Comparative study of seasonality in auditory performance

听觉表现季节性的比较研究

• 批准号: 1121728
• 负责人: Jeffrey Lucas
• 金额: $ 35.8万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-01 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1121728&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Comparative; study; seasonality; auditory; performance

Species vary enormously in the complexity of their vocal repertoire. Unfortunately, we know very little about how this variation is matched by auditory capabilities. Moreover, individuals can vary enormously in how much their vocal repertoire changes over the course of the year, yet we know almost nothing about correlated changes in auditory capability. This comparative study of the plasticity of the auditory system will give us insight into both of these issues. This research program will focus on properties of hearing in songbirds using auditory evoked potentials, how those properties change across seasons, and how they differ between individuals. The research will include an unprecedented array of tests of hearing performance in eight species of songbirds.. First, the experiment will test whether hearing is ?tuned? to species-specific aspects of song, and the characteristics of the species habitats, and if hearing is conserved among closely related species. Experiments will also test whether individuals vary more when processing song than when they process contact calls. Second, the experiments will evaluate whether seasonality in hearing matches the use of vocal signals, habitat changes that affect how sound carries through an environment, follows taxonomic similarities between species, and whether seasonality reflects seasonal variation in social interactions. Broader ImpactsGiven the broad similarities between avian and mammalian auditory systems, understanding the plasticity of the avian auditory system is likely to help us understand plasticity in the human auditory system, and thereby provide avenues of research in the treatment of hearing disorders. Our work on hearing has been the focus of a series of workshops on communication geared to high school students. One goal of this program is explicitly to include students from disadvantaged areas. We will also train graduate students and undergraduates in cross-disciplinary research.

不同的物种在声音的复杂程度上差别很大。不幸的是，我们对这种变化是如何与听觉能力相匹配的知之甚少。此外，在一年的过程中，个体的声音曲目变化的程度可能会有很大差异，但我们对听觉能力的相关变化几乎一无所知。这种听觉系统可塑性的比较研究将使我们深入了解这两个问题。该研究项目将重点研究鸣禽的听觉特性，利用听觉诱发电位，这些特性如何随季节变化，以及它们在个体之间的差异。这项研究将包括对8种鸣禽进行一系列前所未有的听力测试。首先，实验将测试听觉是否“调谐”？对物种特有的鸣声方面，以及物种栖息地的特点，以及听觉是否在近亲物种之间保存。实验还将测试个体在处理歌声时是否比处理接触呼叫时变化更大。其次，实验将评估听觉的季节性是否与声音信号的使用相匹配，栖息地的变化影响声音在环境中的传播方式，遵循物种之间的分类相似性，以及季节性是否反映了社会互动的季节性变化。更广泛的影响考虑到鸟类和哺乳动物听觉系统之间的广泛相似性，了解鸟类听觉系统的可塑性可能有助于我们了解人类听觉系统的可塑性，从而为听力障碍的治疗提供研究途径。我们在听力方面的工作一直是面向高中生的一系列交流研讨会的重点。这个项目的一个目标是明确地包括来自贫困地区的学生。培养研究生和本科生跨学科研究能力。