Skip Navigation

American Zoologist 2001 41(5):1222-1228; doi:10.1093/icb/41.5.1222
© 2001 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hunt, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Morton, T. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Regulation of Chorusing in the Vibrational Communication System of the Leafhopper Graminella nigrifrons1

Randy E. Hunt2,1 and Thomas L. Morton3,1
1 Department of Biology, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky 40422

Male Graminella nigrifrons participate in alternating choruses. Vibrational calls emitted by males consist of three sections (S1, S2, and S3) that differ in pattern of amplitude modulation. In this study we examined the response of single males to synthetic choruses and to isolated call components to gain insight into the regulation of chorus structure. Males initiated calls primarily during the silent periods within synthetic choruses. In all 15 trials the number of overlapping calls and the duration of overlap was significantly less than expected if males call at random. Playback of S2, S3, or random noise while males emitted S1 caused males to interrupt calling, whereas males continued to call when S1 or no signal was played. In a related experiment, we played S2 or no signal while males were beginning to emit the S1, S2, or S3 phase of their calls. In response to this playback the duration of S1 and S3 was reduced, but the duration of S2 was not affected. These results suggest that an inhibitory-resetting mechanism may result in alternation of calls in this leafhopper.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.