A quantitative morphological analysis of the inner ear of galliform birds

Corfield, Jeremy R.; Krilow, Justin M.; Ligt, Maureen N. Vande; Iwaniuk, Andrew N.

doi:10.1016/j.heares.2013.07.004

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 71 publications

(141 reference statements)

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“…To examine the scaling relationship between the inner ear and auditory brain regions, we plotted species means for NA, NM and NL volume and neuron numbers against the number of hair cells and number of auditory fibers (also species means) from Corfield et al (2013a). Nine of the specimens in Corfield et al (2013a) were the same specimens used in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nine of the specimens in Corfield et al (2013a) were the same specimens used in this study. We calculated the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for each comparison, as above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5). The correlation between NA, NM and NL volume and the number of hair cells was not surprising, because like NA, NM and NL volume, total hair cell numbers also scales with brain and body size (Corfield et al 2013a;Gleich et al 2004Gleich et al , 2005Gleich and Manley 2000;Walsh et al 2009). The lack of a correlation between the number of neurons in NA, NM and NL and the number of hair cells in the BP and the number of auditory fibers was, however, surprising and suggests that some aspects of inner ear anatomy are decoupled from the anatomy of brainstem auditory nuclei.…”

Section: Auditory Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…For example, the number of hair cells in the basilar papilla could be associated with the number of neurons in brain regions that process auditory information. Indeed, barn owls have a greater relative number of neurons in most auditory regions in their brain (Gutierrez-Ibanez et al 2011;Kubke et al 2004;Winter 1963) and also have an auditory fovea in their cochlea, resulting in over 16,000 hair cells (Köppl et al 1993), compared to only 10,000 in the similar sized ruffed grouse (Corfield et al 2013a). Here, we show that in galliforms, there is a significant relationship between NA, NM and NL volume and the number of hair cells in the BP, such that the volumes of brainstem auditory regions increased with increasing hair cell numbers.…”

Section: Auditory Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Galliforms are an ideal group for such a study because they are an important model species for understanding auditory system anatomy and function (e.g., Rubel 1975, 1978;Rubel and Parks 1975;Rubel et al 1976), are monophyletic (Wang et al 2013), represent a basal clade of neognathous birds (Hackett et al 2008) and vary in body size by several orders of magnitude from the 95 g Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) to the 10 kg wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) (Dunning 2007), which enables testing of allometric relationships across a range of body sizes. There is also a relatively large amount of morphological data available on the comparative anatomy of the galliform inner ear (Corfield et al 2013a), which enables us to test for scaling relationships between the sensory periphery and the brain regions receiving that input.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A unique cellular scaling rule in the avian auditory system

et al. 2015

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Although it is clear that neural structures scale with body size, the mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Several recent studies have shown that the relationship between neuron numbers and brain (or brain region) size are not only different across mammalian orders, but also across auditory and visual regions within the same brains. Among birds, similar cellular scaling rules have not been examined in any detail. Here, we examine the scaling of auditory structures in birds and show that the scaling rules that have been established in the mammalian auditory pathway do not necessarily apply to birds. In galliforms, neuronal densities decrease with increasing brain size, suggesting that auditory brainstem structures increase in size faster than neurons are added; smaller brains have relatively more neurons than larger brains. The cellular scaling rules that apply to auditory brainstem structures in galliforms are, therefore, different to that found in primate auditory pathway. It is likely that the factors driving this difference are associated with the anatomical specializations required for sound perception in birds, although there is a decoupling of neuron numbers in brain structures and hair cell numbers in the basilar papilla. This study provides significant insight into the allometric scaling of neural structures in birds and improves our understanding of the rules that govern neural scaling across vertebrates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nine of the specimens in Corfield et al (2013a) were the same specimens used in this study. We calculated the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for each comparison, as above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Auditory Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Auditory Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A unique cellular scaling rule in the avian auditory system

et al. 2015

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Landscape effects on the contemporary genetic structure of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) populations

Jensen

O'Neil

Iwaniuk

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The amount of dispersal that occurs among populations can be limited by landscape heterogeneity, which is often due to both natural processes and anthropogenic activity leading to habitat loss or fragmentation. Understanding how populations are structured and mapping existing dispersal corridors among populations is imperative to both determining contemporary forces mediating population connectivity, and informing proper management of species with fragmented populations. Furthermore, the contemporary processes mediating gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes on a large scale are understudied, particularly with respect to widespread species. This study focuses on a widespread game bird, the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus), for which we analyzed samples from the western extent of the range. Using three types of genetic markers, we uncovered multiple factors acting in concert that are responsible for mediating contemporary population connectivity in this species. Multiple genetically distinct groups were detected; microsatellite markers revealed six groups, and a mitochondrial marker revealed four. Many populations of Ruffed Grouse are genetically isolated, likely by macrogeographic barriers. Furthermore, the addition of landscape genetic methods not only corroborated genetic structure results, but also uncovered compelling evidence that dispersal resistance created by areas of unsuitable habitat is the most important factor mediating population connectivity among the sampled populations. This research has important implications for both our study species and other inhabitants of the early successional forest habitat preferred by Ruffed Grouse. Moreover, it adds to a growing body of evidence that isolation by resistance is more prevalent in shaping population structure of widespread species than previously thought.

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