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© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
J.A. Sisneros (ed.), Fish Hearing and Bioacoustics, Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology 877, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_13
Multimodal Sensory Input in the Utricle
and Lateral Line of the Toadfi sh, Opsanus tau
Allen F. Mensinger
Abstract The utricular otolith and the mechanosensory lateral line of the toadfi sh,
Opsanus tau , were investigated for sensitivity to multimodal sensory input by
recording neural activity from free swimming fi sh. The utricle was sensitive to horizontal body movement, and displayed broad sensitivity to low frequency (80–200
Hz) sound. The lateral line was sensitive to water currents, swimming, prey movements, and sound with maximal sensitivity at 100 Hz. Both systems showed directional sensitivity to pure tones and toadfi sh vocalizations, indicating potential for
sound localization. Thus, toadfi sh possess two hair cell based sensory systems that
integrate information from disparate sources. However, swimming movements or
predation strikes can saturate each system and it is unclear the effect that selfgenerated movement has on sensitivity. It is hypothesized that the toadfi sh’s strategy
of short distance swim movements allows it to sample the acoustical environment
while static. Further study is needed to determine the integration of the two systems
and if they are able to segregate and/or integrate multimodal sensory input.
Keywords Auditory • Vestibular • Sound localization • Behavior
1 Introduction
The inner ear of teleosts developed over 400 million years ago and consists of three
otolith organs, the saccule, utricle, and lagena and three semicircular canals, all of
which contain sensory hair cells. The colonization of the terrestrial environment by
vertebrates led to the development of the outer ear to detect airborne sound and
segregation of the inner ear components into vestibular (otoliths and semicircular
canals) and auditory (cochlea or cochlea duct) organs (Fritzsch 1999 ). However, the
dual auditory/vestibular function of the otoliths persists in extant teleosts, and it
A. F. Mensinger (*)
Biology Department , University of Minnesota Duluth , Duluth , MN 55812 , USA
Marine Biological Laboratory , Woods Hole , MA 02543 , USA
e-mail: amensing@d.umn.edu
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
J.A. Sisneros (ed.), Fish Hearing and Bioacoustics, Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology 877, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_13
Multimodal Sensory Input in the Utricle
and Lateral Line of the Toadfi sh, Opsanus tau
Allen F. Mensinger
Abstract The utricular otolith and the mechanosensory lateral line of the toadfi sh,
Opsanus tau , were investigated for sensitivity to multimodal sensory input by
recording neural activity from free swimming fi sh. The utricle was sensitive to horizontal body movement, and displayed broad sensitivity to low frequency (80–200
Hz) sound. The lateral line was sensitive to water currents, swimming, prey movements, and sound with maximal sensitivity at 100 Hz. Both systems showed directional sensitivity to pure tones and toadfi sh vocalizations, indicating potential for
sound localization. Thus, toadfi sh possess two hair cell based sensory systems that
integrate information from disparate sources. However, swimming movements or
predation strikes can saturate each system and it is unclear the effect that selfgenerated movement has on sensitivity. It is hypothesized that the toadfi sh’s strategy
of short distance swim movements allows it to sample the acoustical environment
while static. Further study is needed to determine the integration of the two systems
and if they are able to segregate and/or integrate multimodal sensory input.
Keywords Auditory • Vestibular • Sound localization • Behavior
1 Introduction
The inner ear of teleosts developed over 400 million years ago and consists of three
otolith organs, the saccule, utricle, and lagena and three semicircular canals, all of
which contain sensory hair cells. The colonization of the terrestrial environment by
vertebrates led to the development of the outer ear to detect airborne sound and
segregation of the inner ear components into vestibular (otoliths and semicircular
canals) and auditory (cochlea or cochlea duct) organs (Fritzsch 1999 ). However, the
dual auditory/vestibular function of the otoliths persists in extant teleosts, and it
A. F. Mensinger (*)
Biology Department , University of Minnesota Duluth , Duluth , MN 55812 , USA
Marine Biological Laboratory , Woods Hole , MA 02543 , USA
e-mail: amensing@d.umn.edu