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Auditory temporal resolution and evoked responses to pulsed sounds for the Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)

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Abstract

Temporal cues are important for some forms of auditory processing, such as echolocation. Among odontocetes (toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises), it has been suggested that porpoises may have temporal processing abilities which differ from other odontocetes because of their relatively narrow auditory filters and longer duration echolocation signals. This study examined auditory temporal resolution in two Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to measure: (a) rate following responses and modulation rate transfer function for 100 kHz centered pulse sounds and (b) hearing thresholds and response amplitudes generated by individual pulses of different durations. The animals followed pulses well at modulation rates up to 1,250 Hz, after which response amplitudes declined until extinguished beyond 2,500 Hz. The subjects had significantly better hearing thresholds for longer, narrower-band pulses similar to porpoise echolocation signals compared to brief, broadband sounds resembling dolphin clicks. Results indicate that the Yangtze finless porpoise follows individual acoustic signals at rates similar to other odontocetes tested. Relatively good sensitivity for longer duration, narrow-band signals suggests that finless porpoise hearing is well suited to detect their unique echolocation signals.

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Abbreviations

AEP:

Auditory evoked potential

FFT:

Fast Fourier transform

MRTF:

Modulation rate transfer function

pe rms:

Peak-equivalent root-mean square

p-p:

Peak-to-peak

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the staff and students at the Baiji Aquarium, Institute of Hydrobiology, for their assistance in data collection and travels in China. We appreciate the advice, encouragement, and support from Alexander Supin, Vladimir Popov, Scott Cramer, Julie Arruda, Maya Yamato and Paul Nachtigall. The comments of two excellent reviewers greatly improved this manuscript. The work was supported by the Office of Naval Research, a WHOI Mellon Joint Initiatives Award, the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation (grant No: 30730018) and the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and we thank them all for their contribution. The care and use of the animals was performed under China’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1989, Implementation Bylaw on Aquatic Wildlife Conservation, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Animal Care and Utilization Committee (protocol number DRK #3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 025423, USA

    T. Aran Mooney & Darlene R. Ketten

  2. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Hydrobiology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, People’s Republic of China

    Songhai Li, Kexiong Wang & Ding Wang

  3. Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, P.O. Box 1106, Kailua, HI, 96734, USA

    Songhai Li

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Darlene R. Ketten

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  1. T. Aran Mooney
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Correspondence to T. Aran Mooney.

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Mooney, T.A., Li, S., Ketten, D.R. et al. Auditory temporal resolution and evoked responses to pulsed sounds for the Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis). J Comp Physiol A 197, 1149–1158 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0677-y

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