Vertebrate Acoustic Communication

4 credits lecture + lab, a valid elective for biology majors
CRN 32847, 32848. Pre-requisites BIOL 51 and 61 or consent of the instructor.
It is also possible to earn graduate credits, which will require additional readings and separate exam questions. CRN 32849, 32913.

This course is all about communication and (good) vibrations: you will figure how hearing (the coolest of the senses) works. And how and why we (vertebrates) make sounds with our vocal folds. You will also examine how the brain processes audio, and why certain animals communicate using ultrasound or seismic vibrations! You will even learn the behavioral strategies that male frogs use to sound sexually appealing to female frogs!!! Interesting?

How about adding to it some hands-on experience? Wouldn′t it be fun to use the latest technologies to measure, for example, your vocal or hearing range? The vibration of the eardrums when they are hit by the sound, or record sounds emitted by the ears? We will also fool our brains with acoustic illusions, compare sounds quantitatively and measure signal evolution.

This course is designed to give you a multidisciplinary view of the main concepts and techniques involved in the study of vertebrate communication. It will train you to integrate across areas such as anatomy, physiology, behavior and evolution in order to interpret experimental results.

Scared of the math involved in acoustics? No worries, this course is designed by and for biologists. We will address the necessary concepts in physics at an intuitive level that will not bother you.

new this Fall

fall 2010: Vertebrate Biology.

This will be a fun exploration of several aspects of vertebrate biology, with classes, labs, field trips and a research project.

international workshop

We were envited to participate this October in the CSU International E./P. petersi Workshop. Researchers from several parts of the Americas discussed genetic, behavioral, anatomical, acoustic and genomic aspects of speciation in a tropical model frog.

Dr. Gridi-Papp presented on the vocal and auditory mechanisms in the genus and discussed near-future collaborations with other labs.

new paper

Environmental influences in the evolution of tetrapod hearing sensitivity and middle ear tuning.