Tree crickets optimize the acoustics of baffles to exaggerate their mate-attraction signal
Abstract
Object manufacture in insects is typically inherited, and believed to be highly stereotyped. Optimization, the ability to select the functionally best material and modify it appropriately for a specific function, implies flexibility and is usually thought to be incompatible with inherited behaviour. Here we show that tree-crickets optimize acoustic baffles, objects that are used to increase the effective loudness of mate-attraction calls. We quantified the acoustic efficiency of all baffles within the naturally feasible design space using finite-element modelling and found that design affects efficiency significantly. We tested the baffle-making behaviour of tree crickets in a series of experimental contexts. We found that given the opportunity, tree crickets optimised baffle acoustics; they selected the best sized object and modified it appropriately to make a near optimal baffle. Surprisingly, optimization could be achieved in a single attempt, and is likely to be achieved through an inherited yet highly accurate behavioural heuristic.
Data availability
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Data from: Tree crickets optimize the acoustics of baffles to exaggerate their mate-attraction signalAvailable at Dryad Digital Repository under a CC0 Public Domain Dedication.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/I009671/1)
- Daniel Robert
UK India Research and Education Initiative
- Rohini Balakrishnan
- Daniel Robert
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Rohini Balakrishnan
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (09/079(2199)/2008-EMR-I)
- Rittik Deb
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
- Natasha Mhatre
European Commission (254455)
- Natasha Mhatre
Royal Society
- Daniel Robert
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- David Lentink, Stanford University, United States
Version history
- Received: October 13, 2017
- Accepted: December 8, 2017
- Accepted Manuscript published: December 11, 2017 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: January 11, 2018 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2017, Mhatre et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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