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Ultrasonic frogs show extraordinary sex differences in auditory frequency sensitivity

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  • Jun-Xian Shen

    (State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zhi-Min Xu

    (State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zu-Lin Yu

    (State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Shuai Wang

    (School of Instrumentation Science & Optoelectronics Engineering, Beihang University)

  • De-Zhi Zheng

    (School of Instrumentation Science & Optoelectronics Engineering, Beihang University)

  • Shang-Chun Fan

    (School of Instrumentation Science & Optoelectronics Engineering, Beihang University)

Abstract

Acoustic communication has an important role in the reproductive behaviour of anurans. Although males of the concave-eared frog (Odorrana tormota) have shown an ultrasonic communication capacity adapted to the intense, predominately low-frequency ambient noise from local streams, whether the females communicate with ultrasound remains unclear. Here we present evidence that females exhibit no ultrasonic sensitivity. Acoustic playback experiments show that the calls from male evoke phonotaxis and vocal responses from gravid females, whereas the ultrasonic components (frequencies above 20 kHz) of the calls do not elicit any phonotaxis or vocalization in the females. Electrophysiological recordings from the auditory midbrain reveal an upper frequency limit at 16 kHz in females. Laser Doppler vibrometer measurements show that the velocity amplitude of the tympanic membranes peaks at 5 kHz in females and at ∼7 kHz in males. The auditory sex differences in O. tormota imply that ultrasonic hearing has evolved only in male anurans.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun-Xian Shen & Zhi-Min Xu & Zu-Lin Yu & Shuai Wang & De-Zhi Zheng & Shang-Chun Fan, 2011. "Ultrasonic frogs show extraordinary sex differences in auditory frequency sensitivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-5, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:2:y:2011:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1339
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1339
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    Cited by:

    1. Hagar Setty & Yehuda Salzberg & Shadi Karimi & Elisheva Berent-Barzel & Michael Krieg & Meital Oren-Suissa, 2022. "Sexually dimorphic architecture and function of a mechanosensory circuit in C. elegans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.

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