Dr. Isabelle Pia Maiditsch

Orcid: 0000-0002-2351-7809

Research interests:

Fish Bioacoustics

My research interests focus on acoustic communication in fishes, encompassing

• acoustical behavior, 
• sound-generating organs and their 
• physiological structures, the 
• design of acoustic signals, and the importance of 
• intra- and interspecific sound communication. As well as influences of the 
• environment factors on behavior, signals, and 
• adaptations to it.

Currently, my research concentrates on the functional morphology of the inner ear in teleost fishes and the interplay of fish auditory structures, primarily focusing on Otophysan fishes. The objective of the present project is to offer initial insights into the interaction of auditory structures, such as the swim bladder, the Weberian ossicles, and the otoliths. Collecting experimental evidence on the in-situ motion of fish auditory structures while avoiding artifacts caused by surgical exposure of these structures provides preliminary experimental insight into how different types of otophysic connections influence otolith and inner ear motion.

Utilizing synchrotron radiation-based tomography with high spatio-temporal resolution allows for the non-invasive study of morphofunctional issues in an unprecedented manner. Our time-resolved 4D tomography approach represents a crucial methodological advancement to significantly enhance our understanding of the relationship between fish auditory structures and inner ear function."

CV

Academic education
2016 – 2022 PhD at the University of Vienna (passed with distinction) in Behavioral Biology and Bioacoustics (2018-2021 funded by the FWF, Project Nr. P31045)
2005 – 2013 Mag.rer.nat. (M.Sc.) at the University of Vienna, Behavioral Biology and Zoology, focus on Hearing, Communication and Bioacoustics

Academic positions
July 2023 – present Postdoctoral Research Associate, LMU Munich, Department Biology II, Munich
July 2022 – June 2023 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland
2018 - 2022 PhD Candidate in the FWF project P31045
2014 - 2022 Employee/Lecturer at the University of Vienna
2012 - 2014 Tutor (University of Vienna, in various lectures, exercises, laboratory exercises and practitioners, examination supervision)
2011 - 2012 Research assistant (FWF project P 22319)

Field- and Research Experiences and Work
2019 (summer) Summer School Course on Acoustic Communication and Technology (Matlab) at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense DK (Aug.)
2014 Course and Fieldwork on White Shark behaviour, (extra-curricular activity) at the Neptun Islands, near Port Lincoln, Australia (Jul.-Aug.)
2011 Course and Fieldwork on White Shark behaviour, (extra-curricular activity) in Simon's Town, South Africa (Sep.)
2010 TBA, Tropical Biology Association Course, in Uganda (Cambridge Conservation Initiative and University of Vienna; Jul.-Aug.)
2009 Tropical Biology Course in Costa Rica (University of Vienna; Aug.-Sep.)
2007 & 2009 Field Research Assistant (extra-curricular activity) research work on shark-human interaction, with Dr. Erich Ritter, Grand Key, Bahamas (Jun.-Jul.)
2006 Course and Fieldwork on White Shark behaviour, (extra-curricular activity) with Dr. Ritter, Gaansbai, South Africa (Aug.)

Teaching Positions (University of Vienna)
2015 - 2022 Practical Course in Behavioural Physiology (3-5 bachelor and master students)
(summer term) Animal Physiology Laboratory 1 (12 bachelor students in one group, ca. 70 students)

2014 - 2022 Practical Course in Animal Behaviour (up to 70 bachelor students)
(winter term) Course in Bioacoustics (3-5 bachelor and master students)

Congress Contributions and Posters
Maiditsch IP, Schlepütz CM, Qu Q, Ladich F, Heß M, , Schulz-Mirbach T (2023) 4D tomography sheds light on how shape variation leads to differences in otolith motion patterns in three catfish species. 7th International Otolith Symposium Viña del Mar Chile (Abstract)

Maiditsch IP, Limburg KE, Schulz-Mirbach T (2023) Can marine multi-stressors make you deaf? 7th International Otolith Symposium Viña del Mar Chile (Poster)

