03010nas a2200181 4500008004100000245009100041210006900132520234200201653002902543653001202572653002402584653004202608653003302650653002302683100002202706700001902728856008102747 2013 eng d00aDiversity of acoustic tracheal system and its role for directional hearing in crickets0 aDiversity of acoustic tracheal system and its role for direction3 a

Background: Sound localization in small insects can be a challenging task due to physical constraints in deriving sufficiently large interaural intensity differences (IIDs) between both ears. In crickets, sound source localization is achieved by a complex type of pressure difference receiver consisting of four potential sound inputs. Sound acts on the external side of two tympana but additionally reaches the internal tympanal surface via two external sound entrances. Conduction of internal sound is realized by the anatomical arrangement of connecting trachea. A key structure is a trachea coupling both ears which is characterized by an enlarged part in its midline (i.e., the acoustic vesicle) accompanied with a thin membrane (septum). This facilitates directional sensitivity despite an unfavorable relationship between wavelength of sound and body size. Here we studied the morphological differences of the acoustic tracheal system in 40 cricket species (Gryllidae, Mogoplistidae) and species of outgroup taxa (Gryllotalpidae, Rhaphidophoridae, Gryllacrididae) of the suborder Ensifera comprising hearing and non hearing species.

Results: We found a surprisingly high variation of acoustic tracheal systems and almost all investigated species using intraspecific acoustic communication were characterized by an acoustic vesicle associated with a medial septum. The relative size of the acoustic vesicle - a structure most crucial for deriving high IIDs - implies an important role for sound localization. Most remarkable in this respect was the size difference of the acoustic vesicle between species; those with a more unfavorable ratio of body size to sound wavelength tend to exhibit a larger acoustic vesicle. On the other hand, secondary loss of acoustic signaling was nearly exclusively associated with the absence of both acoustic vesicle and septum.

Conclusion: The high diversity of acoustic tracheal morphology observed between species might reflect different steps in the evolution of the pressure difference receiver; with a precursor structure already present in ancestral non-hearing species. In addition, morphological transitions of the acoustic vesicle suggest a possible adaptive role for the generation of binaural directional cues.

10aAcoustic tracheal system10acricket10adirectional hearing10aInteraural intensity difference (IID)10aPressure difference receiver10aSound localization1 aSchmidt, Arne, KD1 aRömer, Heiner uhttp://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-10-6102751nas a2200145 4500008004100000245014200041210006900183260001600252300001100268490000600279520222300285100002502508700001902533856005302552 2011 eng d00aSolutions to the Cocktail Party Problem in Insects: Selective Filters, Spatial Release from Masking and Gain Control in Tropical Crickets0 aSolutions to the Cocktail Party Problem in Insects Selective Fil cJun-12-2011 ae285930 v63 a

Background

Insects often communicate by sound in mixed species choruses; like humans and many vertebrates in crowded social environments they thus have to solve cocktail-party-like problems in order to ensure successful communication with conspecifics. This is even more a problem in species-rich environments like tropical rainforests, where background noise levels of up to 60 dB SPL have been measured.

Principal Findings

Using neurophysiological methods we investigated the effect of natural background noise (masker) on signal detection thresholds in two tropical cricket species Paroecanthus podagrosus and Diatrypa sp., both in the laboratory and outdoors. We identified three ‘bottom-up’ mechanisms which contribute to an excellent neuronal representation of conspecific signals despite the masking background. First, the sharply tuned frequency selectivity of the receiver reduces the amount of masking energy around the species-specific calling song frequency. Laboratory experiments yielded an average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of −8 dB, when masker and signal were broadcast from the same side. Secondly, displacing the masker by 180° from the signal improved SNRs by further 6 to 9 dB, a phenomenon known as spatial release from masking. Surprisingly, experiments carried out directly in the nocturnal rainforest yielded SNRs of about −23 dB compared with those in the laboratory with the same masker, where SNRs reached only −14.5 and −16 dB in both species. Finally, a neuronal gain control mechanism enhances the contrast between the responses to signals and the masker, by inhibition of neuronal activity in interstimulus intervals.

Conclusions

Thus, conventional speaker playbacks in the lab apparently do not properly reconstruct the masking noise situation in a spatially realistic manner, since under real world conditions multiple sound sources are spatially distributed in space. Our results also indicate that without knowledge of the receiver properties and the spatial release mechanisms the detrimental effect of noise may be strongly overestimated.

