Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Acoustic, auditory, and morphological divergence in three species of neotropical frog

  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Advertisement calls, auditory tuning, and larynx and ear morphology were examined in 3 neotropical frogs, Hyla microcephala, H. phlebodes and H. ebraccata, H. microcephala has the highest call dominant frequency (6.068 kHz) and basilar papilla tuning (5.36 kHz). H. phlebodes and H. ebraccata calls have lower dominant frequencies (3.832 and 3.197 kHz respectively) and basilar papilla tuning (2.79 and 2.56 kHz). The primary call notes of H. ebraccata are longer (181.6 ms) than those of H. microcephala (95.5 ms) or H. phlebodes (87.3 ms). Morphometric analysis suggests that temporal call features differ as laryngeal musculature changes, in the process changing the overall size of the larynx. The spectral aspects of the call differ as head size, and hence the size of its resonating and radiating structures, changes, modifying the dominant frequency of calls by accentuating their higher harmonics when head size decreases. Decreasing head size decreases the size of the middle and inner ear chambers, changing the mechanical tuning of the ear in the same direction as the change in dominant frequency. These changes result in divergent spectral-temporal characteristics of both the sending and receiving portions of the acoustic communication system underlying social behavior in these frogs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AP:

amphibian papilla

BEF:

best excitatory frequency

BP:

basilar papilla

dB SPL:

decibels sound pressure level re:20 μN/m2

References

  • Blair F (1958) Mating call in the speciation of anuran amphibians. Am Nat 92:27–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Capranica RR, Moffat AJM (1983) Neurobehavioral correlates of sound communication in anurans. In: Ewert J-P, Capranica RR, Ingle D (eds) Advances in vertebrate neuroethology. Plenum Press, New York, pp 701–730

    Google Scholar 

  • Condon CJ, Chang S-H, Feng AS (1991) Processing of behaviorally relevant temporal parameters of acoustic stimuli by single neurons in the superior olivary nucleus of the leopard frog. J Comp Physiol A 168:709–725

    Google Scholar 

  • Drewry GE, Rand AS (1983) Characteristics of an acoustic community: Puerto Rican frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus. Copeia 1983:941–953

    Google Scholar 

  • Duellman WE (1970) The hylid frogs of Middle America. Univ Kansas Mus Nat History Monographs, Lawrence

  • Duellman WE, Pyles RA (1983) Acoustic resource partitioning in anuran communities. Copeia 1983:639–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Eggermont JJ (1988) Mechanisms of sound localization in anurans. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 307–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng AS, Hall JC, Gooler DM (1990) Neural basis of sound pattern recognition in anurans. Prog Neurobiol 34:313–329

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fouquette MJ (1960) Isolating mechanisms in three sympatric tree frogs in the Canal Zone. Evolution 14:484–497

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox JH (1991) Morphological correlates of auditory sensitivity in anuran amphibians. Soc Neurosci Abstr 17:1403

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerhardt HC (1988) Acoustic properties used in call recognition by frogs and toads. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 455–484

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall JC, Feng AS (1987) Evidence for parallel processing in the frog's auditory thalamus. J Comp Neurol 258:407–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington TE (1992a) The effects of body size on functional properties of middle ear systems of anuran amphibians. Brain Behav Evol 39:133–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington TE (1992b) The effects of body size on the evolution of the amphibian middle ear. In: Webster DB, Fay RR, Popper AN (eds) The evolutionary biology of hearing. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 421–437

    Google Scholar 

  • Humason GL (1972) Animal tissue techniques. WH Freeman, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaslow AP, Hetherington TE, Lombard RE (1988) Structure and function of the amphibian middle ear. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 69–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis ER, Lombard RE (1988) The amphibian inner ear. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 93–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Littlejohn MJ (1988) Frog calls and speciation: The retrograde evolution of homogametic acoustic signaling systems in hybrid zones. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 613–636

    Google Scholar 

  • Littlejohn MJ, Martin AA (1969) Acoustic interaction between two species of leptodactylid frogs. Anim Behav 17:785–791

    Google Scholar 

  • Loftus-Hills JJ (1973) Comparative aspects of auditory function in Australian anurans. Aust J Zool 21:353–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin WF (1972) Evolution of vocalizations in the genus Bufo. In: Blair WF (ed) Evolution in the genus Bufo. Univ of Texas Press, Austin, pp 279–309

    Google Scholar 

  • McClelland BE, Wilczynski W (1989) Sexually dimorphic laryngeal morphology in Rana pipiens. J Morphol 201:293–299

    Google Scholar 

  • McClelland BE, Wilczynski W, Ryan MJ (1993) Call characteristics and the morphology of the larynx and ear in cricket frogs (Acris crepitans). J Morphol (submitted)

  • Narins PM (1983) Divergence of acoustic communication systems of two sibling species of eleutherodactylid frogs. Copeia 1983:1089–1090

    Google Scholar 

  • Narins PM, Zelick RD (1988) The effects of noise on auditory processing and behavior in amphibians. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 511–536

