Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish
Active sensory systems have evolved to properly encode natural stimuli including those created by conspecifics, yet little is known about the properties of such stimuli. We consider the electrosensory signal at the skin of a fixed weakly electric fish in the presence of a swimming conspecific. The d...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnint.2019.00036/full |
| _version_ | 1818542108532801536 |
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| author | Na Yu Na Yu Ginette Hupe André Longtin André Longtin John E. Lewis John E. Lewis |
| author_facet | Na Yu Na Yu Ginette Hupe André Longtin André Longtin John E. Lewis John E. Lewis |
| author_sort | Na Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Active sensory systems have evolved to properly encode natural stimuli including those created by conspecifics, yet little is known about the properties of such stimuli. We consider the electrosensory signal at the skin of a fixed weakly electric fish in the presence of a swimming conspecific. The dipole recordings are obtained in parallel with video tracking of the position of the animals. This enables the quantification of the relationships between the recording dipole and the positions of the head, midbody and tail of the freely swimming fish. The contrast of the signal at the skin is shown to be well-fitted by a decreasing exponential function of distance. It is thus anti-correlated with distance; it is also correlated with the second envelope (i.e., the envelope of the envelope) of the raw recorded signal. The variance of the contrast signal is highest at short range. However, the coefficient of variation (CV) of this signal increases with distance. We find a range of position and associated contrast patterns under quasi-2D swimming conditions. This is quantified using global measures of the visit times of the free fish within measurable range, with each visit causing a bump in contrast. The durations of these bumps as well as the times between these bumps are well reproduced by a doubly stochastic process formed by a dichotomous (two-state) noise with Poisson statistics multiplying a colored noise [Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process]. Certain rapid body movements such as bending or turning are seen to produce contrast drops that may be part of cloaking strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:17:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31f5ac0e4eba44bf9c5f3176c1175cb1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5145 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:17:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-31f5ac0e4eba44bf9c5f3176c1175cb12022-12-22T00:48:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience1662-51452019-07-011310.3389/fnint.2019.00036473017Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric FishNa Yu0Na Yu1Ginette Hupe2André Longtin3André Longtin4John E. Lewis5John E. Lewis6Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI, United StatesDepartment of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBrain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBrain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaActive sensory systems have evolved to properly encode natural stimuli including those created by conspecifics, yet little is known about the properties of such stimuli. We consider the electrosensory signal at the skin of a fixed weakly electric fish in the presence of a swimming conspecific. The dipole recordings are obtained in parallel with video tracking of the position of the animals. This enables the quantification of the relationships between the recording dipole and the positions of the head, midbody and tail of the freely swimming fish. The contrast of the signal at the skin is shown to be well-fitted by a decreasing exponential function of distance. It is thus anti-correlated with distance; it is also correlated with the second envelope (i.e., the envelope of the envelope) of the raw recorded signal. The variance of the contrast signal is highest at short range. However, the coefficient of variation (CV) of this signal increases with distance. We find a range of position and associated contrast patterns under quasi-2D swimming conditions. This is quantified using global measures of the visit times of the free fish within measurable range, with each visit causing a bump in contrast. The durations of these bumps as well as the times between these bumps are well reproduced by a doubly stochastic process formed by a dichotomous (two-state) noise with Poisson statistics multiplying a colored noise [Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process]. Certain rapid body movements such as bending or turning are seen to produce contrast drops that may be part of cloaking strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnint.2019.00036/fullelectrosensationenvelopecontrastdichotomous noiseHilbert transformswimming behavior |
| spellingShingle | Na Yu Na Yu Ginette Hupe André Longtin André Longtin John E. Lewis John E. Lewis Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience electrosensation envelope contrast dichotomous noise Hilbert transform swimming behavior |
| title | Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish |
| title_full | Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish |
| title_fullStr | Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish |
| title_short | Electrosensory Contrast Signals for Interacting Weakly Electric Fish |
| title_sort | electrosensory contrast signals for interacting weakly electric fish |
| topic | electrosensation envelope contrast dichotomous noise Hilbert transform swimming behavior |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnint.2019.00036/full |
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