Development of Communication Behaviour: Receiver Ontogeny in Túngara Frogs and a Prospectus for a Behavioural Evolutionary Development

Most studies addressing the development of animal communication have focused on signal production rather than receiver decoding, and similar emphasis has been given to learning over nonlearning. But receivers are an integral part of a communication network, and nonlearned mechanisms appear to be more ubiquitous than learned ones in the communication systems of most animals. Here we review the results of recent experiments and outline future directions for integrative studies on the development of a primarily nonlearned behaviour—recognition of communication signals during ontogeny in a tropical frog. The results suggest that antecedents to adult behaviours might be a common feature of developing organisms. Given the essential role that acoustic communication serves in reproduction for many organisms and that receivers can exert strong influence on the evolution of signals, understanding the evolutionary developmental basis of mate recognition will provide new insights into the evolution of communication systems

Neural Activity Patterns in Response to Interspecific and Intraspecific Variation in Mating Calls in the Túngara Frog

During mate choice, individuals must classify potential mates according to species identity and relative attractiveness. In many species, females do so by evaluating variation in the signals produced by males. Male túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) can produce single note calls (whines) and multi-note calls (whine-chucks). While the whine alone is sufficient for species recognition, females greatly prefer the whine-chuck when given a choice.To better understand how the brain responds to variation in male mating signals, we mapped neural activity patterns evoked by interspecific and intraspecific variation in mating calls in túngara frogs by measuring expression of egr-1. We predicted that egr-1 responses to conspecific calls would identify brain regions that are potentially important for species recognition and that at least some of those brain regions would vary in their egr-1 responses to mating calls that vary in attractiveness. We measured egr-1 in the auditory brainstem and its forebrain targets and found that conspecific whine-chucks elicited greater egr-1 expression than heterospecific whines in all but three regions. We found no evidence that preferred whine-chuck calls elicited greater egr-1 expression than conspecific whines in any of eleven brain regions examined, in contrast to predictions that mating preferences in túngara frogs emerge from greater responses in the auditory system.Although selectivity for species-specific signals is apparent throughout the túngara frog brain, further studies are necessary to elucidate how neural activity patterns vary with the attractiveness of conspecific mating calls

Functional mapping of the auditory midbrain during mate call reception

We examined patterns of neural activity as assayed by changes in gene expression to localize representation of acoustic mating signals in the auditory midbrain of frogs. We exposed wild-caught male Physalaemus pustulosus to conspecific mating calls that vary in their behavioral salience, nonsalient mating calls, or no sound. We measured expression of the immediate early gene egr-1 (also called ZENK, zif268, NGFI-A, and krox-24) throughout the torus semicircularis, the auditory midbrain homolog of the inferior colliculus. Differential egr-1 induction in response to the acoustic stimuli occurred in the laminar, midline, and principal nuclei of the torus semicircularis, whereas the ventral region did not show significant effects of stimulus. The laminar nucleus differentially responded to conspecific mating calls compared with nonsalient mating calls, whereas the midline and principal nuclei responded preferentially to one of two conspecific calls. These responses were not explained by simple acoustic properties of the stimuli, and they demonstrate a functional heterogeneity of auditory processing of complex biological signals within the frog midbrain. Moreover, using analyses that assess the ability of the torus semicircularis as a whole to discriminate among acoustic stimuli, we found that activity patterns in the four regions together provide more information about biologically relevant acoustic stimuli than activity in any single region

The Grizzly, March 23, 1999

For 27 Ursinus Students, Spring Break is No Day at the Beach • Former CIA Member to Speak on U.S. Intelligence • French Conducts Meistersingers Concert • A New Reimert for a New Season • UC Students Check Out Hot Internet Sites • Do You Remember Last Wednesday? • Opinion: Warning This Article has Been Censored; A Cruel Second; Cash Equivalency Controversy Revisited • Back in the Swing of Things: UC Baseball Report • Softball Evens Record at 7-7 • Gymnastics Holds Own at Nationals • UC Lax Drops First Two • Men\u27s Tennis Team Splits Matcheshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1437/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 21, 1998