    Google Scholar 

  • Plassmann W, Brandle K (1992) A functional model of the auditory system in mammals and its evolutionary implications. In: Webster DB, Fay RR, Popper AN (eds) The evolutionary biology of hearing. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 637–653

    Google Scholar 

  • Rand AS (1988) An overview of anuran acoustic communication. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 415–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose GJ, Capranica RR (1984) Processing of amplitude-modulated sounds by the auditory midbrain of two species of toads: matched temporal filters. J Comp Physiol A 154:211–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose GJ, Brenowitz EA, Capranica RR (1985) Species specificity and temperature dependency of temporal processing by the auditory midbrain of two species of treefrogs. J Comp Physiol A 157:763–769

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan MJ (1988) Constraints and patterns in the evolution of anuran acoustic communication. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 637–678

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan MJ, Drewes RC (1990) Vocal morphology of Physalaemus pustulosus species group (Leptodactylidae): morphological response to sexual selection for complex calls. Biol J Linn Soc 40:37–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W (1991) Evolution of intraspecific variation in the advertisement call of a cricket frog (Acris crepitans, Hylidae). Biol J Linn Soc 44:249–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassoon D, Kelley D (1986) The sexually dimorphic larynx of Xenopus laevis: Development and androgen regulation. Am J Anat 177:457–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid E (1977) The vocal apparatus of Bombina bombina (L.), Bombina v. variegata (L.) and Alytes o. obstetricans (LAUR). Zool Jb Anat 98:133–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt RS (1972) Action of intrinsic laryngeal muscles during release calling in leopard frogs. J Exp Zool 181:233–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider H (1988) Peripheral and central mechanisms of vocalization. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 537–558

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ (1987) The importance of spectral and temporal properties in species and call recognition in a neotropical treefrog with a complex vocal repertoire. Anim Behav 35:340–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ (1991) Why stop calling? A study of unison bout singing in a neotropical treefrog. Anim Behav 42:565–577

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ, Wells KD (1983) An experimental study of acoustic interference between two species of neotropical treefrogs. Anim Behav 31:181–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ, Wells KD (1984a) Vocal behavior of the neotropical treefrog Hyla phlebodes. Herpetologica 40:452–463

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ, Wells KD (1984b) Interspecific acoustic interactions of the neotropical treefrog Hyla ebraccata. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 14:211–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz JJ, Wells KD (1985) Intra- and inter-specific vocal behavior of the neotropical treefrog Hyla microcephala. Copeia 1985:27–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Walkowiak W (1988) Central temporal coding. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 275–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells KD (1977) The social behavior of anuran amphibians. Anim Behav 25:666–693

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells KD (1988) The effect of social interactions on anuran vocal behavior. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 433–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells KD, Bard KM (1987) Vocal communication in a neotropical treefrog, Hyla ebraccata: Responses of females to advertisement and aggressive calls. Behaviour 101:200–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells KD, Schwartz JJ (1984) Vocal communication in a neotropical treefrog, Hyla ebraccata: Advertisement calls. Anim Behav 32:405–420

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells KD, Taigen TL (1989) Calling energetics of the neotropical treefrog Hyla microcephala. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 25:13–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilczynski W, Brenowitz EA (1988) Acoustic cues mediate intermale spacing in a neotropical frog. Anim Behav 36:1054–1063

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilczynski W, Capranica RR (1984) The auditory system of anuran amphibians. Prog Neurobiol 22:1–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilczynski W, Zakon HH, Brenowitz EA (1984) Acoustic communication in spring peepers: Call characteristics and neurophysiological aspects. J Comp Physiol A 155:577–584

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilczynski W, Resler C, Capranica RR (1987) Tympanic and extratympanic sound transmission in the leopard frog. J Comp Physiol A 161:659–669

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilczynski W, Keddy-Hector AC, Ryan MJ (1992) Call differences and basilar papilla tuning in cricket frogs. I. Differences among populations and between sexes. Brain Behav Evol 39:229–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Zakon HH, Wilczynski W (1988) The physiology of the anuran eighth nerve. In: Fritzsch B, Ryan MJ, Wilczynski W, Hetherington TE, Walkowiak W (eds) The evolution of the amphibian auditory system. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 125–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelick R (1986) Jamming avoidance in electric fish and frogs. Strategies of signal oscillator timing. Brain Behav Evol 28:60–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelick RD, Narins PM (1983) Intensity discrimination and the precision of call timing in two species of neotropical treefrogs. J Comp Physiol 153:403–412

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Texas, 78712, Austin, TX, USA

    W. Wilczynski & B. E. McClelland

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama

    A. S. Rand

Authors
  1. W. Wilczynski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. E. McClelland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. S. Rand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wilczynski, W., McClelland, B.E. & Rand, A.S. Acoustic, auditory, and morphological divergence in three species of neotropical frog. J Comp Physiol A 172, 425–438 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213524

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213524

Key words

Search

Navigation