Date of Award

4-1-2022

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Benjamin Navia

Abstract

Phonotactic behavior of female cricket Acheta domesticus has been shown to vary among individuals. While some females are finely tuned to calls with syllable periods in the natural range of conspecific males, others respond phonotactically to a wider range of syllable periods and therefore lack the ability to discriminate between attractive and unattractive calls. When females are exposed to males but prevented from mating, their ability to discriminate attractive calls is reduced, suggesting that factors other than mating alter phonotactic behavior.

This study evaluated the effect of male exposure on females’ phonotactic tuning and responsiveness in relation to underlying neural elements. Results appear to contradict past findings that male exposure reduces females’ ability to discriminate attractive calls but are consistent with previous research on the tuning of phonotaxis. Male-exposed females and unexposed females also differed in their phonotactic tuning at different sound intensities, suggesting that electrophysiological testing of the relevant neural elements may be employed for future studies investigating male exposure.

Subject Area

Crickets--Effect of sound on; Crickets--Behavior

Download

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS