scholarly journals Evolution of acoustic communication in fungus-growing ant societies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Murakami ◽  
Hironori Sakamoto ◽  
Seigo Higashi
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Structure Complexity ◽  
Fungus Growing Ants

Abstract Do ants ‘talk’? If so, how important is talking in ant societies? Chemical communication, through pheromones for example, was thought to be the main communication tool in ant societies; however, a major question is whether chemical substances alone can control highly differentiated social behaviours. In this study, we focused on the ‘talk’ of agricultural ants, key organisms in the Neotropical ecosystem, and conducted a detailed acoustic analysis. Our results indicate that in fungus-growing ants, acoustic communication is a much more frequent and critical factor than previously believed. The frequency of stridulatory sound-production recordings from the ants were found to be significantly correlated with social structure complexity. Structural analysis indicated that both the area and number of slits in the stridulatory acoustic organs were significantly correlated with body size. The ability of leaf-cutting ants to maintain fungus gardens was significantly lower in the sound-inhibited group than in the pheromone secretion-inhibited group. These results suggest that ants that have become ‘chattier’ may induce altruistic behaviours and create more complex societies. The findings of this study may be applicable not only to social evolution studies but also for effectively controlling ant behaviours.

scholarly journals Evolution of acoustic communication in fungus-growing ant societies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Murakami ◽  
Hironori Sakamoto ◽  
Seigo Higashi
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Structure Complexity ◽  
Fungus Growing Ants

Abstract Do ants ‘talk’? If so, how important is talking in ant societies? Chemical communication, through pheromones for example, was thought to be the main communication tool in ant societies; however, a major question is whether chemical substances alone can control highly differentiated social behaviours. In this study, we focused on the ‘talk’ of agricultural ants, key organisms in the Neotropical ecosystem, and conducted a detailed acoustic analysis. Our results indicate that in fungus-growing ants, acoustic communication is a much more frequent and critical factor than previously believed. The frequency of stridulatory sound-production recordings from the ants were found to be significantly correlated with social structure complexity. Structural analysis indicated that both the area and number of slits in the stridulatory acoustic organs were significantly correlated with body size. The ability of leaf-cutting ants to maintain fungus gardens was significantly lower in the sound-inhibited group than in the pheromone secretion-inhibited group. These results suggest that ants that have become ‘chattier’ may induce altruistic behaviours and create more complex societies. The findings of this study may be applicable not only to social evolution studies but also for effectively controlling ant behaviours.

scholarly journals Characteristics of sound production and associated pharyngeal jaws in the tomtate grunt Haemulon aurolineatum (Cuvier, 1830) in Caribbean reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Millot ◽  
Frédéric Bertucci ◽  
David Lecchini ◽  
Sarah Smeets ◽  
Malika René-Trouillefou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Standard Length ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Unusual Feature ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
The Family ◽  
Pharyngeal Jaws

The ability to produce sounds for acoustic communication is well known in different grunt species (Haemulidae). However, most of the sounds have not been described and the sound-producing mechanism of very few grunt species has been deeply studied. Additional data is needed to search for synapomorphy in the sonic mechanism. This study describes acoustic features and branchial anatomy in Haemulon aurolineatum. Correlations were found between some acoustic features and standard length, showing the largest specimens produced shorter, lower-pitched grunts of higher intensity. Examinations of acoustic features and branchial anatomy show that H. aurolineatum uses the same stridulatory mechanism described previously in H. flavolineatum. The unusual feature of Haemulon species concerns the fourth ceratobranchials. These appear to be part of the lower pharyngeal jaws since they possess firmly attached teeth that face the upper pharyngeal jaws. The stridulation results from the rubbing of both pharyngeal and fourth ceratobranchial teeth. This mechanism is probably common to the 23 Haemulon species, but additional information is needed regarding the mechanism of other Haemulinae species to produce stridulatory sounds. Fourth ceratobranchials could constitute a key element of Haemulinae ability to produce sounds providing an eventual synapomorphic aspect of the mechanism in the family.

