Localization of sound sources is an important task for the auditory system. However, sound source direction is not perceived directly, but requires considerable processing by the auditory pathway, for example binaural comparisons. In some animals – anurans, lizards, crocodilians and birds - the middle ears are internally coupled, so sound can reach both sides of the eardrum, creating a strongly directionality response of the eardrums that may simplify the subsequent neural processing. The prime examples of this ear configuration are the lizards, and I will therefore present an overview of my studies of their ears and directional hearing, from biophysics of the eardrum and neurophysiology to robotics and behavioral investigations. In comparison, the frog middle ear is acoustically more complicated, due to the additional sound input from the lungs. The consequences for their auditory processing will be discussed.
About our speaker
Dr. Christensen Dalsgaard is an Associate professor at SDU and a fellow of Society for Neuroethology. His research focuses on the function and evolution of the middle ear. The research is broadly comparative (spanning research animals from lungfish to mammals) and uses a variety of approaches, both anatomical, biophysical (laser vibrometry), neurophysiological (single unit recordings and evoked auditory potentials) , and mathematical modelling and biorobotics.
This seminar is organized by the Ecology and Evolution section, A-LIFE.For more information contact: w.h.halfwerk@vu.nl