Sound Transmission: Anuran PErception and localization of Sounds with two ears – STAPES

In frogs, acoustic communication is important in the context of sexual selection and species recognition. Understanding the binaural hearing system in frogs is a major challenge. Indeed, some of the fundamental mechanisms of hearing remain partly or totally unclear. Sound can reach the inner ear by means of multiple pathways, i.e. tympanic and extratympanic pathways. Our project aims to develop non-invasive, non-destructive methods to observe the ear and understand the reception and localization of sounds in anurans. The first step of the project will focus on auditory and sound localization capacities of frogs. The second step will focus on binaural sound reception. The third step aims at testing the models established in vivo thanks to complementary experiments and the development of an X-ray imaging technique to visualize middle ear movements during acoustic stimulations. Each of these steps involves different tools and techniques to characterize the auditory system of frogs.