FISH 475 Lecture 13: Lecture 13 Adaptations to the Aquatic Environment Acoustics I
10 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
But first, the news…
Archaic Mysticetes = Aetiocetidae
Researchers published findings on the earliest known mysticete whale
with only baleen (no teeth)
○
Involucrum was found of the Toipahautea waitaki
○
-
The anatomy and mechanisms of sound production in marine mammals:
Sound travels through water 5x faster than air
Vocal Sounds: produced by specializations of the respiratory tract
anatomy
○
Non-vocal sounds: produced by moving or striking body parts against one
another or against some structure
Some species of pinnipeds loudly slap the water's surface when
startled
§
They also use bubble-blowing in breeding displays
§
○
How: trumpeting, breaching, bubble blowing, and pec slapping
○
-
Sound production by terrestrial mammals
Larynx of terrestrial mammals functions for respiration AND sound
production
○
-
Sound production by pinnipeds above water
How: produced by air-flow over the larynx, modified by teeth, tongue,
and lips
○
Why: Threat call, pup attraction call, breeding call, filial pairing (teaching
pup what the mother's voice sounds like), social communication
○
Walrus: the most diverse vocalization of all pinnipeds
How: Produced by air flow over the larynx
Males also produce bell-like sounds with inflated throat
pouches
□
§
Why: Mating, communication, aggression, etc.
§
○
-
Sound production by pinnipeds underwater
How: Air cycled through air pouched across tracheal membranes
○
Why: Establishing territory and mate attraction during breeding season
○
Species: Hooded, bearded, leopard, Weddell and ribbon seals
○
-
Sound production by sirenians
What: very quiet squeaks and chirps
○
How: Air passing over the larynx and vocal folds
○
Why: Filial imprinting/recognition between mom/calf
○
-
Sound production by cetaceans:
Cetaceans produce sound in the widest range of frequencies for any class
of animal
○
Sound production and reception is probably the most important sense for
these animals
○
Mysticetes and odontocetes produce and use sound very differently
○
Sound production by mysticetes:
What: a range of sound from sub-sonic to super-sonic
§
How: air is cycled between lungs and laryngeal sac across the U-
fold. Throat pleats in balaenids may facilitate sound transfer
§
Why: Long or short-distance communication, establishing territory,
coordination, feeding, mating
§
○
Sound Production by the humpback whales: The most sonorous of all
mysticetes
While on the breeding ground, MALES sing long (10-15min) complex
songs, repeat for hours
§
All males in a region sing the same song
§
Males only sing while alone, likely in order to establish territory and
advertise to mates
§
The song changes progressively over time
§
Occasionally heard on the feeding grounds and during migration
Because the song is place-specific, it's possible to track
transmission across/between populations
□
§
○
Sound production by Odontocetes
Why: social communication, echolocation, prey stunning, other
foraging
§
How: Basic sound production system = "monkey lips/dorsal bursa"
complex (MLDB complex)
§
Air is cycled between the lungs and air sacs through MLDB complex
§
MLDB complex creates sonic vibration
§
Vibration is channeled/focused out through the melon
§
Melon is surrounded by high-density bone to act like an acoustic
mirror and facilitate anterior sound deflection
§
○
Sound Production by Sperm Whales
Why: social communication, echolocation, prey stunning, other
foraging
§
How: Sonic vibration created by the phonic lips
§
Vibration travels posteriorly through the spermaceti to the frontal
sac
§
It is deflected anteriorly through the junk
§
○
Delphinids: Complex social vocalization
Dolphins are social animals that often need to remain in contact
with conspecifics across a long distance
§
Social communication in delphinids is well developed and complex
§
A recent study proves that bottlenosed dolphins call each other by
"name"
§
Dolphins develop their own unique signature whistle and respond
when that whistle pattern is played back to them, regardless of the
voice
§
The only non-human mammals to use learned signals as individually
specific labels for social companions
§
There is evidence that pregnant dolphins teach their signature
whistles to their babies in the womb
§
○
Hearing anatomy: The terrestrial mammalian model designed to hear
sounds in air
Basic model for hearing in air:
External ear and ear canal conducts sound to middle ear□
Middle ear amplifies the sound□
Inner ear interprets sound□
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Pinnipeds
Sensitive to a wide range of hearing
Above water:
The same basic mammalian hearing model applies
®
□
Underwater:
The pinniped ear contains cavernous tissues that
engorge with blood while submerged
®
