Plasticity of Peripheral Auditory Frequency Sensitivity in Emei Music Frog
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1
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu Institute of Biology, China
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2
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, School of Automation Engineering,, China
In spring, frogs emerge from hibernation and male frogs vocalize for mating or to show territorial behaviors. Female frogs have the ability to evaluate males’ qualities and show phonotactic responses. Due to breeding-dependent changes in frog behavior, we proposed that the peripheral auditory frequency sensitivity in frogs can display seasonal plasticity. Here, the hypothesis was tested in Emei music frogs, Babina daunchina, by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to airborne sounds in the reproductive season and non-reproductive season. We found that ABRs display seasonal changes in response to tone pips and click stimuli. During the reproductive season (i.e. summer), ABRs showed thresholds as low as 53 dB (1 KHz, SPL) for tone pips stimuli, whereas approximately 63 dB (1 KHz, SPL) was needed to elicit ABRs morphology in non-reproductive winter music frogs. We also examined latencies of the auditory response and found the results to be similar but not the same as that in the thresholds test. When using the same frequencies but different thresholds conditions, it was found that latencies to valley as a function of tone pips were shorter in winter than that in summer from 0.2 to 1.5 KHz, but longer than that in summer for those frequencies above 1.5 KHz. The seasonal differences in ABRs demonstrate that peripheral auditory frequency sensitivity in the Emei music frogs shows an adaptive plasticity for seasonal changes.
Keywords:
Frog,
plasticity
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well)
Topic:
Sensory: Audition
Citation:
Zhang
D,
Cui
J and
Tang
Y
(2012). Plasticity of Peripheral Auditory Frequency Sensitivity in Emei Music Frog.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00441
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Received:
04 Jul 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Jianguo Cui, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China, cuijgcn@gmail.com