scholarly journals Habituation of the ultrasound-induced acoustic startle response in flying crickets

1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 489-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. May ◽  
R. R. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Stimulus Generalization ◽  
Field Crickets

The ultrasound-induced negative phonotactic response of tethered, flying Australian field crickets habituates to repeated stimuli. Using the magnitude of the metathoracic leg's swing during a series of ultrasonic stimuli as a measure of habituation, we show that: (1) the response declines exponentially; (2) the response recovers spontaneously; (3) repeated trials produce more rapid and stronger habituation; (4) successive stimuli presented more rapidly produce more rapid and stronger habituation; (5) a weaker stimulus intensity produces more rapid and stronger habituation; (6) the habituation shows stimulus generalization (i.e. the response is similar for different ultrasonic frequencies); (7) a novel stimulus produces dishabituation; and (8) the effect of the dishabituating stimulus habituates after repeated trials. These findings place habituation of cricket negative phonotaxis in the context described for habituation in mammals.

scholarly journals How male signaling intensity influences phonotaxis in virgin female Jamaican field crickets (Gryllus assimilis)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M Bertram ◽  
Karen Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Virgin Female ◽  
Detection Distance ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Female Mate Preference ◽  
Field Crickets ◽  
Perceptual Limits ◽  
Perceived Predation Risk

Understanding female mate preference is important for determining the strength and the direction of sexual trait evolution. Male signalling intensity is often an important predictor of mating success because higher intensity (louder) signallers are detectable at greater distances. However, if females are simultaneously more attracted to higher signalling intensities, then the potential fitness impacts of higher intensity signalling should be elevated beyond what would be expected from detection distance alone. Here we manipulated the signal intensity of cricket mate attraction signals to determine how female phonotaxis was influenced. We examined female phonotaxis using two common methodologies: spherical treadmills and open arenas. Both methodologies showed similar results, with females exhibiting highest phonotaxis towards loud (X̅+1 SD = 69 dB) mate attraction signals but showing reduced phonotaxis towards the loudest (X̅+2 SD = 77 dB) signals. Reduced phonotaxis towards supernormal stimuli may occur for several reasons including elevating the females’ perceived predation risk, invoking females’ acoustic startle response, or exceeding females’ perceptual limits.

scholarly journals Multisegmental analyses of acoustic startle in the flying cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus): kinematics and electromyography

1992 ◽  
Vol 169 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36
Author(s):  
C. I. Miles ◽  
M. L. May ◽  
E. H. Holbrook ◽  
R. R. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Spike Activity ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Short Latency ◽  
Behavior Patterns ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Kinematic Data ◽  
Teleogryllus Oceanicus ◽  
Field Crickets

Tethered, flying Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) stimulated with ultrasound respond with a rapid, short-latency turn from the sound source. We analyzed the kinematics of two behavioral components of this acoustic startle response and recorded electromyograms from the muscles involved in producing them. The two behavior patterns studied were the swing of the metathoracic leg, which has been shown to elicit a short-latency turn, and a lateral swing of the antennae, for which a direct role in steering has not been demonstrated. The kinematic data showed that when a pulse of ultrasound was presented to one side of the animal (1) the contralateral metathoracic leg abducted and elevated, while the ipsilateral leg remained in place, (2) both antennae swung laterally, but the contralateral antenna moved farther than the ipsilateral antenna, (3) increases in stimulus intensity elicited larger movements of the leg and contralateral antenna, while the ipsilateral antenna showed little sensitivity to stimulus intensity, and (4) for the leg, the latency to the onset of the swing decreased and the duration of the movement increased with increasing stimulus intensity. Electromyograms were recorded from the leg abductor M126 and two antennal muscles: the medial scapo-pedicellar muscle M6 and the lateral scapo-pedicellar muscle M7. M7 moves the antenna laterally, M6 moves it medially. Upon stimulation with ultrasound (1) both M126 and M7 showed increasing spike activity with increasing intensity of the ultrasound stimulus, (2) M126 showed a decrease in latency to the first spike and an increase in the duration of spike activity with increasing stimulus intensity, (3) latencies for M6 and M7 were not correlated with stimulus intensity, but M7 had significantly shorter latencies than M6 and the contralateral M7 had significantly shorter latencies than the ipsilateral M7, and (4) the ipsilateral M126 spiked in response to ultrasound in 6 of the 10 animals tested. In these cases, however, latency to the first spike was substantially longer, and the spike frequency was lower than for the muscle's response to contralateral stimuli. We attempt to correlate these electromyogram data with the kinematic data and relate them to the relevance of the two behavior patterns to the execution of an escape response.

