Vocal Response of the Bullfrog to Natural and Synthetic Mating Calls

The model has satisfactorily accounted for the selective responses to some natural bullfrog mating calls and the absence of responses to others, and the close relationship of the model to recent electrophysiological findings in the peripheral auditory system of the bullfrog is discussed.

Abstract

Vocalizations have been evoked from the males of laboratory colonies of bullfrogs in response to natural and synthetic bullfrog mating calls. The vocal responses, having the signal characteristics of the bullfrog's mating call, are species-specific and highly selective: to playbacks of the recorded mating calls of 34 representative species of frogs and toads, only the calls of certain male bullfrogs would evoke calling from the laboratory animals. Studies of evoked calling to a variety of synthetic mating calls have led to a model whereby the degree of calling evoked by a given stimulus can be qualitatively predicted on the basis of its spectral structure and temporal periodicity. The model has satisfactorily accounted for the selective responses to some natural bullfrog mating calls and the absence of responses to others. The close relationship of the model to recent electrophysiological findings in the peripheral auditory system of the bullfrog is discussed.