This helps them equalize pressure and enhance sound
transmission
®
Phocids and odobenids have enlarge middle-ear bones
and other modifications which shift the sound
frequency and clarify sounds
®
□
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Adaptations in the odontocetes
Ear canals open externally slightly and are often plugged;
§
Same basic mammal hearing model applies, but with different
anatomy
§
Sound is channeled through the mandible through the acoustic
window to the inner ear
§
Acoustic window is filled with specialized lipid bodies that focus and
amplify sound
§
Shape and size of mandibular window varies between species based
on foraging strategies and habitat
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Asymmetry in the evolution of cetaceans
Initial assumption
Asymmetry evolved with the emergence of biosonar
specialization
□
Evolved to minimize interference cancellation in parallel nasal
passages
□
This study shows that biosonar capacity did not emerge until
well after asymmetrical torsion was established
□
§
Current assumption
Asymmetry assists with directional hearing of high-frequency
sounds (like those produced by odontocetes)
□
§
○
The strange case of the sperm whale
Multiple cases of deformed or broken mandibles in adult sperm
whales
§
Damage/malformation occurred anteriorly, near the tip of the jaw
§
None involved the mandibular window
§
Shows that teeth are not essential to survival, but mandibular
window likely is
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Mysticetes
Baleen whales do not have an acoustic window
§
Minke and fin whales (and probably other balaenids) have a mass of
fatty tissues near the inner ear which likely acts similar to the
acoustic window in odontocetes
§
The lipid composition of this tissues and others associated with the
ear differ greatly from the odontocete composition
§
○
-
Lecture 13: Adaptations to the Aquatic
Environment: Acoustics I
Monday, April 23, 2018
9:32 AM
But first, the news…
Archaic Mysticetes = Aetiocetidae
Researchers published findings on the earliest known mysticete whale
with only baleen (no teeth)
○
Involucrum was found of the Toipahautea waitaki
○
-
The anatomy and mechanisms of sound production in marine mammals:
Sound travels through water 5x faster than air
Vocal Sounds: produced by specializations of the respiratory tract
anatomy
○
Non-vocal sounds: produced by moving or striking body parts against one
another or against some structure
Some species of pinnipeds loudly slap the water's surface when
startled
§
They also use bubble-blowing in breeding displays
§
○
How: trumpeting, breaching, bubble blowing, and pec slapping
○
-
Sound production by terrestrial mammals
Larynx of terrestrial mammals functions for respiration AND sound
production
○
-
Sound production by pinnipeds above water
How: produced by air-flow over the larynx, modified by teeth, tongue,
and lips
○
Why: Threat call, pup attraction call, breeding call, filial pairing (teaching
pup what the mother's voice sounds like), social communication
○
Walrus: the most diverse vocalization of all pinnipeds
How: Produced by air flow over the larynx
Males also produce bell-like sounds with inflated throat
pouches
□
§
Why: Mating, communication, aggression, etc.
§
○
-
Sound production by pinnipeds underwater
How: Air cycled through air pouched across tracheal membranes
○
Why: Establishing territory and mate attraction during breeding season
○
Species: Hooded, bearded, leopard, Weddell and ribbon seals
○
-
Sound production by sirenians
What: very quiet squeaks and chirps
○
How: Air passing over the larynx and vocal folds
○
Why: Filial imprinting/recognition between mom/calf
○
-
Sound production by cetaceans:
Cetaceans produce sound in the widest range of frequencies for any class
of animal
○
Sound production and reception is probably the most important sense for
these animals
○
Mysticetes and odontocetes produce and use sound very differently
○
Sound production by mysticetes:
What: a range of sound from sub-sonic to super-sonic
§
How: air is cycled between lungs and laryngeal sac across the U-
fold. Throat pleats in balaenids may facilitate sound transfer
§
Why: Long or short-distance communication, establishing territory,
coordination, feeding, mating
§
○
Sound Production by the humpback whales: The most sonorous of all
mysticetes
While on the breeding ground, MALES sing long (10-15min) complex
songs, repeat for hours
§
All males in a region sing the same song
§
Males only sing while alone, likely in order to establish territory and
advertise to mates
§
The song changes progressively over time
§
Occasionally heard on the feeding grounds and during migration
Because the song is place-specific, it's possible to track
transmission across/between populations
□
§
○
Sound production by Odontocetes
