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A proposed mechanism for the observed ontogenetic improvement in the hearing ability of hapuka (Polyprion oxygeneios)

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Abstract

Swim bladder extensions and hearing ability were examined in the temperate reef fish Polyprion oxygeneios (hapuka). Using the auditory evoked potential (AEP) technique, hearing thresholds were determined in four age-classes of hapuka, from larvae to juveniles. The youngest age-class had poor hearing abilities, with lowest thresholds of 132 dB re 1 μPa, and a narrow auditory bandwidth (100–800 Hz). Hearing ability improved significantly throughout the remainder of their first year, including decreases in thresholds of up to 27 dB, and an increase in auditory bandwidth (up to 1,000 Hz). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to investigate structural mechanisms that may account for this ontogenetic improvement in hearing. These showed rostral extensions of the swim bladder developing early in the juvenile stage, and extending with increasing age closer to the otic capsule. It is suggested that this indirect connection between the swim bladder and the otic capsule could impart pressure sensitivity closer to the inner ear, accounting for the increase in sensitivity seen during development, although further investigation of older fish is required for conclusive evidence. The improvement in hearing ability in hapuka could be potentially related to a unique life history of extended pelagic durations up to 4 years.

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Abbreviations

AEP:

Auditory evoked potentials

FOV:

The field of view defined as the size of the two or three dimensional spatial encoding area of the image

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

RF:

Radio frequency

SPL:

Sound pressure level

TE:

Echo time that represents the time in milliseconds between the application of the 90° pulse and the peak of the echo signal in spin echo and inversion recovery pulse sequences

TR:

Repetition time, the amount of time that exists between successive pulse sequences applied to the same slice

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Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers of this manuscript. We are also grateful to the staff at the Leigh Marine Laboratory for logistical help, and at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s aquaculture facility at Bream Bay for the supply of the hapuka. PEC was funded from an MSc scholarship awarded from the Faculty Research Development Fund award from the University of Auckland. CAR was funded by a Marsden Fund FastStart award from the Royal Society of New Zealand. All experiments and animal care were undertaken in accordance with the University of Auckland Animal Ethics grant R782.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, PO Box 349, Warkworth, 0941, New Zealand

    P. E. Caiger, J. C. Montgomery & C. A. Radford

  2. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Bream Bay, PO Box 147, Ruakaka, New Zealand

    M. Bruce

  3. Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, and Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Box A-25, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    J. Lu

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  1. P. E. Caiger
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  2. J. C. Montgomery
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  3. M. Bruce
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  4. J. Lu
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  5. C. A. Radford
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Correspondence to P. E. Caiger.

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Caiger, P.E., Montgomery, J.C., Bruce, M. et al. A proposed mechanism for the observed ontogenetic improvement in the hearing ability of hapuka (Polyprion oxygeneios). J Comp Physiol A 199, 653–661 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0820-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0820-z

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