Mechanical filtering for narrow-band hearing in the weta

Kathryn Lomas; Fernando Montealegre-Z; Stuart Parsons; Larry H Field; Daniel Robert

doi:10.1242/jeb.050187

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Mechanical filtering for narrow-band hearing in the weta

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Mechanical filtering for narrow-band hearing in the weta

Kathryn Lomas, Fernando Montealegre-Z, Stuart Parsons, Larry H Field and Daniel Robert

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol.214(Pt 5), pp.778-785

2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.050187

PMID: 21307064

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Abstract

weta

laser vibrometry

ensiferan ear

tympanum vibration

mechanical tuning

This paper constitutes a major attempt to associate tympanic deflections with the mechanoreceptor organ location in an acoustic insect. The New Zealand tree weta (Hemideina thoracica) has tympanal ears located on each of the prothoracic tibiae. The tympana exhibit a sclerotized oval plate, membranous processes bulging out from the tibial cuticle and many loosely suspended ripples. We used microscanning laser Doppler vibrometry to determine how such a tympanal membrane vibrates in response to sound and whether the sclerotized region plays a role in hearing. The tympanum displays a single resonance at the calling frequency of the male, an unusual example of an insect tympana acting as a narrow bandpass filter. Both tympana resonate in phase with the stimulus and with each other. Histological sections show that the tympanal area is divided into two distinct regions, as in other ensiferans. An oval plate lies in the middle of a thickened region and is surrounded by a transparent and uniformly thin region. It is hinged dorsally to the tympanal rim and thus resembles the model of a 'hinged flap'. The thickened region appears to act as a damping mass on the oscillation of the thin region, and vibration displacement is reduced in this area. The thinner area vibrates with higher amplitude, inducing mechanical pressure on the dorsal area adjacent to the crista acustica. We present a new model showing how the thickened region might confer a mechanical gain onto the activation of the crista acustica sensory neurons during the sound-induced oscillations.

Details

Title: Mechanical filtering for narrow-band hearing in the weta
Authors: Kathryn Lomas (Author) - University of Auckland
Fernando Montealegre-Z (Author) - University of Bristol
Stuart Parsons (Author) - University of Auckland
Larry H Field (Author) - University of Canterbury
Daniel Robert (Author) - University of Bristol
Publication details: Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol.214(Pt 5), pp.778-785
Publisher: Company of Biologists Ltd.
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.050187
ISSN: 1477-9145
PMID: 21307064
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99576108602621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Biology

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