Auditory saccular sensitivity of the vocal Lusitanian toadfish: low frequency tuning allows acoustic communication throughout the year. 2011

Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal. rfvasconcelos@fc.ul.pt

A novel form of auditory plasticity for enhanced detection of social signals was described in a teleost fish, Porichthys notatus (Batrachoididae, Porichthyinae). The seasonal onset of male calling coincides with inshore migration from deep waters by both sexes and increased female sensitivity to dominant frequencies of male calls. The closely related Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, (Batrachoididae, Halophryninae) also breeds seasonally and relies on acoustic communication to find mates but, instead, both sexes stay in estuaries and show vocal activity throughout the year. We investigated whether the sensitivity of the inner ear saccule of H. didactylus is seasonally plastic and sexually dimorphic. We recorded evoked potentials from populations of saccular hair cells from non-reproductive and reproductive males and females in response to 15-945 Hz tones. Saccular hair cells were most sensitive at 15-205 Hz (thresholds between 111 and 118 dB re. 1 μPa). Both sexes showed identical hearing sensitivity and no differences were found across seasons. The saccule was well suited to detect conspecific vocalizations and low frequencies that overlapped with lateral line sensitivity. We showed that the saccule in H. didactylus has major importance in acoustic communication throughout the year and that significant sensory differences may exist between the two batrachoidid subfamilies.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009473 Neuronal Plasticity The capacity of the NERVOUS SYSTEM to change its reactivity as the result of successive activations. Brain Plasticity,Plasticity, Neuronal,Axon Pruning,Axonal Pruning,Dendrite Arborization,Dendrite Pruning,Dendritic Arborization,Dendritic Pruning,Dendritic Remodeling,Neural Plasticity,Neurite Pruning,Neuronal Arborization,Neuronal Network Remodeling,Neuronal Pruning,Neuronal Remodeling,Neuroplasticity,Synaptic Plasticity,Synaptic Pruning,Arborization, Dendrite,Arborization, Dendritic,Arborization, Neuronal,Arborizations, Dendrite,Arborizations, Dendritic,Arborizations, Neuronal,Axon Prunings,Axonal Prunings,Brain Plasticities,Dendrite Arborizations,Dendrite Prunings,Dendritic Arborizations,Dendritic Prunings,Dendritic Remodelings,Network Remodeling, Neuronal,Network Remodelings, Neuronal,Neural Plasticities,Neurite Prunings,Neuronal Arborizations,Neuronal Network Remodelings,Neuronal Plasticities,Neuronal Prunings,Neuronal Remodelings,Neuroplasticities,Plasticities, Brain,Plasticities, Neural,Plasticities, Neuronal,Plasticities, Synaptic,Plasticity, Brain,Plasticity, Neural,Plasticity, Synaptic,Pruning, Axon,Pruning, Axonal,Pruning, Dendrite,Pruning, Dendritic,Pruning, Neurite,Pruning, Neuronal,Pruning, Synaptic,Prunings, Axon,Prunings, Axonal,Prunings, Dendrite,Prunings, Dendritic,Prunings, Neurite,Prunings, Neuronal,Prunings, Synaptic,Remodeling, Dendritic,Remodeling, Neuronal,Remodeling, Neuronal Network,Remodelings, Dendritic,Remodelings, Neuronal,Remodelings, Neuronal Network,Synaptic Plasticities,Synaptic Prunings
D005260 Female Females
D006198 Hair Cells, Auditory Sensory cells in the organ of Corti, characterized by their apical stereocilia (hair-like projections). The inner and outer hair cells, as defined by their proximity to the core of spongy bone (the modiolus), change morphologically along the COCHLEA. Towards the cochlear apex, the length of hair cell bodies and their apical STEREOCILIA increase, allowing differential responses to various frequencies of sound. Auditory Hair Cells,Cochlear Hair Cells,Auditory Hair Cell,Cell, Cochlear Hair,Cells, Cochlear Hair,Cochlear Hair Cell,Hair Cell, Auditory,Hair Cell, Cochlear,Hair Cells, Cochlear
D006309 Hearing The ability or act of sensing and transducing ACOUSTIC STIMULATION to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. It is also called audition. Audition
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001309 Auditory Threshold The audibility limit of discriminating sound intensity and pitch. Auditory Thresholds,Threshold, Auditory,Thresholds, Auditory
D012444 Saccule and Utricle Two membranous sacs within the vestibular labyrinth of the INNER EAR. The saccule communicates with COCHLEAR DUCT through the ductus reuniens, and communicates with utricle through the utriculosaccular duct from which the ENDOLYMPHATIC DUCT arises. The utricle and saccule have sensory areas (acoustic maculae) which are innervated by the VESTIBULAR NERVE. Otolithic Organs,Utricle,Saccule,Organ, Otolithic,Otolithic Organ,Saccules,Utricle and Saccule,Utricles
D012621 Seasons Divisions of the year according to some regularly recurrent phenomena usually astronomical or climatic. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Seasonal Variation,Season,Seasonal Variations,Variation, Seasonal,Variations, Seasonal
D012726 Sexual Behavior, Animal Sexual activities of animals. Mating Behavior, Animal,Sex Behavior, Animal,Animal Mating Behavior,Animal Mating Behaviors,Animal Sex Behavior,Animal Sex Behaviors,Animal Sexual Behavior,Animal Sexual Behaviors,Mating Behaviors, Animal,Sex Behaviors, Animal,Sexual Behaviors, Animal

Related Publications

Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
February 2008, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
June 2021, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
April 2016, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
July 2021, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
March 2015, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
September 2017, Hearing research,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
March 2011, Proceedings. Biological sciences,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
June 2007, The Journal of experimental biology,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
October 1996, The Biological bulletin,
Raquel O Vasconcelos, and Joseph A Sisneros, and M Clara P Amorim, and Paulo J Fonseca
August 2009, Journal of neurophysiology,
Copied contents to your clipboard!