Morphology of the odontocete melon and its implications for acoustic function
Morphology of the odontocete melon and its implications for acoustic function
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00526.x
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发表时间：
2012-10-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Pyenson, Nicholas D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McKenna, Megan F.;Cranford, Ted W.;Pyenson, Nicholas D.
齿鲸在哺乳动物中是独一无二的，它们利用特殊的组织结构在水下进行回声定位。甜瓜是一种由脂肪和结缔组织组成的结构，是产生回声定位束的重要组成部分；众所周知，它专注于高频、短时间的回声定位滴答声。在这里，我们报道齿齿甜瓜的形态，以提供跨齿齿类群的甜瓜结构的全面了解。本研究调查了现存10个齿齿动物科中5个齿齿动物的9个齿齿动物种（12个个体标本）。我们建立了标准化的定义，使用计算机断层扫描的甜瓜调查结构而不失去几何完整性。与对焦能力有关的形态学特征包括内部密度地形、甜瓜大小和形状以及与其他前额结构的关系。讨论了甜瓜结构作为过滤器的潜力：建立可以通过头部传播的声音频率的下限。总的来说，这项研究的结果为评估构成回声定位装置关键组成部分的组织结构提供了一个强大的、定量的和比较的框架。
Toothed whales (crown Odontoceti) are unique among mammals in their ability to echolocate underwater, using specialized tissue structures. The melon, a structure composed of fat and connective tissue, is an important component in the production of an echolocation beam; it is known to focus high frequency, short duration echolocation clicks. Here, we report on the morphology of the odontocete melon to provide a comprehensive understanding of melon structure across odontocete taxa. This study examined nine odontocete species (12 individual specimens), from five of the ten extant odontocete families. We established standardized definitions using computed tomography scans of the melon to investigate structure without losing geometric integrity. The morphological features that relate to the focusing capacity of the melon include internal density topography, melon size and shape, and relationship to other forehead structures. The potential for melon structure to act as a filter is discussed: establishing a lower limit to the frequency of sounds that can be propagated through the head. Collectively, the results of this study provide a robust, quantitative and comparative framework for evaluating tissue structures that form a key component of the echolocation apparatus.