Dr. Fagles Visits Ursinus • Student Art Exposition Coming Soon • Leadership Scholarship Reconstructed • Opinion: Intellectual Prejudice Leads to Social Darwinism • Final Exam Schedule • Beatlemania • Ursinus Gets the Blues • UC Women\u27s Lacrosse Team Defeats Two Big Conference Competitors • Unprecedented Day for Ursinus Tennis • Brindise to be Made Newest Coach of Quarterbacks • Ursinus Softball: Hopes for a Fourth Straight Title Fading Fast • Ursinus Track Fares Well Against Tough Competition • UC Baseball Round-up • Baseball Drops Key Series to Hopkins, Remains in 2nd Place in Conferencehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1420/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 2, 1999

Vaccination for Meningitis a Success • Dr. England to Speak on Social Crowds • Middle States Presents Findings • Ursinus Alum Named Principal of Vanguard Group • Ursinus Students Called to Aid Project for Peace • Middle States Team Praises Ursinus Students • Ursinus Students Battle Against Sickness • Dean\u27s Office Recognizes Resident Scholars • Opinion: Lessons From Space Ghost; Higher Education: Meal Ticket or Soul Food?; Dan Quayle: Eight Years Later, What has Changed? • Grizzly Wrestlers to Take Trenton State by Storm • Positive Outlook for New Field Hockey Coachhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1436/thumbnail.jp

Fracture repair requires TrkA signaling by skeletal sensory nerves.

Bone is richly innervated by nerve growth factor-responsive (NGF-responsive) tropomyosin receptor kinase A-expressing (TrKa-expressing) sensory nerve fibers, which are required for osteochondral progenitor expansion during mammalian skeletal development. Aside from pain sensation, little is known regarding the role of sensory innervation in bone repair. Here, we characterized the reinnervation of tissue following experimental ulnar stress fracture and assessed the impact of loss of TrkA signaling in this process. Sequential histological data obtained in reporter mice subjected to fracture demonstrated a marked upregulation of NGF expression in periosteal stromal progenitors and fracture-associated macrophages. Sprouting and arborization of CGRP+TrkA+ sensory nerve fibers within the reactive periosteum in NGF-enriched cellular domains were evident at time points preceding periosteal vascularization, ossification, and mineralization. Temporal inhibition of TrkA catalytic activity by administration of 1NMPP1 to TrkAF592A mice significantly reduced the numbers of sensory fibers, blunted revascularization, and delayed ossification of the fracture callus. We observed similar deficiencies in nerve regrowth and fracture healing in a mouse model of peripheral neuropathy induced by paclitaxel treatment. Together, our studies demonstrate an essential role of TrkA signaling for stress fracture repair and implicate skeletal sensory nerves as an important upstream mediator of this repair process

The Grizzly, April 14, 1998

The Poetry of an Outlaw • Ursinus Grad Makes it Big • Opinion: Change Ursinus, Change Yourself • Letter to the Editor • Coontz Lectures at Ursinus • Ursinus Gets Involved with Habitat for Humanity • Not Too Late to Sign-Up for Spring Service Day • The Class of \u2799 Hosts Third Annual Wingbowl • And the Winner of Mr. Ursinus 1998 Is... • The End of Lollapalooza? • Diversity Week at Ursinus • UC Women\u27s Lacrosse Team Battles for Second Place in Conference • UC Softball Sweeps Washington • Ursinus Golf Suffers 1st Defeat in Three Years • Women\u27s Tennis Team Heads in Positive Direction • UC Baseball Remains Tied for Second • Track Runs Strong Against Tough Competitionhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1419/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 28, 1998

Cornel West to Speak at Commencement • Ursinus Class of \u2748 to Meet Class of \u2798 • Ursinus Security Officer Survives Motorcycle Accident • Editors Say Farewell • Politics Department Bids Farewell • Reflections From the Class of 1998 • Opinion: On Behalf of International Students • Recognition of the Arts at UC • A Minister\u27s Homecoming • The Great Pennsylvania Workout Day Comes to Ursinus • New Honor For Ursinus • Plans for New Fieldhouse Underway • Spring Fling • Ursinus Students Escape Velocity • Newt Recognizes Students • 1998 Graduation Activities • Ursinus Lacrosse Defeats Haverford College • Women\u27s Tennis: One Last Try • Softball Looking Strong in the Home Stretch • Baseball Closes Out Centennial Conference Play • UC Has Field Day at Millersville • Ursinus\u27 Tribute to Our Senior Spring Athleteshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1421/thumbnail.jp

Review of laboratory-based terrestrial bioaccumulation assessment approaches for organic chemicals: Current status and future possibilities

Article discusses the state of the science and existing shortcomings in terrestrial bioaccumulation assessment of neutral organic chemicals