Maiditsch IP, Schulz-Mirbach T, Qu Q, Heß M, Schlepütz CM (2023) Shedding X-ray light on the sound-induced motion patterns of the inner ear in two model species, the zebrafish and the glass catfish. XVII European Congress of Ichthyology, Praha, Czech Republic (Talk)

Maiditsch IP (2022) Sound transmission from the Weberian apparatus to the inner ears: New insights into motion patterns of auditory structures in fishes. International HEARING workshop, Ascona, Switzerland (Keynote lecture)

Maiditsch IP (2022) Innovations in hearing research methodologies. International HEARING workshop, Ascona, Switzerland (Talk-Basic science round table)

Maiditsch IP (2022) Acoustic and visual adaptations to predation risk: A predator affects communication in vocal female fish. CoBeNe PhD Academy Conference (Talk)

Schulz-Mirbach, T CM Schlepütz, Heß M, Gstöhl SJ, Maiditsch IP, Ladich F (2021) The Weberian apparatus in action: How do the auditory structures of otophysan fishes interact during sound exposure? 92nd Annual Meeting of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft, Vienna (Austria)

Maiditsch IP, Ladich F (2019) Predation threat and acoustic communication in Croaking Gouramis (Labyrinth Fishes) International Bioacoustics Congress, Brighton, UK (Poster)

Maiditsch IP, Ladich F (2019) Predation threat and acoustic communication in Croaking Gouramis (Labyrinth Fishes) Graduate summer school “Acoustic Communication", Denmark (Poster)

Publications
Maiditsch IP and Ladich F. (2023). Effects of noise on acoustic and visual signalling in the Croaking Gourami: differences in adaptation strategies in fish. Bioacoustics. doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2022.2086174

Maiditsch IP and Ladich F. (2022c). Noise-induced masking of hearing in a labyrinth fish: Effects on sound detection in croaking gouramis. PeerJ, 10, e14230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14230

Maiditsch IP and Ladich F. (2022b). Different sound characteristics produced by the left and right pectoral fins constitute a new form of lateralization in a vocal fish. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, 339(1), 112-119. DOI: 10.1002/jez.2660

Maiditsch IP, Ladich F, Heß M, Schlepütz CM and Schulz-Mirbach T. (2022). Revealing sound-induced motion patterns in fish hearing structures in 4D: a standing wave tube-like setup designed for high-resolution time-resolved tomography. Journal of Experimental Biology 225, jeb.243614. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243614

Maiditsch IP and Ladich F. (2022a). Acoustic and visual adaptations to predation risk: A predator affects communication in vocal female fish. Current Zoology. Volume 68, Issue 2, Pages 149–157, https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoab049

Ladich F and Maiditsch IP. (2020). Temperature affects sound production in fish with two sets of sonic organs: the Pictus cat. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 240, 110589. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.110589

Schulz-Mirbach T, Ladich F, Mittone A, Olbinado M, Bravin A, Maiditsch IP, Melzer RR, Krysl P and Heß M. (2020). Auditory chain reaction: Effects of sound pressure and particle motion on auditory structures in fishes. PLoS One 15(3): e0230578. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230578

Ladich F and Maiditsch IP. (2018). Acoustic signalling in female fish: factors influencing sound characteristics in croaking gouramis. Bioacoustics, 27:4, 377-390, DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1359669

Maiditsch IP and Ladich F. (2014). Effects of temperature on auditory sensitivity in eurythermal fishes: common carp Cyprinus carpio (Family Cyprinidae) versus wels catfish Silurus glanis (Family Siluridae). PLOS ONE 9, e108583. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108583

Maiditsch I, Liedtke HC, Ng'Wava JM, Hödl W. (2011). Advertisement and close-range encounter call of Arthroleptis schubotzi Nieden, 1911, with notes on phonotaxis and sexual dimorphism in the third manual digit (Anura: Arthroleptidae). Herpetozoa 24_1_2: 23-31.