Barn Owls and Umwelt

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Questions and Answers

What does the term Umwelt refer to in the context of perception?

The part of the environment that is consciously perceived (correct)

A form of social communication

The irrelevant background noise in the environment

The complete sensory information available

What is the primary role of a sign stimulus?

To trigger specific behaviors in an organism (correct)

To enhance sensory perception in the environment

To produce irrelevant background noise

To filter out biologically irrelevant information

How do barn owls primarily locate their prey at night?

By using their sense of smell

By relying on the noise produced by their prey (correct)

By visual cues in the environment

By following scent trails left by the prey

What characteristic of barn owl anatomy helps them detect sound direction?

Their ears have vertical asymmetry in directional sensitivity (D) Signup and view all the answers

Why is the owl's head movement significant in hunting?

It enables them to rapidly orient towards the source of sound (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic aspect of the barn owl's visual system?

It is limited under nocturnal hunting conditions (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does Tinbergen refer to when discussing the Innate Releasing Mechanism?

The relationship between stimulus recognition and muscle activity (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about honey bees is true?

They have the ability to see ultraviolet light. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What two main auditory cues do barn owls use to locate sound in their environment?

Interaural time difference and interaural intensity difference (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which brain structure is primarily involved in the formation of a joint auditory-visual map in barn owls?

Optic Tectum (A) Signup and view all the answers

What function does the Auditory Nerve serve in relation to sound processing?

Transmits both intensity and timing information from the inner ear to the brain (B) Signup and view all the answers

How does the processing of intensity and timing information occur in the auditory system?

By varying the rate and timing of action potentials in auditory nerve fibers (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is responsible for integrating information about interaural time delays and intensity differences?

Posterior Lateral Lemniscal Nucleus (B) Signup and view all the answers

What outcome is achieved by the converging pathways in the auditory system related to sound processing?

A unified perception of sound location through time and intensity cues (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the elimination of phase ambiguity accomplish in sound localization?

Ensuring precise localization of sound sources (A) Signup and view all the answers

What effect does changing sound intensity have on the auditory nerve's response?

Fibers adjust their spike rate according to intensity changes (B) Signup and view all the answers

What role does the facial ruff play in an owl's hearing?

It helps to funnel high frequency sound into the ear canals. (A) Signup and view all the answers

In terms of sound localization, how do the left and right ears of an owl differ?

The left ear is more sensitive to sounds from below. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the acoustic fovea in an owl's hearing?

It processes sounds primarily between 5 kHz and 10 kHz. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What happens to an owl's localization ability if one of its ears is blocked?

It makes large errors in localizing sound sources. (C) Signup and view all the answers

How does partial blockage of an owl's ear affect its sound localization?

It reduces intensity but not the time of arrival differences. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What factors influence the accuracy of prey localization by owls?

The frequency range of the sound. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the typical error range in localization for a barn owl?

9 centimeters. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which mechanism is primarily used by owls to locate sound elevation?

Differences in sound intensity at both ears. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of phase locking in auditory fibers?

It helps fibers fire at a particular phase angle of the spectral component. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What primary difference exists between the magnocellular and angular nuclei in the cochlear nucleus?

Magnocellular nucleus exhibits phase locking whereas the angular nucleus does not. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Jeffress Model in the function of the laminar nucleus?

It explains the process of coincidence detection based on delay lines. (D) Signup and view all the answers

How do neurons in the posterior lateral lemniscal nucleus determine their firing rate?

By comparing excitatory input strength with inhibitory input strength. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic differentiates LLDA from LLDp?

LLDA is an anterior nucleus, while LLDp is a posterior nucleus. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of sound processing is primarily handled by the laminar nucleus?

Interaural time differences. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What determines the maximal response of neurons in the left posterior lateral nucleus?

When sound is louder in the left ear. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of delay lines in the Jeffress Model?

To introduce specific time delays in signal transmission for accurate processing. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the Optic Tectum (OT) primarily interpret?

The meaning of the sound (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which structure contains the specialized region known as the acoustic fovea?

Basilar membrane (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated by the arrows in the diagram related to the auditory system?

The direction of information flow (C) Signup and view all the answers

What variable range does the delay time correspond to in the FM-FM area?

0.4 msec to 18 msec (A) Signup and view all the answers

What feature describes the arrangement of neurons in the FM-FM area?

Topographic organization (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does the representation of frequencies on the basilar membrane around 83 kHz indicate?

It is expanded for sensitivity (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the label '8 -> Auditory Nerve' signify?

