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ICE on the road to auditory sensitivity reduction and sound localization in the frog

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Abstract

Frogs and toads are capable of producing calls at potentially damaging levels that exceed 110 dB SPL at 50 cm. Most frog species have internally coupled ears (ICE) in which the tympanic membranes (TyMs) communicate directly via the large, permanently open Eustachian tubes, resulting in an inherently directional asymmetrical pressure-difference receiver. One active mechanism for auditory sensitivity reduction involves the pressure increase during vocalization that distends the TyM, reducing its low-frequency airborne sound sensitivity. Moreover, if sounds generated by the vocal folds arrive at both surfaces of the TyM with nearly equal amplitudes and phases, the net motion of the eardrum would be greatly attenuated. Both of these processes appear to reduce the motion of the frog’s TyM during vocalizations. The implications of ICE in amphibians with respect to sound localizations are discussed, and the particularly interesting case of frogs that use ultrasound for communication yet exhibit exquisitely small localization jump errors is brought to light.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive S., Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1606, USA

    Peter M. Narins

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive S., Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1606, USA

    Peter M. Narins

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  1. Peter M. Narins
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Correspondence to Peter M. Narins.

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This article belongs to a Special Issue on Internally Coupled Ears (ICE).

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Narins, P.M. ICE on the road to auditory sensitivity reduction and sound localization in the frog. Biol Cybern 110, 263–270 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-016-0700-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-016-0700-z

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