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First published online September 11, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 3091-3099 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.033274
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The influence of ambient temperature and thermal acclimation on hearing in a eurythermal and a stenothermal otophysan fish

Lidia Eva Wysocki*, Karen Montey and Arthur N. Popper{dagger}

Department of Biology and Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

{dagger} Author for correspondence (apopper{at}umd.edu)

Accepted 22 June 2009

Being ectothermic, fish body temperature generally depends on ambient water temperature. Thus, ambient temperature might affect various sensory systems, including hearing, as a result of metabolic and physiological processes. However, the maintenance of sensory functions in a changing environment may be crucial for an animal's survival. Many fish species rely on hearing for acoustic orientation and communication. In order to investigate the influence of temperature on the auditory system, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was chosen as a model for a eurytherm species and the tropical catfish Pimelodus pictus as a model for a stenotherm fish. Hearing sensitivity was measured with animals acclimated or unacclimated to different water temperatures. Ambient water temperature significantly influenced hearing thresholds and the shape of auditory evoked potentials, especially at higher frequencies in I. punctatus. Hearing sensitivity of I. punctatus was lowest at 10°C and increased by up to 36 dB between 10°C and 26°C. Significant differences were also revealed between acclimated and unacclimated animals after an increase in water temperature but not a decrease. By contrast, differences in hearing thresholds were smaller in P. pictus, even if a similar temperature difference (8°C) was considered. However, P. pictus showed a similar trend as I. punctatus in exhibiting higher hearing sensitivity at the highest tested temperature, especially at the highest frequency tested. The results therefore suggest that the functional temperature dependence of sensory systems may differ depending upon whether a species is physiologically adapted to tolerate a wide or narrow temperature range.

Key words: auditory evoked potentials, catfish, hearing, thermal acclimation


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