It indicates cranial nerve number eight. (D) Signup and view all the answers

In the auditory sensory system, which of the following best describes the role of the computational map?

It plays a key role in information processing. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Umwelt

The Umwelt is the portion of the environment perceived after sensory and central filtering.
Honey bees can see ultraviolet light, but not red light.
Bats use ultrasonic sound for orientation.

Releasing Mechanisms and Sign Stimuli

Releasing mechanisms are sensory and central filters that select biologically relevant stimuli.
A sign stimulus triggers a specific behavior.
A releaser is a sign stimulus in the context of social communication.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - Behavior

Barn owls locate prey based solely on sound.
Predominantly nocturnal hunters.
Owls move through tunnels in grass or snow.
Owls visit multiple observation perches within their territory.
Owls turn their heads rapidly to face the sound source.
They locate prey in both horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (elevation) planes.

Barn Owl Anatomy

Owls' eyes are immobile.
Head flicks take 60 milliseconds.
Ears have vertical asymmetry for directional sensitivity.
Facial ruff funnels high frequency sound into ear canals.
Left ear is more sensitive to sounds from below.
Right ear is more sensitive to sounds from above.

Accuracy of Prey Localization

Owls can locate sound within one or two degrees in both azimuth and elevation.
Most accurate between 5 and 9 kHz.
Owls have an "acoustic fovea" on the basilar membrane, specialized for processing 5-10 kHz sounds.

Physical Parameters of Sound Involved in Orientation

Blocking one ear causes significant errors in localization.
This suggests interaural intensity differences are key for elevation, and interaural time differences for azimuth.
Partial blockage reduces intensity but not arrival time, indicating importance of intensity cues for elevation.

Barn Owls Analyze Both Interaural Time Difference and Interaural Intensity Differences

Barn owls analyze both interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural intensity difference (IID) to locate sound.

Pathways in the Brain

Optic Tectum (External Nucleus): Forms a joint auditory-visual map
Time processing pathway (Core, Anterior Lateral Lemniscal Nucleus, Laminar Nucleus, Magnocellular Nucleus):
- Forms a map of auditory space.
- Eliminates phase ambiguity.
- Converges different frequency channels.
- Converges time and intensity pathways.
- Detects and relays interaural intensity differences.
Intensity processing pathway (Lateral Shell, Posterior Lateral Lemniscal Nucleus, Angular Nucleus, Auditory Nerve, Inner Ear):
- Detects and relays interaural time differences.
- Separates time, frequency, and intensity data.
- Translates cues into nerve signals.

Parallel Processing of Time and Intensity Information

The auditory nerve encodes intensity and timing by varying action potential rate and timing.
Changing sound intensity leads to altered spike rates.
Phase locking occurs when fibers fire at a specific phase angle of the spectral component.

Cochlear Nucleus - Parallel Processing

The cochlear nucleus has two neuron subpopulations:
- Magnocellular nucleus: Less sensitive to intensity changes, phase-locking.
- Angular nucleus: Sensitive to intensity variations, no phase-locking.

Laminar Nucleus: Computation of Interaural Time Differences

Receives input from both ears.
Crucial for encoding ITD.
The Jeffress Model explains its function:
- Delay lines introduce specific delays for signal transmission.
- Magnocellular neurons represent arrival time differences.
- Coincidence detectors fire more strongly when impulses arrive simultaneously.
- Firing rate represents azimuth direction.

LLDA & LLDp

LLDA (Anterior Lateral Lemniscal Dorsal Nucleus)
LLDp (Posterior Lateral Lemniscal Dorsal Nucleus)
Both synapse at the lateral shells of the Inferior Colliculus (IC).

Posterior Lateral Lemniscal Nucleus

Computes interaural intensity differences.
Difference in excitatory and inhibitory input determines firing rate.
Neurons are arranged according to their selectivity for different IIDs.

Adaptations of the Auditory Sensory System

Most mammals have specialized basilar membrane regions for specific frequency ranges.
An acoustic fovea is a specialized region with a high concentration of receptor cells, tuned to a specific frequency range.

Auditory Cortex of Mustached Bats

The FM-FM area processes information related to echo delays.
Neurons respond strongly when a sound pulse is followed by an echo at a specific delay.
Neurons are arranged topographically, with delay time increasing along one axis.
A computational map is a neural structure where values for a computed parameter vary systematically across dimensions.

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of Barn Owls and their unique behaviors. This quiz covers sensory perception, releasing mechanisms, and the anatomical features that aid their hunting skills. Test your understanding of how these factors contribute to their ecological niche.