gradient in organ height solely within this auditory fovea region, whereas all other anatomical parameters decrease continuously from proximal to distal. Combining behavioural, anatomical, biomechanical and neurophysiological information, we demonstrate evidence of a pronounced auditory fovea as a sex-specific adaptation of an insect hearing organ for intraspecific acoustic communication.