The songbird syrinx morphome: a three-dimensional, high-resolution, interactive morphological map of the zebra finch vocal organ

BMC Biology

Research Article

Andreas Ziegler¹  Cornelius Faber²  Coen PH Elemans³  Johannes Müller⁴  Alexander Ziegler⁵  Constance Scharff⁶  Daniel N Düring⁶  Christopher K Thompson⁷ 

[1]Institut für Immungenetik, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 73, 14195, Berlin, Germany

[2]Institut für Klinische Radiologie, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany

[3]Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark

[4]Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions und Biodiversitätsforschung, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany

[5]Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, 02138, Cambridge, MA, USA

[6]Verhaltensbiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustrasse 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany

[7]Verhaltensbiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustrasse 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany

[8]Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pine Road, 92037, La Jolla, CA, USA

关键词: Attachment Site;    Zebra Finch;    Sound Frequency;    Sound Production;    Tracheal Ring;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1741-7007-11-1

 received in 2012-11-05, accepted in 2013-01-08,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLike human infants, songbirds learn their species-specific vocalizations through imitation learning. The birdsong system has emerged as a widely used experimental animal model for understanding the underlying neural mechanisms responsible for vocal production learning. However, how neural impulses are translated into the precise motor behavior of the complex vocal organ (syrinx) to create song is poorly understood. First and foremost, we lack a detailed understanding of syringeal morphology.ResultsTo fill this gap we combined non-invasive (high-field magnetic resonance imaging and micro-computed tomography) and invasive techniques (histology and micro-dissection) to construct the annotated high-resolution three-dimensional dataset, or morphome, of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) syrinx. We identified and annotated syringeal cartilage, bone and musculature in situ in unprecedented detail. We provide interactive three-dimensional models that greatly improve the communication of complex morphological data and our understanding of syringeal function in general.ConclusionsOur results show that the syringeal skeleton is optimized for low weight driven by physiological constraints on song production. The present refinement of muscle organization and identity elucidates how apposed muscles actuate different syringeal elements. Our dataset allows for more precise predictions about muscle co-activation and synergies and has important implications for muscle activity and stimulation experiments. We also demonstrate how the syrinx can be stabilized during song to reduce mechanical noise and, as such, enhance repetitive execution of stereotypic motor patterns. In addition, we identify a cartilaginous structure suited to play a crucial role in the uncoupling of sound frequency and amplitude control, which permits a novel explanation of the evolutionary success of songbirds.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© Düring et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.