Manuela Nowotny
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View article: Interplay between evolutionary history, morphological constraints and functional adaptations in the primate cochlea
Interplay between evolutionary history, morphological constraints and functional adaptations in the primate cochlea Open
How the intricate mammalian cochlea evolved, and its functional implications, remain only partly understood. Here, we explore cochlear morphology across 101 extant and fossil species of the mammalian grand order Euarchonta using micro-comp…
View article: A stretching mechanism evokes mechano-electrical transduction in auditory chordotonal neurons
A stretching mechanism evokes mechano-electrical transduction in auditory chordotonal neurons Open
Insects’ sound and vibration detection including proprioception rely on the scolopidium—a mechanosensory unit enclosing the sensory cilium of chordotonal organ neurons. The cilium, enclosed by a scolopale cell, contains mechanosensitive io…
View article: Variability of Auditory Brainstem Responses in Diversity Outbred Mice
Variability of Auditory Brainstem Responses in Diversity Outbred Mice Open
Inbred mouse strains are mainly used in hearing research as animal models. Most of these lab mice strains consist of genetically identical individuals and natural variability as it is found in wild populations is not represented. Jackson L…
View article: Multielectrode array use in insect auditory neuroscience to unravel the spatio-temporal response pattern in the prothoracic ganglion of <i>Mecopoda elongata</i>
Multielectrode array use in insect auditory neuroscience to unravel the spatio-temporal response pattern in the prothoracic ganglion of <i>Mecopoda elongata</i> Open
Mechanoreceptors in hearing organs transduce sound-induced mechanical responses into neuronal signals, which are further processed and forwarded to the brain along a chain of neurons in the auditory pathway. Bushcrickets (katydids) have th…
View article: Elliptical sound-induced motion in the bushcricket hearing organ
Elliptical sound-induced motion in the bushcricket hearing organ Open
The bushcricket Mecopoda elongata can hear a wide range of frequencies, utilizing less than 50 sensory units. It is known that transduction takes place in the sensory dendrite but the underlying mechanisms are still unexplained. In a recen…
View article: Bush-crickets show lifelong flexibility in courtship signals to match predation threat
Bush-crickets show lifelong flexibility in courtship signals to match predation threat Open
The conflicting selection pressures of advertising to conspecifics and inadvertently advertising to predators has direct fitness consequences. It is unclear, however, how signalling prey species balance costs and benefits of those vital ta…
View article: The shape of water: adaptations of cochlea morphology in seals and otters
The shape of water: adaptations of cochlea morphology in seals and otters Open
Seals (Pinnipedia) and otters (Lutrinae) are two major taxa of the mammalian order Carnivora that independently adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Their sensory capabilities, including hearing, are still not fully understood. Notably, th…
View article: Variations in cochlea shape reveal different evolutionary adaptations in primates and rodents
Variations in cochlea shape reveal different evolutionary adaptations in primates and rodents Open
The presence of a coiled cochlea is a unique feature of the therian inner ear. While some aspects of the cochlea are already known to affect hearing capacities, the full extent of the relationships between the morphology and function of th…
View article: Strain Comparison in Rats Differentiates Strain-Specific from More General Correlates of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Strain Comparison in Rats Differentiates Strain-Specific from More General Correlates of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Open
Experiments in rodent animal models help to reveal the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of pathologies related to hearing loss such as tinnitus or hyperacusis. However, a reliable understanding is still lacking. Here, four differe…
View article: Tuned vibration modes in a miniature hearing organ: Insights from the bushcricket
Tuned vibration modes in a miniature hearing organ: Insights from the bushcricket Open
Significance Most hearing organs contain an array of sensory cells that act as miniature microphones, each tuned to its own frequency like piano strings. Acoustically communicating insects like bushcrickets have evolved miniscule hearing o…
View article: Bridging the Gap Between Mammal and Insect Ears – A Comparative and Evolutionary View of Sound-Reception
Bridging the Gap Between Mammal and Insect Ears – A Comparative and Evolutionary View of Sound-Reception Open
Insects must wonder why mammals have ears only in their head and why they evolved only one common principle of ear design—the cochlea. Ears independently evolved at least 19 times in different insect groups and therefore can be found in co…
View article: Comparative analysis of a geometric and an adhesive righting strategy against toppling in inclined hexapedal locomotion
Comparative analysis of a geometric and an adhesive righting strategy against toppling in inclined hexapedal locomotion Open
Animals are known to exhibit different walking behaviors in hilly habitats. For instance, cats, rats, squirrels, tree frogs, desert iguana, stick insects and desert ants were observed to lower their body height when traversing slopes, wher…
View article: Vavakou_Scherberich_Nowotny_vanderHeijden_2021
Vavakou_Scherberich_Nowotny_vanderHeijden_2021 Open
These data correspond to the figures of the 2021 paper "Tuned vibration modes in a miniature hearing organ - insights from the bushcricket" by Anna Vavakou, Jan Scherberich, Manuela Nowotny and Marcel van der Heijden in PNAS.
View article: Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica
Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica Open
In some insects and vertebrate species, the specific enlargement of sensory cell epithelium facilitates the perception of particular behaviourally relevant signals. The insect auditory fovea in the ear of the bushcricket Ancylecha fenestra…
View article: Supplementary material from "Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica"
Supplementary material from "Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica" Open
In some insects and vertebrate species, the specific enlargement of sensory cell epithelium facilitates the perception of particular behaviourally relevant signals. The insect auditory fovea in the ear of the bushcricket Ancylecha fenestra…
View article: Data for figure 4 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica
Data for figure 4 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica Open
Mecopoda elongata: Amplitude and phase data for each measured position along the CA and stimulus frequency
View article: Data for figure 5 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica
Data for figure 5 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica Open
Area under curve values for each animal and stimulus frequency
View article: Data for figure 3 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica
Data for figure 3 from Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica Open
Ancylecha fenestrata: Amplitude and phase data for each measured position along the CA and stimulus frequency
View article: Functional basis of the sexual dimorphism in the auditory fovea of the duetting bushcricket<i>Ancylecha fenestrata</i>
Functional basis of the sexual dimorphism in the auditory fovea of the duetting bushcricket<i>Ancylecha fenestrata</i> Open
From mammals to insects, acoustic communication is in many species crucial for successful reproduction. In the duetting bushcricket Ancylecha fenestrata , the mutual acoustic communication between males and females is asymmetrical. We inve…
View article: Dependence of the Startle Response on Temporal and Spectral Characteristics of Acoustic Modulatory Influences in Rats and Gerbils
Dependence of the Startle Response on Temporal and Spectral Characteristics of Acoustic Modulatory Influences in Rats and Gerbils Open
The acoustic startle response (ASR) and its modulation by non-startling prepulses, presented shortly before the startle-eliciting stimulus, is a broadly applied test paradigm to determine changes in neural processing related to auditory or…
View article: Gating of Acoustic Transducer Channels Is Shaped by Biomechanical Filter Processes
Gating of Acoustic Transducer Channels Is Shaped by Biomechanical Filter Processes Open
Mechanoelectrical transduction of acoustic signals is the fundamental process for hearing in all ears across the animal kingdom. Here, we performed in vivo laser-vibrometric and electrophysiological measurements at the transduction site in…