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Bennett VJ, Agpalo EJ. Citizen Science Helps Uncover the Secrets to a Bat-Friendly Swimming Pool in an Urban Environment. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.860523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For urban environments to support bat communities, resources need to be readily available. For example, bats typically use urban water sources such as drainage ditches and ponds; however, these sources can be ephemeral. During these periods, bats have utilized residential swimming pools, although they only appear to drink at pools when access to more natural equivalents are limited. This posed the question “can we make residential swimming pools friendlier for a diversity of bat species?” Using citizen science to determine which pool characteristics influenced bat activity, we distributed a questionnaire to residents in a suburban neighborhood in Fort Worth, TX, United States. It focused on observations of bat activity and the features of the pools and immediate surroundings. We distributed the questionnaire through social media, local presentations, and by mail throughout 2019 and 2020. We then used classification trees to determine which characteristics in combination influenced bat activity at the pools. We generated three different trees for bats observed (1) flying around the property and backyard, (2) above the swimming pool, and (3) drinking at the pool. We found that more bats were observed at unlit pools without bush or shrub borders. Furthermore, among pools with borders, activity was lowest at pools with textured interiors and ≥6 trees visible. The presence of features, such as fountains, then contributed to a reduction in bat observations in backyards and the presence of pets appeared to further reduce activity specifically over the pools. Where bats were observed drinking, this activity was reported the least at pools with bush or shrub borders, textured interiors, and trees <5 m and >10 m from the edge of the pools. Our study revealed that certain characteristics of residential swimming pools encouraged bat activity, while others discouraged them. Thus, it may be possible to make swimming pools more bat-friendly. For example, turning lights off in the evening when backyards are not in use and reducing clutter around pools could have an immediate positive impact on local bat populations. The implementation of such recommendations could improve urban habitats for bats overall and alleviate some of the negative implications of continued urbanization.
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Radtke-Schuller S, Fenzl T, Peremans H, Schuller G, Firzlaff U. Cyto- and myeloarchitectural brain atlas of the pale spear-nosed bat (Phyllostomus discolor) in CT Aided Stereotaxic Coordinates. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2509-2520. [PMID: 32936343 PMCID: PMC7544721 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02138-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The pale spear-nosed bat Phyllostomus discolor, a microchiropteran bat, is well established as an animal model for research on the auditory system, echolocation and social communication of species-specific vocalizations. We have created a brain atlas of Phyllostomus discolor that provides high-quality histological material for identification of brain structures in reliable stereotaxic coordinates to strengthen neurobiological studies of this key species. The new atlas combines high-resolution images of frontal sections alternately stained for cell bodies (Nissl) and myelinated fibers (Gallyas) at 49 rostrocaudal levels, at intervals of 350 µm. To facilitate comparisons with other species, brain structures were named according to the widely accepted Paxinos nomenclature and previous neuroanatomical studies of other bat species. Outlines of auditory cortical fields, as defined in earlier studies, were mapped onto atlas sections and onto the brain surface, together with the architectonic subdivisions of the neocortex. X-ray computerized tomography (CT) of the bat's head was used to establish the relationship between coordinates of brain structures and the skull. We used profile lines and the occipital crest as skull landmarks to line up skull and brain in standard atlas coordinates. An easily reproducible protocol allows sectioning of experimental brains in the standard frontal plane of the atlas. An electronic version of the atlas plates and supplementary material is available from https://doi.org/10.12751/g-node.8bbcxy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Radtke-Schuller
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie, Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Thomas Fenzl
- Klinikum für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin am Klinikum Rechts der Isar, TU München, Munich, Germany
| | - Herbert Peremans
- Department of Engineering Management, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gerd Schuller
- Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Uwe Firzlaff
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie, Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany
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Abstract
Once a year about 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) migrate up to 1,500 kilometers from wintering grounds, seamlessly flying over the Mexican border to enter the United States. Their destination is the Bracken Cave in southern Texas, which will be their summer home between the months of March through October. While residing there, these bats emerge every night at dusk from the narrow 100-foot-wide opening of this enormous cave and begin their nightly commute to foraging grounds located up to 50 kilometers away. Upon arrival, they will spend the night hunting for insects in mid-air while providing a valuable service to local farmers by keeping crop pests in check. Close to the break of dawn, as the night of hunting comes to an end, these bats will begin making their trip back to the roost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Genzel
- Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94708, United States; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94708, United States
| | - Yossi Yovel
- Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Michael M Yartsev
- Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94708, United States; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94708, United States.
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Stidsholt L, Johnson M, Beedholm K, Jakobsen L, Kugler K, Brinkløv S, Salles A, Moss CF, Madsen PT. A 2.6‐g sound and movement tag for studying the acoustic scene and kinematics of echolocating bats. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Stidsholt
- ZoophysiologyDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Mark Johnson
- ZoophysiologyDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University Aarhus Denmark
- Scottish Oceans InstituteUniversity of St Andrews St Andrews Scotland
| | - Kristian Beedholm
- ZoophysiologyDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Lasse Jakobsen
- Sound and Behaviour GroupInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
| | - Kathrin Kugler
- Division of NeurobiologyDepartment of Biologie IILudwig Maximilians University Martinsried Germany
| | - Signe Brinkløv
- ZoophysiologyDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University Aarhus Denmark
- Sound and Behaviour GroupInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
| | - Angeles Salles
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesJohns Hopkins University Baltimore Maryland
| | - Cynthia F. Moss
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesJohns Hopkins University Baltimore Maryland
| | - Peter Teglberg Madsen
- ZoophysiologyDepartment of BioscienceAarhus University Aarhus Denmark
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies Aarhus C Denmark
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Hoffmann S, Genzel D, Prosch S, Baier L, Weser S, Wiegrebe L, Firzlaff U. Biosonar navigation above water I: estimating flight height. J Neurophysiol 2014; 113:1135-45. [PMID: 25411456 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00263.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion and foraging on the wing require precise navigation in more than just the horizontal plane. Navigation in three dimensions and, specifically, precise adjustment of flight height are essential for flying animals. Echolocating bats drink from water surfaces in flight, which requires an exceptionally precise vertical navigation. Here, we exploit this behavior in the bat, Phyllostomus discolor, to understand the biophysical and neural mechanisms that allow for sonar-guided navigation in the vertical plane. In a set of behavioral experiments, we show that for echolocating bats, adjustment of flight height depends on the tragus in their outer ears. Specifically, the tragus imposes elevation-specific spectral interference patterns on the echoes of the bats' sonar emissions. Head-related transfer functions of our bats show that these interference patterns are most conspicuous in the frequency range ∼55 kHz. This conspicuousness is faithfully preserved in the frequency tuning and spatial receptive fields of cortical single and multiunits recorded from anesthetized animals. In addition, we recorded vertical spatiotemporal response maps that describe neural tuning in elevation over time. One class of units that were very sharply tuned to frequencies ∼55 kHz showed unusual spatiotemporal response characteristics with a preference for paired echoes where especially the first echo originates from very low elevations. These behavioral and neural data provide the first insight into biosonar-based processing and perception of acoustic elevation cues that are essential for bats to navigate in three-dimensional space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hoffmann
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany; Chair of Zoology, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Daria Genzel
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Selina Prosch
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leonie Baier
- Max Planck Research Group Sensory Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; and
| | - Sabrina Weser
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Lutz Wiegrebe
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany; Max Planck Research Group Sensory Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; and
| | - Uwe Firzlaff
- Chair of Zoology, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
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