PHONOTAXIS

09 Oct 2023 3 mins Download PDF

PHONOTAXIS

1. Phonotaxis is defined as the movement by an animal in response to a sound.
2. It has usually observed among crickets, moths, frogs, and toads, among a few other creatures.
3. Two types of phonotaxis include:
   1. Positive phonotaxis
      1. Its purpose is attraction
      2. It happens when the females of a particular species are attracted to the sounds made by the males.
      3. Mediterranean house gecko inhabited burrow were also home to male decorated crickets use positive phonotaxis to their advantage by consuming female crickets that are attracted by the species-specific sounds created by male decorated crickets to thier burrows.
   2. Negative phonotaxis
      1. It serves to repel or warn
      2. It includes use of sound of a predator nearby signals to an animal that it needs to move away.
      3. Crickets steer themselves away from low-intensity ultrasound typically associated with bats (which use it for echolocation).