Intensity responses of the single auditory receptor of notodontid moths: a test of the peripheral interaction hypothesis in moth ears
It has been proposed that the most sensitive auditory receptor cell (A1) in the two-celled ears of certain noctuoid moths is inhibited by its partner, the A2 cell, at high stimulus intensities. We used the single-celled ears of notodontid moths, also noctuoids, to test this hypothesis. The A1 cells of all but one of the moths tested exhibited non-monotonic firing rates, with reduced firing rates at high stimulus intensities and showing no relationship to the firing rate of the only other receptor, the non-auditory B cell. These results challenge the peripheral interaction hypothesis for A1 firing patterns in two-celled moth ears. An examination of notodontid A1 adaptation rates and laser vibrometry results suggests that receptor adaptation and tympanal motion non-linearity are more likely explanations for the non-monotonic receptor firing observed in both single- and multi-celled moth ears.
Fullard
JH
Department of Zoology, Erindale College, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 and Center for Sound Communication, Institute of Biology, Odense University, Odense M, DK-5230, Denmark. jfullard@credit.erin.utoront.
Forrest
E
Surlykke
A