1 aSchmidt, Arne, K. D.1 aRömer, Heiner uhttps://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.002859301902nas a2200157 4500008004100000245006400041210006400105520136900169100002601538700002501564700002901589700002601618700002201644700002701666856005101693 2019 eng d00aEffects of mining truck traffic on cricket calling activity0 aEffects of mining truck traffic on cricket calling activity3 a

Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant and several studies have identified its impact on wildlife. This research shows how the noise produced by mining affects crickets’ acoustic communication. Two passive acoustic monitoring devices (SMII) were installed in a forest fragment located at 500 m from the Brucutu Mine in Brazil. Another two SMII were installed distant 2500 from the mine. The equipment was configured to record from 17:00 to 05:00 h during seven days in April 2013. The authors analyzed the spectral characteristics of acoustic activity of three species of crickets (Anaxipha sp., Gryllus sp., and a Podoscirtinae species) before, during, and after the passing of mine trucks. For comparison the authors analyzed the acoustic characteristics for Anaxipha sp. and Gryllus sp. found in the distant site. Results showed a calling interruption for all the species during truck transit. Gryllus sp. emitted calls with higher maximum frequencies, average power, and larger bandwidth in the site close to the mine. Podoscirtinae species emitted calls with lower minimum frequencies, higher average power, and large bandwidth in the close site. The authors show that insect acoustic behavior varies between areas with different levels of noise. The disruption of this behavior may have negative consequences for their reproductive success.

1 aDuarte, Marina, H. L.1 aCaliari, Ernesto, P.1 aScarpelli, Marina, D. A.1 aLobregat, Gabriel, O.1 aYoung, Robert, J.1 aSousa-lima, Renata, S. uhttp://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.511912502304nas a2200181 4500008004100000245008200041210006900123520165300192653002701845653001601872653001201888653002401900653002001924100002501944700001401969700001901983856012002002 2011 eng d00aHigh background noise shapes selective auditory filters in a tropical cricket0 aHigh background noise shapes selective auditory filters in a tro3 a

Because of call frequency overlap and masking interference, the airborne sound channel represents a limited resource for communication in a species-rich cricket community like the tropical rainforest. Here we studied the frequency tuning of an auditory neuron mediating phonotaxis in the rainforest cricket Paroecanthus podagrosus, suffering from strong competition, in comparison with the same homologous neuron in two species of European field crickets, where such competition does not exist. As predicted, the rainforest species exhibited a more selective tuning compared with the European counterparts. The filter reduced background nocturnal noise levels by 26 dB, compared with only 16 and 10 dB in the two European species. We also quantified the performance of the sensory filter under the different filter regimes by examining the representation of the species-specific amplitude modulation of the male calling song, when embedded in background noise. Again, the filter of the rainforest cricket performed significantly better in terms of representing this important signal parameter. The neuronal representation of the calling song pattern within receivers was maintained for a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios because of the more sharply tuned sensory system and selective attention mechanisms. Finally, the rainforest cricket also showed an almost perfect match between the filter for sensitivity and the peripheral filter for directional hearing, in contrast to its European counterparts. We discuss the consequences of these adaptations for intraspecific acoustic communication and reproductive isolation between species.

10aacoustic communication10acompetition10acricket10adirectional hearing10aMatched filters1 aSchmidt, Arne, K. D.1 aRiede, K.1 aRömer, Heiner uhttp://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/doi/10.1242/jeb.053819https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1242/jeb.05381902436nas a2200229 4500008004100000022001400041245008800055210006900143260001600212300001600228490000800244520157900252653002701831653001901858653002701877653002901904653002001933653002301953100002501976700001902001856018602020 2016 eng d a0022-094900aFunctional relevance of acoustic tracheal design in directional hearing in crickets0 aFunctional relevance of acoustic tracheal design in directional  cMar-10-2017 a3294 - 33000 v2193 a

Internally coupled ears (ICEs) allow small animals to reliably determine the direction of a sound source. ICEs are found in a variety of taxa, but crickets have evolved the most complex arrangement of coupled ears: an acoustic tracheal system composed of a large cross-body trachea that connects two entry points for sound in the thorax with the leg trachea of both ears. The key structure that allows for the tuned directionality of the ear is a tracheal inflation (acoustic vesicle) in the midline of the cross-body trachea holding a thin membrane (septum). Crickets are known to display a wide variety of acoustic tracheal morphologies, most importantly with respect to the presence of a single or double acoustic vesicle. However, the functional relevance of this variation is still not known. In this study, we investigated the peripheral directionality of three co-occurring, closely related cricket species of the subfamily Gryllinae. No support could be found for the hypothesis that a double vesicle should be regarded as an evolutionary innovation to (1) increase interaural directional cues, (2) increase the selectivity of the directional filter or (3) provide a better match between directional and sensitivity tuning. Nonetheless, by manipulating the double acoustic vesicle in the rainforest cricket Paroecanthus podagrosus, selectively eliminating the sound-transmitting pathways, we revealed that these pathways contribute almost equally to the total amount of interaural intensity differences, emphasizing their functional relevance in the system.

10aacoustic communication10ainsect hearing10aInternally coupled ear10alaser Doppler vibrometry10aMatched filters10aSound localization1 aSchmidt, Arne, K. D.1 aRömer, Heiner uhttp://jeb.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.145524https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1242/jeb.145524https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1242/jeb.145524