scholarly journals Reconstructing the functions of endosymbiotic Mollicutes in fungus-growing ants

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Sapountzis ◽  
Mariya Zhukova ◽  
Jonathan Z Shik ◽  
Morten Schiott ◽  
Jacobus J Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Functional Significance ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Defense Systems ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Relative Abundances ◽  
Fungus Growing Ants ◽  
Substrate Types

Mollicutes, a widespread class of bacteria associated with animals and plants, were recently identified as abundant abdominal endosymbionts in healthy workers of attine fungus-farming leaf-cutting ants. We obtained draft genomes of the two most common strains harbored by Panamanian fungus-growing ants. Reconstructions of their functional significance showed that they are independently acquired symbionts, most likely to decompose excess arginine consistent with the farmed fungal cultivars providing this nitrogen-rich amino-acid in variable quantities. Across the attine lineages, the relative abundances of the two Mollicutes strains are associated with the substrate types that foraging workers offer to fungus gardens. One of the symbionts is specific to the leaf-cutting ants and has special genomic machinery to catabolize citrate/glucose into acetate, which appears to deliver direct metabolic energy to the ant workers. Unlike other Mollicutes associated with insect hosts, both attine ant strains have complete phage-defense systems, underlining that they are actively maintained as mutualistic symbionts.

Dispersal of Schinus fasciculatus seeds by the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex striatus in a shrubland of the dry Chaco, Argentina

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Omar Varela ◽  
Teresa C. Perera
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Fungus Growing Ants

Ants are important agents of seed dispersal and they can play a fundamental role in the establishment and survival of plants (Beattie 1985). Leaf-cutting or fungus-growing ants (Myrmicinae: Attini) are dominant elements of the ant fauna throughout the neotropics. They collect different types of vegetative and reproductive plant material that serve as substrate for underground fungus gardens,which are the only food source for their larvae (Stradling 1991).

scholarly journals Acoustic communication during reproduction in the basal gobioid Amur sleeper and the putative sound production mechanism

2019 ◽  
Vol 309 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-279
Author(s):  
S. Horvatić ◽  
S. Malavasi ◽  
E. Parmentier ◽  
Z. Marčić ◽  
I. Buj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Amur Sleeper ◽  
Production Mechanism

Palatal Sound: a comprehensive model of vocal tract articulation*

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
MICHAEL EDWARD EDGERTON
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Turbulent Structures ◽  
Complete Mapping ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Production Techniques ◽  
Acoustic Analyses

Palatal Sound is a model of vocal tract articulation influenced by physiologic and acoustic analysis of the voice. Specifically, the term articulation refers to all movement within the vocal tract that results in open, filter-like sonorities, as well as in turbulent to absolute airflow modification. This model presents a complete mapping of place within the vocal tract that features flexibility across different vocal tract sizes and proportions. The principles behind this comprehensive mapping of acoustic and physical sound production techniques should not be foreign to those persons who create, combine, design, model or research sound. Therefore, this model might suggest avenues of sound exploration regardless of media or application. This text first presents a brief overview of the current trends of oral modification using vowels, followed by an introduction to and acoustic analyses of the comprehensive vocal tract model as applied to open-like sonorities. This model is then expanded through the presentation of other methods of open-like behaviours. Following the discussion of open sonorities, turbulent-like behaviours are discussed by first identifying the use of language-based fricatives and stops. After this (re-)exposition, the comprehensive model is applied to turbulent structures through examples and acoustic analyses. Finally, these turbulent methods are completed by additional, complementary methods of vocal tract turbulence. The intentions of this paper are: (i) to document this model clearly, (ii) to identify differences between speech and song articulatory behaviour and that of this comprehensive model with the aid of selected acoustic analyses, (iii) to suggest that this model renders valuable scientific information about the limits of vocal tract physiology, and (iv) to propose the practical use of this model by composers and performers.

