The mechanism of sound production in tngara frogs and its role in sexual selection and speciation

Neurobiology of Social Sensory Integration & BehaviorRayna M Harris

Guest LecturePrinciples of Neuroscience (NEU 482T)

1Multimodal signaling gone awry2http://www.anchormanmovie.com/#Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 2004http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLq2-uZd5LYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLq2-uZd5LYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLq2-uZd5LY

Challenge: competition for resources male-male interactions predator avoidance

Opportunity: mate choice habitat selection foraging3All animals face challenges and opportunitiesOConnell & Hofmann 2011 Front NeuroendocrinolLearning ObjectivesNatural and sexual selection shape behaviors and the mechanism that govern them Many methods for disentangling neural, hormonal, and behavioral responses to multi-modal signalingNeural processes for producing and detecting social stimuli are evolutionarily conserved Box plots show variation in data

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The Tungara Frog Advertisement Call

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSuTbkftrXQ&list=PL608jTKwa00fDamk-ie2MoL4X6SK7B5Uo5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSuTbkftrXQ

Advertisement Calls Vary in Complexity

Ryan MJ & Guerra MA 2014 Curr. Opin. in Neurobiol. 6

Laryngeal Size Modulates Call Complexity

Ryan MJ & Guerra MA 2014 Curr. Opin. in Neurobiol. 7Female Preference for Whine & Chucks

8Ryan MJ & Guerra MA 2014 Curr. Opin. in Neurobiol. S, silence; E, P. enesefae whine;C, chuck-only; W, P. pustulosus whine; WC, P. pustulosus whinechuck.

8Females prefer complex, synchronous audio and visual stimuli

RC Traylor & MJ Ryan 2013 Science.

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Male Rivals and Bats Respond to Ripples

10W. Halfwerk et al 2014 Science

Where are these stimuli processed?11

OConnell et al 2011 J Chem Neuroanatomy

The Brain as a Black BoxWhat neural circuits process & integrate social stimuli across taxa?12

OConnell & Hofmann 2011 J Comp Neurol

Astatotilapia burtoni: a model organism for the study of social neuroscience13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsITD40W7pE

13Color Vision in Cichlids Modulated by Many Opsins

CM Hofmann et al. (2010) Mol Ecol.14Perceivable colors differences in Astatotilapia burtoni individualsHofmann Lab, unpublished

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Males alter their chemical urine signaling in response to contextual sensory social cues16

Maruska & Fernald 2012 J. Exp BiolNeuroendocrine Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Integration of Social Signals

OConnell et al. 2013J NeuroendocrinolVisualChemicalVisual & ChemicalIntruderChallengeReproductive Opportunity

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Context-appropriate behavioral responses to different sensory cues

OConnell et al. (2013) J Neuroendocrinol 25, 644-654.18Hormonal responses to social context depends on sensory information

OConnell et al. (2013) J Neuroendocrinol 25, 644-654.19Induction of specific dopaminergic neurons depends on sensory information

OConnell et al. (2013) J Neuroendocrinol 25, 644-654.20

THC-Fos20Conserved neural substrates of social behavior

OConnell & Hofmann 2011 JCN; 2012 Science

All animals must make context-appropriate choices

Variation in ecology, sensory biases, life history across animals21Common neural structures & functionsultimately increase fitness*decision-making circuitry

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For more related research22Dr. Lauren OConnellHarvard UniversityDr. Hans HofmannThe University of Texas at AustinDr. Michael RyanThe University of Texas at Austin