Amphibian communication: coupling of acoustic systems to the medium at the air-water interface

Reproduction in many animals depends on females detecting and responding to male advertisement calls. Effective communication requires the vocal and auditory systems to be tuned to the same frequency range. In anurans, female ears and male calls are normally found to have matched tuning. However, in túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus), we have observed a discrepancy: the eardrum is most sensitive to high frequencies (2.0 - 3.0 kHz), whereas the auditory regions of the brain are tuned to the fundamental frequencies of male calls (0.6 - 0.7 kHz)