Echolocation behaviours of the Japanese pipistrelle batPipistrellus abramus during foraging flight

Ma, Jie; Jones, Gareth; Zhu, Guang; Metzner, Walter

doi:10.1007/bf03193235

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…We analysed only the terminal phase of the echolocation call (feeding buzz), which is defined as a continuous sequence of calls emitted by the bat just before a capture attempt, and is produced after a pre-buzz pause Britton et al, 1997;Ma et al, 2010). Despite the high activity of bats in the foraging grounds, individual terminal phases were clearly differentiated.…”

Section: Analysis Of Recordingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-tuned echolocation and capture-flight ofMyotis capacciniiwhen facing different sized insects and fish prey

Aizpurua

Aihartza

Alberdi

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Formerly thought to be a strictly insectivorous trawling bat, recent studies have shown that Myotis capaccinii also preys on fish. To determine whether differences exist in bat flight behaviour, prey handling and echolocation characteristics when catching fish and insects of different size, we conducted a field experiment focused on the last stage of prey capture. We used synchronized video and ultrasound recordings to measure several flight and dip features as well as echolocation characteristics, focusing on terminal buzz phase I, characterized by a call rate exceeding 100 Hz, and buzz phase II, characterized by a drop in the fundamental well below 20 kHz and a repetition rate exceeding 150 Hz. When capturing insects, bats used both parts of the terminal phase to the same extent, and performed short and superficial drags on the water surface. In contrast, when preying on fish, buzz I was longer and buzz II shorter, and the bats made longer and deeper dips. These variations suggest that lengthening buzz I and shortening buzz II when fishing is beneficial, probably because buzz I gives better discrimination ability and the broader sonar beam provided by buzz II is useless when no evasive flight of the prey is expected. Additionally, bats continued emitting calls beyond the theoretical signal-overlap zone, suggesting that they might obtain information even when they have surpassed that threshold, at least initially. This study shows that M. capaccinii can regulate the temporal components of its feeding buzzes and modify prey capture technique according to the target.

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Section: Analysis Of Recordingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-tuned echolocation and capture-flight ofMyotis capacciniiwhen facing different sized insects and fish prey

Aizpurua

Aihartza

Alberdi

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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show abstract

“…We assigned a bat as “pass” when two or more consecutive echolocation pulses were recorded following previous studies (Guo et al, 2021 ; Walsh & Harris, 1996 ). We divided echolocation behaviors of foraging bats into three sequences, namely search, approach, and terminal buzz phases (Ma et al, 2010 ). We applied five spectro‐temporal parameters to characterize bat echolocation pulses, including pulse duration, start frequency, end frequency, peak frequency, and bandwidth.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first harmonic of echolocation pulses emitted by P . abramus varies from 40 to 95 kHz, depending on behavioral context and geographic location (Hiryu et al, 2008 ; Ma et al, 2010 ; Shao et al, 2014 ). Our previous survey has shown that some P .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These bats emit frequency-modulated echolocation pulses, with the highest energy on the first harmonic. The first harmonic of echolocation pulses emitted by P. abramus varies from 40 to 95 kHz, depending on behavioral context and geographic location (Hiryu et al, 2008;Ma et al, 2010;Shao et al, 2014). Our previous survey has shown that some P. abramus forage in open and edge habitats around the runway of a municipal airport in China (Wang et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Airport noise disturbs foraging behavior of Japanese pipistrelle bats

Wang

Gao

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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The expansion of anthropogenic noise poses an emerging threat to the survival and reproductive success of various organisms. Previous investigations have focused on the detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise on the foraging behavior in some terrestrial and aquatic animals. Nevertheless, the role of airport noise in impairing foraging activities of most wild animals has been neglected. Here, we aimed to assess whether foraging behavior in free‐living Japanese pipistrelle bats ( Pipistrellus abramus ) can be disturbed by airport noise. We used audio recording to monitor foraging activities of bats at 11 sites around the runway of a municipal airport. We quantified noise level and spectra, aircraft activity, habitat type, nightly temperature, wind speed, and moon phase for each site. The analysis revealed that noise level and aircraft activity were significant negative predictors for the number of bat passes and feeding buzzes around the runway, even after controlling for the effects of other environmental factors. There was no marked spectral overlap between bat echolocation pulses and airport noise in the presence and absence of low‐flying aircraft. The spectro‐temporal parameters of echolocation vocalizations emitted by bats were dependent on noise level, aircraft activity, and habitat type. These results provide correlative evidence that airport noise can reduce foraging activities of wild pipistrelle bats. Our findings add to the current knowledge of adverse impacts of airport noise on foraging bats in artificial ecosystems and provide a basis for further research on the mechanisms behind noise pollution near airports.

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“…We analysed only the terminal phase of the echolocation call sequence. The terminal phase was defined as a continuous sequence of calls emitted by the bat just before a capture attempt and directly after a pre-buzz pause 21 22 23 . This terminal phase is divided into two parts: buzz I and buzz II .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight on how fishing bats discern prey and adjust their mechanic and sensorial features during the attack sequence

Aizpurua

Alberdi

Aihartza

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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Several insectivorous bats have included fish in their diet, yet little is known about the processes underlying this trophic shift. We performed three field experiments with wild fishing bats to address how they manage to discern fish from insects and adapt their hunting technique to capture fish. We show that bats react only to targets protruding above the water and discern fish from insects based on prey disappearance patterns. Stationary fish trigger short and shallow dips and a terminal echolocation pattern with an important component of the narrowband and low frequency calls. When the fish disappears during the attack process, bats regulate their attack increasing the number of broadband and high frequency calls in the last phase of the echolocation as well as by lengthening and deepening their dips. These adjustments may allow bats to obtain more valuable sensorial information and to perform dips adjusted to the level of uncertainty on the location of the submerged prey. The observed ultrafast regulation may be essential for enabling fishing to become cost-effective in bats, and demonstrates the ability of bats to rapidly modify and synchronise their sensorial and motor features as a response to last minute stimulus variations.

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Echolocation behaviours of the Japanese pipistrelle batPipistrellus abramus during foraging flight

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Fine-tuned echolocation and capture-flight ofMyotis capacciniiwhen facing different sized insects and fish prey

Fine-tuned echolocation and capture-flight ofMyotis capacciniiwhen facing different sized insects and fish prey

Airport noise disturbs foraging behavior of Japanese pipistrelle bats

Insight on how fishing bats discern prey and adjust their mechanic and sensorial features during the attack sequence

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