@article {53414,
	title = {Behavioral and neural auditory thresholds in a frog},
	journal = {Current Zoology},
	year = {2018},
	abstract = {<p>Vocalizations play a critical role in mate recognition and mate choice in a number of taxa, especially, but not limited to, orthopterans, frogs, and birds. But receivers can only recognize and prefer sounds that they can hear. Thus a fundamental question linking neurobiology and sexual selection asks\&mdash; what is the threshold for detecting acoustic sexual displays? In this study we use three methods to assess such thresholds in t\&uacute;ngara frogs: behavioral responses, auditory brainstem responses, and multi-unit electrophysiological recordings from the midbrain. We show that thresholds are lowest for multi-unit recordings (ca. 45 dB SPL), and then for behavioral responses (ca. 61 dB SPL), with auditory brainstem responses exhibiting the highest thresholds (ca. 71 dB SPL). We discuss why these estimates differ and why, as with other studies, it is unlikely that they should be the same. Although all of these studies estimate thresholds they are not measuring the same thresholds; behavioral thresholds are based on signal salience while the two neural assays estimate physiological thresholds. All three estimates, however, make it clear that to have an appreciation for detection and salience of acoustic signals we must listen to those signals through the ears of the receivers.</p>
},
	keywords = {anurans, auditory brainstem responses, auditory thresholds, mate choice, Physalaemus pustulosus, sexual selection, signal recognition thresholds, t{\'u}ngara frogs, vocalizations},
	author = {Ryan, C and Akre, Karin and Wilczynski, Walter and others}
}
@article {52575,
	title = {Interactions between complex multisensory signal components result in unexpected mate choice responses},
	journal = {Animal Behaviour},
	volume = {134},
	year = {2017},
	month = {Jan-12-2017},
	pages = {239 - 247},
	abstract = {<p>Multimodal (multisensory) signalling is common in many species and often facilitates communication. How receivers integrate individual signal components of multisensory displays, especially with regard to variance in signal complexity, has received relatively little attention. In nature, male t\&uacute;ngara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus, produce multisensory courtship signals by vocalizing and presenting their inflating and deflating vocal sac as a visual cue. Males can produce a simple call (whine only) or a complex call (whine \&thorn; one or more chucks). In a series of two-choice experiments, we tested female preferences for variation in acoustic call complexity and amplitude (unimodal signals). We then tested preferences for the same calls when a dynamic robotic frog was added to one call, generating a multi- modal stimulus. Females preferred a complex call to a simple call; when both calls contained at least one chuck, additional numbers of chucks did not further increase attractiveness. When calls contained zero or one chuck, the visual stimulus of the robofrog increased call attractiveness. When calls contained multiple chucks, however, the visual component failed to enhance call attractiveness. Females also preferred higher amplitude calls and the addition of the visual component to a lower amplitude call did not alter this preference. At relatively small amplitude differences, however, the visual signal increased overall discrimination between the calls. These results indicate that the visual signal component does not provide simple enhancement of call attractiveness. Instead, females integrate multisensory components in a nonlinear fashion. The resulting perception and behavioural response to complex signals probably evolved in response to animals that communicate in noisy environments.</p>
},
	keywords = {anurans, mate choice, multimodal signalling, nonlinear interactions, sexual selection, signal weighting, t{\'u}ngara frog, vocal sac},
	issn = {00033472},
	doi = {10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.07.005},
	url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000334721630121X},
	author = {Stange, Nicole and Rachel A. Page and Michael J. Ryan and Taylor, Ryan C.}
}
