Vibrational noise disrupts Nezara viridula communication, irrespective of spectral overlap

Janža, Rok (avtor), Stritih Peljhan, Nataša (avtor), Škorjanc, Aleš (avtor), Polajnar, Jernej (avtor), Virant-Doberlet, Meta (avtor)

Insects rely on substrate vibrations in numerous intra- and interspecific interactions. Yet, our knowledge of noise impact in this modality lags behind that in audition, limiting our understanding of how anthropogenic noise affects insect communities. Auditory research has linked impaired signal perception in noise (i.e., masking) to spectral overlap. We investigated the impact of noise with different spectral compositions on the vibrational communication of the stink bug Nezara viridula, examining courtship behaviour and signal representation by sensory neurons. We found negative effects of vibrational noise regardless of spectral overlap, challenging common expectations. Noise impaired the ability of males to recognize the female signal and localise its source: overlapping noise decreased sensitivity of receptor neurons to the signal and disrupted signal frequency encoding by phase-locking units, while non-overlapping noise only affected frequency encoding. Modelling neuronal spike triggering in sensory neurons linked disrupted frequency encoding to interference-induced alterations of the signal waveform. These alterations also affected time delays between signal arrivals to different legs, crucial for localisation. Our study thus unveils a new masking mechanism, potentially unique to insect vibrosensory systems. The findings highlight the higher vulnerability of vibration-mediated behaviour to noise, with implications for insect interactions in natural and anthropogenically altered environments.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: biotremology, vibrations, noise, communication, neurons, masking, entomology, neurobiology, animal behaviour, sensory processing
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2024
• Št. strani: 12 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 7, art. 1533
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176023
• UDK: 591
• ISSN pri članku: 2399-3642
• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-07185-3
• COBISS.SI-ID: 216019971
• Datum objave v RUL: 18.11.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Communications biology
• Skrajšan naslov: Commun. biolog.
• Založnik: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 2399-3642
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5134671

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: biotremologija, vibracijski šum, stenice, spolno vedenje, entomologija, nevrobiologija, Nezara viridula