Summary
Transmission and reception of high-frequency sound in the natural environment of bushcrickets (Tettigonia viridissima L.) was studied using the activity of an identified neuron in the insect's auditory pathway as a “biological microphone”. Different positions of the receiver within the habitat were simulated by systematic variation of the distance from a loudspeaker and the height above the ground. Attenuation and filtering properties of the habitat were investigated with pure-tone frequencies between 5 and 40 kHz. Sound attenuation in excess of the attenuation due to geometrical spreading alone increased with increasing frequency, distance between sender and receiver, and decreasing height within the vegetation (Figs. 2–4). The data also confirm the existence of two kinds of excess attenuation. The amount of amplitude fluctuations in the sound signals was investigated by analysing the variability of the neuronal responses at a given receiver position. Variability increased with decreasing bandwidth of a noise signal at some distance from the loadspeaker. The variability in the responses to pure tones increased with both increasing frequency and distance from the source (Fig. 7). In the selected habitat, the temporal pattern of the natural calling song of male T. viridissima was very reliably reflected in the activity of the recorded neuron up to a distance of 30 m at the top of the vegetation, and 15–20 m near ground level (Figs. 5, 8). The maximum hearing distance in response to the calling song was about 40 m. Environmental constraints on long-range acoustic communication in the habitat are discussed in relation to possible adaptations of both the signal structure and the behavior of the insects.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- excessive attenuation:
-
EA
- sound pressure level:
-
SPL
References
Aylor D (1971) Noise reduction by vegetation and ground. J Acoust See Am 51:197–205
Bailey WJ (1985) Acoustic cues for female choice in bushcrickets (Tettigoniidae). In: Kalmring K, Elsner N (eds) Acoustic and vibrational communication in insects. Paul Parey, Berlin, pp 107–111
Bailey WJ, Yeoh PB (1988) Female phonotaxis and frequency discrimination in the bushcricket Requena verticalis. Physiol Entomol 13:363–372
Bennet-Clark HC (1970) The mechanism and efficiency of sound production in mole crickets. J Exp Biol 52:619–652
Cade WH (1985) Insect mating and courtship. In: Kerkut GA, Gilbert LI (eds) Comprehensive insect physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology, vol 9. Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp 591–619
Dadour IR, Bailey WJ (1985) Male agonistic behaviour of the bushcricket Mygalopsis marki Bailey in response to conspecific song (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). Z Tierpsychol 70:320–330
Doolan JM, MacNally RC (1981) Spatial dynamics and breeding ecology in the cicada Cystosoma saundersii: the interaction between distributions of resources and intraspecific behaviour. J Anim Ecol 50:925–940
Elsner N, Popov AV (1978) Neuroethology of acoustic communication. Adv Insect Physiol 13:229–355
Gerhardt HC (1982) Sound pattern recognition in some North American treefrogs (Anura: Hylidae): implications for mate choice. Am Zool 22:581–595
Greenfield MD (1988) Interspecific acoustic interactions among katydids (Neoconocephalus): inhibition-induced shifts in diel periodicity. Anim Behav 36:684–695
Ingrisch S (1979) Experimentell-ökologische Freilanduntersuchungen zur Monotopbindung der Laubheuschrecken (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) im Vogelsberg. Beitr Naturk Osthessen 15:33–95
Griffin DR (1971) The importance of atmospheric attenuation for the echolocation of bats (Chiroptera). Anim Behav 19:55–61
Keuper A, Weidemann S, Kalmring K, Kaminski D (1989) Sound production and sound emission in seven species of European bushcrickets. I. The different parameters of the song; their relation to the morphology of the bushcricket. Bioacoustics 1:31–48
Latimer W, Lewis DB (1986) Song harmonic content as a parameter determining acoustic orientation behaviour in the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus (Le Guillou). J Comp Physiol (A) 158:583–591
Latimer W, Sippel M (1987) Acoustic cues for female choice and male competition in Tettigonia cantans. Anim Behav 35:887–910
Lewald J (1985) Freilanduntersuchungen an akustischen Interneuronen der Laubheuschrecke Tettigonia viridissima L. Diploma thesis, Bochum
Lewis DB (1983) Directional cues for auditory localization. In: Lewis DB (ed) Bioacoustics: a comparative approach. Academic Press, London, pp 233–260
Lighthill MJ (1953) On the energy scattered from the interaction of turbulence with sound or shock wave. Proc Cambridge Phil Soc Biol Sci 49:531–551
Meister F-J, Ruhrberg W (1957) Der Einfluß von Grünanlagen auf die Ausbreitung von Gerduschen. Lärmbekämpfung 1:5–11
Michelsen A (1978) Sound reception in different environments. In: Ali MA (ed) Sensory ecology. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 345–373
Michelsen A, Larsen ON (1983) Strategies for acoustic communication in complex environments. In: Huber F, Markl H (eds) Neuroethology and behavioural physiology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 322–332
Michelsen A, Nocke H (1974) Biophysical aspects of sound communication in insects. Adv Insect Physiol 10:247–296
Morton ES (1975) Ecological sources of selection on avian sounds. Am Nat 108:17–34
Parker GA (1983) Mate quality and mating decisions. In: Bateson P (ed) Mate choice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 141–164
Paul RC, Walker TJ (1979) Arboreal singing in a burrowing cricket, Anurogryllus arboreus. J Comp Physiol 132:217–223
Piercy JE, Embleton TFW, Sutherland LC (1977) Review of noise propagation in the atmosphere. J Acoust Soc Am 61:1402–1418
Pollack GS (1988) Selective attention in an insect auditory neuron. J Neurosci 8:2635–2639
Rheinlaender J, Römer H (1986) Insect hearing in the field. I. The use of identified nerve cells as ‘biological microphones‘. J Comp Physiol (A) 158:647–651
Richards DG, Wiley RH (1980) Reverberations and amplitude fluctuations in the propagation of sound in a forest: implications for animal communication. Am Nat 115:381–399
Römer H (1985) Anatomical representation of frequency and intensity in the auditory system of Orthoptera. In: Kalmring K, Elsner N (eds) Acoustic and vibrational communication in insects. Paul Parey, Berlin Hamburg, pp 25–32
Römer H, Bailey WJ (1986) Insect hearing in the field. II. Male spacing behaviour and correlated acoustic cues in the bushcricket Mygalopsis marki. J Comp Physiol 159:627–638
Römer H, Marquart V, Hardt M (1988) Organization of a sensory neuropile in the auditory pathway of two groups of orthoptera. J Comp Neurol 275:201–215
Römer H, Bailey WJ, Dadour I (1989) Insect hearing in the field. III. Masking by noise. J Comp Physiol (A) 164:609–620
Thiele DR, Bailey WJ (1981) The function of sound in male spacing behaviour of bushcrickets (Tettigoniidae: Orthoptera). Aust J Ecol 5:275–286
West-Eberhard MJ (1984) Sexual selection, competitive communication and species-specific signals in insects. In: Lewis T (ed) Insect communication. Academic Press, London, pp 283–324
Wiley RH, Richards DG (1978) Physical constraints on acoustic communication in the atmosphere: implications for the evolution of animal vocalizations. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 3:69–94
Wiley RH, Richards DG (1982) Adaptations for acoustic communication in birds: sound transmission and signal detection. In: Kroodsma DE, Miller EH, Quellet H (eds) Acoustic communication in birds. Academic Press, New York, pp 131–181
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Offprint requests to: H. Romer
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Romer, H., Lewald, J. High-frequency sound transmission in natural habitats: implications for the evolution of insect acoustic communication. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 29, 437–444 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170174
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170174