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First published online January 17, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 465-476 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02655
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Neuroethology of female preference in the synchronously singing bushcricket Mecopoda elongata (Tettigoniidae; Orthoptera): why do followers call at all?

Ismene Fertschai, Jürgen Stradner and Heiner Römer*

Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University, A 8010 Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Austria


Figure 1
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  		Fig. 1. Phonotactic path of ten female M. elongata towards two speakers broadcasting either synchronous chirps with a time delay of 140 ms of the follower (A), chirps regularly alternating after 1 s (B), or chirps presented in perfect synchrony with no time delay at all (C). Females prefer the leader of two identical chirps (left speaker in A), and approach both alternating signals and those in perfect synchrony with no preference.

 

Figure 2
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  		Fig. 2. Time–intensity trading of female preference at intensities of 57 dB SPL (A) and 62 dB SPL (B) for the leader signal. The preference for the leader signal is reversed by an additional 6 dB and 10 dB for the follower, respectively, depending on the absolute playback level. L, leader; F, follower.

 

Figure 3
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  		Fig. 3. (A) Representation of leader and follower signals in the pair of omega-neurons of one preparation (playback levels 67 dB SPL; time delay 140 ms). (B,C) Results of similar experiments at four different playback levels of 57, 62, 67 and 72 dB SPL, when there is no time delay of both signals (B), and with a time delay of 140 ms (C); N=13. The value of v=0 is a standardized measure for equal representation of both signals, positive values refer to a dominance of the leader, negative values of the follower signal. Note that with a time delay of 140 ms for the follower, v is shifted to positive values, when the SPL of leader and follower signal is the same. With an increasing intensity advantage of the follower, v becomes more negative. The trading function is less steep at higher playback levels.

 

Figure 4
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  		Fig. 4. Simulated phonotactic movements of agents towards synchronized signals in a virtual arena, with a time delay of 140 ms (A), and with no time delay (B). In both cases, the variable indecision was set to 1.5. If the time delay was 140 ms and indecision was set to 0.0 (C), all agents moved to the follower signal, but the phonotactic path was rather straight, which was never observed with real females in the arena (compare with Fig. 1A). By contrast, when indecision was set to 0.45 (D), most agents moved randomly in the virtual arena.

 

Figure 5
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  		Fig. 5. Representation of leader and follower signals in the pair of omega-neurons of ten different individuals (coloured lines; playback levels of 67 dB SPL, time delay 140 ms). Note that although the representation in each individual follows the mean trend (black thick line) there is considerable variation in the degree of neuronal asymmetry at any point in the trading function.

 

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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007