Visual sensitivity to a conspicuous male cue varies by reproductive state in<i>Physalaemus pustulosus</i>females

Cummings, Molly E.; Bernal, Ximena E.; Reynaga, Roberto; Rand, A. Stanley; Ryan, Michael J.

doi:10.1242/jeb.012963

Cited by 70 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…This is consistent with their life history, as they hide in root systems, grasses and debris during daylight hours when visual cues are present Stamper et al, 2010). Similarly, other nocturnal or crepuscular animals that can rely on non-visual sensory information for the control of behavior also preferentially rely on visual cues when they are present (Knudsen and Knudsen, 1989;Penteriani et al, 2007;Cummings et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Active sensing via movement shapes spatiotemporal patterns of sensory feedback

Stamper

Roth

Cowan

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

107

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SUMMARYPrevious work has shown that animals alter their locomotor behavior to increase sensing volumes. However, an animalʼs own movement also determines the spatial and temporal dynamics of sensory feedback. Because each sensory modality has unique spatiotemporal properties, movement has differential and potentially independent effects on each sensory system. Here we show that weakly electric fish dramatically adjust their locomotor behavior in relation to changes of modality-specific information in a task in which increasing sensory volume is irrelevant. We varied sensory information during a refuge-tracking task by changing illumination (vision) and conductivity (electroreception). The gain between refuge movement stimuli and fish tracking responses was functionally identical across all sensory conditions. However, there was a significant increase in the tracking error in the dark (no visual cues). This was a result of spontaneous whole-body oscillations (0.1 to 1Hz) produced by the fish. These movements were costly: in the dark, fish swam over three times further when tracking and produced more net positive mechanical work. The magnitudes of these oscillations increased as electrosensory salience was degraded via increases in conductivity. In addition, tail bending (1.5 to 2.35Hz), which has been reported to enhance electrosensory perception, occurred only during trials in the dark. These data show that both categories of movements -whole-body oscillations and tail bends -actively shape the spatiotemporal dynamics of electrosensory feedback. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Active sensing via movement shapes spatiotemporal patterns of sensory feedback

Stamper

Roth

Cowan

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

107

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“…This is similar to the downwelling irradiance at a typical nocturnal breeding site (Cummings et al, 2008). We observed frogs using an infrared viewer.…”

Section: General Proceduressupporting

confidence: 68%

Multimodal signal variation in space and time: how important is matching a signal with its signaler?

Taylor

Klein

Stein³

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Multimodal signals (acoustic+visual) are known to be used by many anuran amphibians during courtship displays. The relative degree to which each signal component influences female mate choice, however, remains poorly understood. In this study we used a robotic frog with an inflating vocal sac and acoustic playbacks to document responses of female túngara frogs to unimodal signal components (acoustic and visual). We then tested female responses to a synchronous multimodal signal. Finally, we tested the influence of spatial and temporal variation between signal components for female attraction. Females failed to approach the isolated visual cue of the robotic frog and they showed a significant preference for the call over the spatially separate robotic frog. When presented with a call that was temporally synchronous with the vocal sac inflation of the robotic frog, females did not show a significant preference for this over the call alone; when presented with a call that was temporally asynchronous with vocal sac inflation of the robotic frog, females discriminated strongly against the asynchronous multimodal signal in favor of the call alone. Our data suggest that although the visual cue is neither necessary nor sufficient for attraction, it can strongly modulate mate choice if females perceive a temporal disjunction relative to the primary acoustic signal.

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“…The photon flux density received on the Earth from our moon is estimated to be 0.5 nmol photon m −2 s −1 (Munz and McFarland 1973), 3 nmol photon m −2 s −1 (Salisbury 1981) and 5 nmol photon m −2 s −1 (Gorbunov and Falkowski 2002). Subsequent estimates are 3 nmol photon m −2 s −1 (Johnsen et al 2006) and 12 nmol photon m −2 s −1 (Cummings et al 2008). The mean of these values is less than the absolute minimum for photolithotrophic growth by O 2 -evolving organisms (10 nmol photon m −2 s −1 ), so that even the full moon on a cloudless night could not support photosynthetic growth of organisms.…”

Section: Photosynthesis Induced By Moonlightmentioning

confidence: 84%

Planetary targets in the search for extrasolar oxygenic photosynthesis

Cockell

Raven

Kaltenegger

et al. 2009

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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Background:In the coming decades space telescopes will be constructed that will attempt to find the gaseous products of oxygenic photosynthesis, the most promising biosignatures of life, in the atmospheres of temperate Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars. Aims: This paper aims to provide a synthesis of the range of feasible targets -either planets or their satellites -that could harbour photosynthesis. Methods: We calculated photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) fluxes on a diversity of planetary bodies including those receiving direct light from a single star, similarly to the Earth, and investigated the potential of these fluxes to support photosynthesis. Results: All main sequence stars emit radiation that is capable of supporting photosynthesis on Earth-like planets. We discuss tidally-locked M star planets as a special case. Less conventional targets for searches include large moons orbiting gas giant planets, which receive reflected light from their host planets and from the host star, planets in stable orbits in binary star systems, and the search for two planets within the same star system with photosynthetic signatures. Conclusions: A diversity of planetary bodies are targets in the search for extrasolar photosynthesis. The demonstration that many or none of these candidate planetary bodies harbour photosynthesis would be an important conclusion in understanding the evolution and prevalence of photosynthesis.

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Visual sensitivity to a conspicuous male cue varies by reproductive state inPhysalaemus pustulosusfemales

Cited by 70 publications

References 44 publications

Active sensing via movement shapes spatiotemporal patterns of sensory feedback

Active sensing via movement shapes spatiotemporal patterns of sensory feedback

Multimodal signal variation in space and time: how important is matching a signal with its signaler?

Planetary targets in the search for extrasolar oxygenic photosynthesis

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