scholarly journals Phylogenomic analysis sheds light on the evolutionary pathways towards acoustic communication in Orthoptera

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hojun Song ◽  
Olivier Béthoux ◽  
Seunggwan Shin ◽  
Alexander Donath ◽  
Harald Letsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Divergence Time ◽  
Phylogenomic Analysis ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
Divergence Time Estimates ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
Sexual Signalling

Abstract Acoustic communication is enabled by the evolution of specialised hearing and sound producing organs. In this study, we performed a large-scale macroevolutionary study to understand how both hearing and sound production evolved and affected diversification in the insect order Orthoptera, which includes many familiar singing insects, such as crickets, katydids, and grasshoppers. Using phylogenomic data, we firmly establish phylogenetic relationships among the major lineages and divergence time estimates within Orthoptera, as well as the lineage-specific and dynamic patterns of evolution for hearing and sound producing organs. In the suborder Ensifera, we infer that forewing-based stridulation and tibial tympanal ears co-evolved, but in the suborder Caelifera, abdominal tympanal ears first evolved in a non-sexual context, and later co-opted for sexual signalling when sound producing organs evolved. However, we find little evidence that the evolution of hearing and sound producing organs increased diversification rates in those lineages with known acoustic communication.

Differential investment in acoustic communication during social interactions in two closely-related sand goby species

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Bolgan ◽  
Silvia S. Pedroso ◽  
Marta Picciulin ◽  
Paulo J. Fonseca ◽  
M. Clara P. Amorim
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Sand Goby ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Goby Species ◽  
Conspecific Recognition ◽  
The Common ◽  
Rival Assessment ◽  
First Time ◽  
Common Goby

Communication signals provide key information for conspecific recognition, mate choice and rival assessment. The painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus and the common goby P. microps are two closely-related sand goby species, often sympatric and with an overlapping breeding season. In this study we staged male–male and male–female interactions and compared visual, tactile and acoustic behaviour in both species. Sound production in the common goby is here accounted for the first time. We observed some differences in visual behaviour and a striking divergence in the use of tactile and acoustic communication during courtship and agonistic interactions. We further describe differences in drumming signals with social context in the painted goby. This study suggests a divergence in communication in two closely-related sand goby species and emphasizes the importance of further research concerning the role of multimodal communication in closely-related species.

The sounds of fighting: contests between violet vinegar crabs, Episesarma versicolor (Tweedie, 1940) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae), are resolved through acoustic communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-341
Author(s):  
Song Lin Rigel Goh ◽  
Hari Vishnu ◽  
Ngan Kee Ng
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Animal Communication ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Wood Substrate ◽  
Resource Holding Potential ◽  
Territorial Defence ◽  
Temporal Features

Abstract Sound plays an important role in animal communication. Sesarmid crabs (family Sesarmidae) are semi-terrestrial crabs found in tropical and temperate regions, and are known to communicate through acoustic signals. The violet vinegar crab Episesarma versicolor (Tweedie, 1940) is a tree-climber known to possess sound-producing structures. The significance of sounds produced by E. versicolor during intraspecific contests, however, remains unknown. We investigated the context in which sound production occurs by staging 27 trials using male crabs. Three main types of acoustic behaviours were documented: rapping, leg stamping, and vibration. With the exception of vibration, these behaviours were also observed in female crabs. The air or the wood substrate was utilised to transmit acoustic signals, with each sound having unique spectral and temporal features serving different purposes. Rapping and leg stamping may be an advertisement of the sender’s resource-holding potential for territorial defence and asserting dominance during fights. Vibration is likely a victory display that discourages the contest loser as well as individuals in the vicinity from engaging the victor in another fight. Episesarma versicolor can therefore produce acoustic signals that may contain information about the sender, minimising costs associated with direct conflicts.

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