01726nas a2200193   4500008004100000245008300041210006900124520106900193653001201262653001701274653001101291653002901302653001201331653001301343100002701356700001401383700001501397856012001412       2009                        eng d00aThe next step in cicada audition: measuring pico-mechanics in the cicada's ear0 anext step in cicada audition measuring picomechanics in the cica3 a<p>Female cicadas use sound when they select a mate from a chorus of singing males. The cicada has a tympanal ear; and the tympanal membrane, and constituent tympanal ridge, act as both acousto-mechanical transducers and frequency filters. The tympanal ridge is physically connected to a large number of mechanoreceptor neurons via a cuticular extension known as the tympanal apodeme. Using microscanning laser Doppler vibrometry, we measured for the first time the in vivo vibrations of the apodeme of female Cicadatra atra in response to the motion of the tympanum driven by sound. These measurements reveal that the nanoscale motion of the tympanal membrane is over a magnitude greater than that of the apodeme. Furthermore, the apodeme acts as an additional mechanical frequency filter, enhancing that of the tympanal ridge, narrowing the frequency band of vibration at the mechanoreceptor neurons to that of the male calling song. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanical link between the external ear of the cicada and its sensory cells.</p>
10aapodeme10abiomechanics10aCicada10afrequency discrimination10ahearing10atympanum1 aWindmill, James, F. C.1 aSueur, J.1 aRobert, D.  uhttp://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/doi/10.1242/jeb.033019https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1242/jeb.033019