Why: social communication, echolocation, prey stunning, other
foraging
§
How: Basic sound production system = "monkey lips/dorsal bursa"
complex (MLDB complex)
§
Air is cycled between the lungs and air sacs through MLDB complex
§
MLDB complex creates sonic vibration
§
Vibration is channeled/focused out through the melon
§
Melon is surrounded by high-density bone to act like an acoustic
mirror and facilitate anterior sound deflection
§
○
Sound Production by Sperm Whales
Why: social communication, echolocation, prey stunning, other
foraging
§
How: Sonic vibration created by the phonic lips
§
Vibration travels posteriorly through the spermaceti to the frontal
sac
§
It is deflected anteriorly through the junk
§
○
Delphinids: Complex social vocalization
Dolphins are social animals that often need to remain in contact
with conspecifics across a long distance
§
Social communication in delphinids is well developed and complex
§
A recent study proves that bottlenosed dolphins call each other by
"name"
§
Dolphins develop their own unique signature whistle and respond
when that whistle pattern is played back to them, regardless of the
voice
§
The only non-human mammals to use learned signals as individually
specific labels for social companions
§
There is evidence that pregnant dolphins teach their signature
whistles to their babies in the womb
§
○
Hearing anatomy: The terrestrial mammalian model designed to hear
sounds in air
Basic model for hearing in air:
External ear and ear canal conducts sound to middle ear□
Middle ear amplifies the sound□
Inner ear interprets sound□
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Pinnipeds
Sensitive to a wide range of hearing
Above water:
The same basic mammalian hearing model applies
®
□
Underwater:
The pinniped ear contains cavernous tissues that
engorge with blood while submerged
®
This helps them equalize pressure and enhance sound
transmission
®
Phocids and odobenids have enlarge middle-ear bones
and other modifications which shift the sound
frequency and clarify sounds
®
□
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Adaptations in the odontocetes
Ear canals open externally slightly and are often plugged;
§
Same basic mammal hearing model applies, but with different
anatomy
§
Sound is channeled through the mandible through the acoustic
window to the inner ear
§
Acoustic window is filled with specialized lipid bodies that focus and
amplify sound
§
Shape and size of mandibular window varies between species based
on foraging strategies and habitat
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Asymmetry in the evolution of cetaceans
Initial assumption
Asymmetry evolved with the emergence of biosonar
specialization
□
Evolved to minimize interference cancellation in parallel nasal
passages
□
This study shows that biosonar capacity did not emerge until
well after asymmetrical torsion was established
□
§
Current assumption
Asymmetry assists with directional hearing of high-frequency
sounds (like those produced by odontocetes)
□
§
○
The strange case of the sperm whale
Multiple cases of deformed or broken mandibles in adult sperm
whales
§
Damage/malformation occurred anteriorly, near the tip of the jaw
§
None involved the mandibular window
§
Shows that teeth are not essential to survival, but mandibular
window likely is
§
○
Hearing anatomy: Mysticetes
Baleen whales do not have an acoustic window
§
Minke and fin whales (and probably other balaenids) have a mass of
fatty tissues near the inner ear which likely acts similar to the
acoustic window in odontocetes
§
The lipid composition of this tissues and others associated with the
ear differ greatly from the odontocete composition
§
○
-
Lecture 13: Adaptations to the Aquatic
Environment: Acoustics I
Monday, April 23, 2018
9:32 AM
Document Summary
Researchers published findings on the earliest known mysticete whale with only baleen (no teeth) The anatomy and mechanisms of sound production in marine mammals: Sound travels through water 5x faster than air. Vocal sounds: produced by specializations of the respiratory tract anatomy. Non-vocal sounds: produced by moving or striking body parts against one another or against some structure. Some species of pinnipeds loudly slap the water"s surface when startled. How: trumpeting, breaching, bubble blowing, and pec slapping. Larynx of terrestrial mammals functions for respiration and sound production. How: produced by air-flow over the larynx, modified by teeth, tongue, and lips. Why: threat call, pup attraction call, breeding call, filial pairing (teaching pup what the mother"s voice sounds like), social communication. Walrus: the most diverse vocalization of all pinnipeds. How: produced by air flow over the larynx. Males also produce bell-like sounds with inflated throat pouches. How: air cycled through air pouched across tracheal membranes.
