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Hearing and Sensory Ecology of Acoustic Communication in Bladder Grasshoppers

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Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication

Part of the book series: Animal Signals and Communication ((ANISIGCOM,volume 1))

Abstract

Bladder grasshoppers are a small family of Orthoptera, with ear morphology and physiology, behavior, and sensory ecological features outstanding among acoustic insects. Acoustic communication is characterized by male and female duetting and male phonotaxis. The detection distance of the male signal is exceptional at about 2 km, achieved via stridulation against air-filled abdominal resonators, and exploitation of weather conditions ideal for sound transmission. In at least three species, alternate male morphs occur which are incapable of flight and sound production but copulate with females. Such alternative mating tactics constitute profound selective pressures for sexual competition and the evolution of the communication system. Auditory sensitivity is mediated by an array of six pairs of atympanate ears in abdominal segments A1–A6. The auditory organ, a pleural chordotonal organ, in A1 comprises about 2,000 sensilla, whereas ears in segments A2–A6 are less developed, making pneumorids a unique system for studying the evolution of complex ears from simple precursors.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the students and colleagues who collaborated on experiments in our laboratories and in the field. V. Couldridge and N. Donelson were responsible for the images of B. unicolor and B. membracioides, respectively. Research on which this chapter was based was supported by grants from the Austrian Science Foundation PO9523-BIO to HR, and the National Science Foundation 0091189 to MvS. Preparation of the chapter was supported by grant DUE 0757001 to MvS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Heiner Römer

  2. Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East 3rd St, Jordan Hall 142, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Adam R. Smith

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, 303 Life Sciences Building, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA

    Moira van Staaden

Authors
  1. Heiner Römer
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  2. Adam R. Smith
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  3. Moira van Staaden
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Correspondence to Heiner Römer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Berthold Hedwig

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Römer, H., Smith, A.R., van Staaden, M. (2014). Hearing and Sensory Ecology of Acoustic Communication in Bladder Grasshoppers. In: Hedwig, B. (eds) Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication. Animal Signals and Communication, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40462-7_3

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