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This study demonstrates the application of optical coherence tomography based vibrometry to investigate potential sound detection mechanisms in crustaceans, focusing on the superficial sensory hairs of the snapping shrimp, Alpheus richardsoni. Optical coherence tomography combines high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging with nanometer-scale vibration detection, enabling in situ morphological and functional analysis of microscopic auditory structures. Using sound pressure stimuli spanning 0.1-2.1 kHz, depth-resolved vibrometry revealed a whole-body resonance at 0.4 kHz and a distinct resonance at 1.1 kHz localized to the tips of superficial hairs. This frequency-specific mechanical response, absent in surrounding tissues, provides the first direct evidence implicating superficial hair cells in crustacean sound detection. Importantly, the method’s ability to isolate the motion of the target organs from adjacent structures establishes a powerful new tool for studying the biomechanics of sound detection structures in invertebrates. Future directions include enhancing sensitivity, extending measurements to other candidate sound detection organs such as statocysts and chordotonal organs, and broadening comparative studies across crustacean taxa to define sound detection range, sensitivity profiles, and potential vulnerability to anthropogenic aquatic sound.

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Optical Coherence Tomography: A Valuable Tool for the Study of Sound-Sensitive Organs in Aquatic Animals

  • 动态工具书词条

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Tillmann Spellauge,
  • Emily Leedham,
  • Lucille Chapuis,
  • Jami Shepherd,
  • Frédérique Vanholsbeeck,
  • Craig Radford

摘要

This study demonstrates the application of optical coherence tomography based vibrometry to investigate potential sound detection mechanisms in crustaceans, focusing on the superficial sensory hairs of the snapping shrimp, Alpheus richardsoni. Optical coherence tomography combines high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging with nanometer-scale vibration detection, enabling in situ morphological and functional analysis of microscopic auditory structures. Using sound pressure stimuli spanning 0.1-2.1 kHz, depth-resolved vibrometry revealed a whole-body resonance at 0.4 kHz and a distinct resonance at 1.1 kHz localized to the tips of superficial hairs. This frequency-specific mechanical response, absent in surrounding tissues, provides the first direct evidence implicating superficial hair cells in crustacean sound detection. Importantly, the method’s ability to isolate the motion of the target organs from adjacent structures establishes a powerful new tool for studying the biomechanics of sound detection structures in invertebrates. Future directions include enhancing sensitivity, extending measurements to other candidate sound detection organs such as statocysts and chordotonal organs, and broadening comparative studies across crustacean taxa to define sound detection range, sensitivity profiles, and potential vulnerability to anthropogenic aquatic sound.