Characteristics of echolocating bats’auditory stereocilia length, compared with other mammals  

作　　者：YAO Qian1,6, ZENG JinYao2, ZHENG YongMei3, Julia LATHAM4, LIANG Bing1, JIANG Lei3 & ZHANG ShuYi51 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China 2 College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China 3 Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China 4 Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London, NW1 4RY, England 5 School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China 6 Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China These authors contributed equally to this work 

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2007年第4期492-496,共5页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

基　　金：Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30430120) and Foundation of President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

摘　　要：The stereocilia of the Organ of Corti in 4 different echolocating bats, Myotis adversus, Murina leuco-gaster, Nyctalus plancyi (Nyctalus velutinus), and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum were observed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Stereocilia lengths were estimated for comparison with those of non-echolocating mammals. The specialized lengths of outer hair cells (OHC) stereocilia in echolocating bats were shorter than those of non-echolocating mammals. The specialized lengths of inner hair cells (IHC) stereocilia were longer than those of outer hair cells stereocilia in the Organ of Corti of echolocating bats. These characteristics of the auditory stereocilia length of echolocating bats represent the fine architecture of the electromotility process, helping to adapt to high frequency sound and echolocation.The stereocilia of the Organ of Corti in 4 different echolocating bats, Myotis adversus, Murina leuco- gaster, Nyctalus plancyi (Nyctalus velutinus), and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum were observed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Stereocilia lengths were estimated for comparison with those of non-echolocating mammals. The specialized lengths of outer hair cells (OHC) stereocilia in echolocating bats were shorter than those of non-echolocating mammals. The specialized lengths of inner hair cells (IHC) stereocilia were longer than those of outer hair cells stereocilia in the Organ of Corti of echolocating bats. These characteristics of the auditory stereocilia length of echolocating bats represent the fine architecture of the electromotility process, helping to adapt to high frequency sound and echolocation.

关 键 词：echolocating bats COCHLEA STEREOCILIA SCANNING electron MICROSCOPY (SEM) 

分 类 号：Q954[生物学—动物学]