Meeting Abstract

61.4  Sunday, Jan. 5 14:15  Development of laryngeal structure for call generation in the Túngara frog SMITH, H.K.*; WALLINGFORD, J.B.; RYAN, M.J.; Univeristy of Texas, Austin; Univeristy of Texas, Austin; Univeristy of Texas, Austin hksmith@utexas.edu

The relationship between genes, development and behavior remains poorly understood. In frogs, evolutionary modifications in larynx development produce diverse larynx morphologies that influence call structure and behavior. The Túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) represents a model system of sexual selection and mate choice. In this species, the adult male larynx is more than seven times the size of that of the female. The structure of male larynx allows them to produce a downsweep frequency note, the “whine”, and facultatively add 1 to 7 “chucks”. Distinct structures within the larynx produce specific sounds: the vocal cords produce the whine, whereas fibrous masses produce the chucks. The embryonic origins of these different laryngeal features are unknown, as are the signals that govern their growth and development. As a crucial step to understanding larynx development, we present data from the Túngara frog that pinpoints its embryonic origin and provides a basis to explore subsequent phenomena controlling its development.