The Sensory Coevolution of Moths and Bats

Fullard, James H.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-0585-2_8

Cited by 97 publications

(122 citation statements)

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“…The frequency tuning curves of these two cells are roughly the same (Fullard, 1998). Both are most sensitive to lower ultrasonic frequencies (~20-50kHz), but A2 has thresholds ~20dB greater than A1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Bats and their insect prey provide an ideal study system to investigate sensory system adaptations. Insectivorous bats are significant predators of night-flying moths (reviewed in Fullard, 1998). These bats produce ultrasonic calls during echolocation to navigate their surroundings and locate their prey, and ultrasoundsensitive ears have evolved in several groups of moths specifically to detect bats (Fullard, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insectivorous bats are significant predators of night-flying moths (reviewed in Fullard, 1998). These bats produce ultrasonic calls during echolocation to navigate their surroundings and locate their prey, and ultrasoundsensitive ears have evolved in several groups of moths specifically to detect bats (Fullard, 1998). Depending on the family, moths have only one to four receptor cells in their ears, making these ears some of the simplest sensory structures in nature (Yack, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…a close bat. Different bat species produce echolocation calls at different frequencies, and the question originally raised by Fullard (Fullard, 1998) as to what extent can the simple ears of moths adapt to the specific frequencies used by different sympatric predators, still remains. Here we address this question by investigating moth hearing in three different areas (UK, Canada and Denmark), which are separated geographically by ~1000km to more than 5000km.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The simple ears of noctuoid moths are tuned to the calls of their sympatric bat community

Hofstede

Goerlitz

Ratcliffe

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYInsects with bat-detecting ears are ideal animals for investigating sensory system adaptations to predator cues. Noctuid moths have two auditory receptors (A1 and A2) sensitive to the ultrasonic echolocation calls of insectivorous bats. Larger moths are detected at greater distances by bats than smaller moths. Larger moths also have lower A1 best thresholds, allowing them to detect bats at greater distances and possibly compensating for their increased conspicuousness. Interestingly, the sound frequency at the lowest threshold is lower in larger than in smaller moths, suggesting that the relationship between threshold and size might vary across frequencies used by different bat species. Here, we demonstrate that the relationships between threshold and size in moths were only significant at some frequencies, and these frequencies differed between three locations (UK, Canada and Denmark). The relationships were more likely to be significant at call frequencies used by proportionately more bat species in the moths' specific bat community, suggesting an association between the tuning of moth ears and the cues provided by sympatric predators. Additionally, we found that the best threshold and best frequency of the less sensitive A2 receptor are also related to size, and that these relationships hold when controlling for evolutionary relationships. The slopes of best threshold versus size differ, however, such that the difference in threshold between A1 and A2 is greater for larger than for smaller moths. The shorter time from A1 to A2 excitation in smaller than in larger moths could potentially compensate for shorter absolute detection distances in smaller moths.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The simple ears of noctuoid moths are tuned to the calls of their sympatric bat community

Hofstede

Goerlitz

Ratcliffe

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…It functions primarily for detecting the ultrasonic calls of insectivorous bats, which echolocate for orientation in space and for detection, classification and localization of prey . The neuroethology of moth hearing has been extensively researched (reviewed in Spangler 1988;Fullard 1998;Conner 1999;Minet and Surlykke 2003;Waters 2003) in contrast to butterflies, where little research has been conducted on acoustic communication. To date, there have been no reports on an acoustic sense in Hesperoidea, but a growing body of evidence (see Discussion) suggests that hearing may be widespread in both Nymphalidae (Papilionoidea) and Hedyloidea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroethology of ultrasonic hearing in nocturnal butterflies (Hedyloidea)

2007

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Nocturnal Hedyloidea butterflies possess ultrasound-sensitive ears that mediate evasive flight maneuvers. Tympanal ear morphology, auditory physiology and behavioural responses to ultrasound are described for Macrosoma heliconiaria, and evidence for hearing is described for eight other hedylid species. The ear is formed by modifications of the cubital and subcostal veins at the forewing base, where the thin (1-3 urn), ovoid (520 x 220 urn) tympanal membrane occurs in a cavity. The ear is innervated by nerve IINlc, with three chordotonal organs attaching to separate regions of the tympanal membrane. Extracellular recordings from IINlc reveal sensory responses to ultrasonic (>20 kHz), but not low frequency (<10 kHz) sounds. Hearing is broadly tuned to frequencies between 40 and 80 kHz, with best thresholds around 60 dB SPL. Free flying butterflies exposed to ultrasound exhibit a variety of evasive maneuvers, characterized by sudden and unpredictable changes in direction, increased velocity, and durations of ~500 ms. Hedylid hearing is compared to that of several other insects that have independently evolved

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