Montealegre-Z, Fernando and Jonsson, Thorin and Robson-Brown, Kate A. and Postles, Matthew and Robert, Daniel (2012) Convergent evolution between insect and mammalian audition. Science, 338 (6109). pp. 968-971. ISSN 0036-8075

PDF Montealegre,_Jonsson_et_al.pdf - Whole Document Restricted to Repository staff only Download (2757Kb)

Abstract

In mammals, hearing is dependent on three canonical processing stages: (i) an eardrum collecting sound, (ii) a middle ear impedance converter, and (iii) a cochlear frequency analyzer. Here, we show that some insects, such as rainforest katydids, possess equivalent biophysical mechanisms for auditory processing. Although katydid ears are among the smallest in all organisms, these ears perform the crucial stage of air-to-liquid impedance conversion and signal amplification, with the use of a distinct tympanal lever system. Further along the chain of hearing, spectral sound analysis is achieved through dispersive wave propagation across a fluid substrate, as in the mammalian cochlea. Thus, two phylogenetically remote organisms, katydids and mammals, have evolved a series of convergent solutions to common biophysical problems, despite their reliance on very different morphological substrates.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Biomechanics, Evolution, human hearing, insect ears, cochlea, ref06, refdoi
Subjects:	C Biological Sciences > C990 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified H Engineering > H340 Acoustics and Vibration C Biological Sciences > C182 Evolution F Physical Sciences > F380 Acoustics
Divisions:	College of Sciences > Faculty of Science > School of Life Sciences
Depositing User:	Fernando Montealegre-Z
Date Deposited:	17 Nov 2012 13:43
Last Modified:	08 May 2013 10:00
URI:	http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/6852

Actions (login required)

View Item