Acoustic communication is essential for reproduction and predator avoidance in many anuran species. For example, mating calls are generally produced by males and represent a conspicuous communication signal employed during the breeding season. Although anuran mating calls have been largely studied to analyze content and phonotaxis toward choruses, they are rarely discussed as sources of information guiding spatial behavior in broader contexts. This is striking if we consider that previous studies have shown anurans to be impressive navigators. In the current study, we investigated whether terrestrial toad (Rhinella arenarum) males can use a mating call as a spatial cue to locate a water reward in a laboratory maze. Male toads could indeed learn the location of a reward guided by a mating call. This navigational ability, as indicated by c-Fos, was associated with greater neuronal activity in the telencephalic hippocampal formation (HF; also referred to in amphibians as medial pallium), the medial septum (MS), and the central amygdala (CeA). HF and MS are telencephalic structures associated with spatial navigation in mammals and other vertebrates. The CeA, by contrast, has been studied in the context of acoustic processing and communication in other amphibian species. The results are discussed in the framework of an evolutionary conserved, HF-septal spatial-cognitive network shared by amphibians and mammals.

中文翻译：

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陆地蟾蜍（莱茵兰arenarum）的交配调用，可作为空间定向及其相关脑活动的线索。

在许多无环物种中，声学传播对于繁殖和避免捕食至关重要。例如，交配的电话通常是由雄性产生的，并且代表了繁殖季节期间使用的明显的通信信号。尽管已经大量研究了无性交配呼叫，以分析合唱的内容和视错觉，但在更广泛的背景下，很少将它们作为指导空间行为的信息源进行讨论。如果我们认为以前的研究表明无脊椎动物是令人印象深刻的领航者，这将是惊人的。在当前的研究中，我们调查了陆地蟾蜍（Rhinella arenarum）雄性是否可以使用交配电话作为空间提示来定位实验室迷宫中的水奖励。雄性蟾蜍确实可以通过交配呼叫来获知奖励的位置。如c-Fos所示，这种导航能力 与端脑海马结构（HF；在两栖动物中也称为内侧大脑皮层），内侧隔膜（MS）和中央杏仁核（CeA）中更大的神经元活动有关。HF和MS是与哺乳动物和其他脊椎动物中的空间导航相关的端脑结构。相比之下，已经在其他两栖动物物种的声音处理和交流中研究了CeA。在两栖动物和哺乳动物共有的进化保守的HF间隔空间认知网络的框架内讨论了结果。HF和MS是与哺乳动物和其他脊椎动物中的空间导航相关的端脑结构。相比之下，已经在其他两栖动物物种的声音处理和交流中研究了CeA。在两栖动物和哺乳动物共有的进化保守的HF间隔空间认知网络的框架内讨论了结果。HF和MS是与哺乳动物和其他脊椎动物中的空间导航相关的端脑结构。相比之下，已经在其他两栖动物物种的声音处理和交流中研究了CeA。在两栖动物和哺乳动物共有的进化保守的HF间隔空间认知网络的框架内讨论了结果。