scholarly journals How male signaling intensity influences phonotaxis in virgin female Jamaican field crickets (Gryllus assimilis)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M Bertram ◽  
Karen Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Virgin Female ◽  
Detection Distance ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Female Mate Preference ◽  
Field Crickets ◽  
Perceptual Limits ◽  
Perceived Predation Risk

Understanding female mate preference is important for determining the strength and the direction of sexual trait evolution. Male signalling intensity is often an important predictor of mating success because higher intensity (louder) signallers are detectable at greater distances. However, if females are simultaneously more attracted to higher signalling intensities, then the potential fitness impacts of higher intensity signalling should be elevated beyond what would be expected from detection distance alone. Here we manipulated the signal intensity of cricket mate attraction signals to determine how female phonotaxis was influenced. We examined female phonotaxis using two common methodologies: spherical treadmills and open arenas. Both methodologies showed similar results, with females exhibiting highest phonotaxis towards loud (X̅+1 SD = 69 dB) mate attraction signals but showing reduced phonotaxis towards the loudest (X̅+2 SD = 77 dB) signals. Reduced phonotaxis towards supernormal stimuli may occur for several reasons including elevating the females’ perceived predation risk, invoking females’ acoustic startle response, or exceeding females’ perceptual limits.

scholarly journals Ultrasound acoustic startle response in scarab beetles.

1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (12) ◽  
pp. 2593-2598 ◽  
Author(s):  
T G Forrest ◽  
H E Farris ◽  
R R Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Response Latency ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Head Roll ◽  
Acoustic Sensitivity ◽  
Scarab Beetles

We discovered an auditory sense in a night-flying scarab beetle, Euetheola humilis, the first scarab to be shown to hear airborne sounds. In the field, beetles were captured beneath speakers broadcasting ultrasound that simulated bat echolocation pulses. Apparently, the beetles took evasive action from a potential bat predator and flew into the traps. Using another behavioral assay in laboratory studies, the beetles were sensitive to frequencies ranging from 20 to 70 kHz at levels between 60 and 70 dB SPL. One component of the behavioral response, a head roll, was graded with stimulus intensity, and the number of potentials in electromyographic recordings from muscles involved in the roll increased as stimulus intensity increased. The response latency was about 40 ms at threshold, decreasing to about 30 ms at 20 dB above threshold. The beetle's short response latency is ideally suited for predator avoidance behavior and the frequency tuning of the response suggests that it could function in evasion from insectivorous bats. The beetle's acoustic sensitivity is remarkably similar to that of other night-flying insects showing ultrasound-induced startle and it should provide these scarab beetles with a similar advance warning of predation risk.

The Acoustic Startle Response and Disruption of Aiming. 2. Modulation by Forewarning and Preliminary Stimuli

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Foss ◽  
James R. Ison ◽  
James P. Torre ◽  
Wansack Jr ◽  
Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response

Impaired sensorimotor gating of the acoustic startle response in the prodrome of schizophrenia

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. S70 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.B. Quednow ◽  
I. Frommann ◽  
J. Berning ◽  
K.U. Kühn ◽  
W. Maier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Sensorimotor Gating

Structural brain correlates of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in healthy humans

NeuroImage ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1052-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Kumari ◽  
Elena Antonova ◽  
Elizabeth Zachariah ◽  
Adrian Galea ◽  
Ingrid Aasen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
Structural Brain
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