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Gough HM, Rubin JJ, Kawahara AY, Barber JR. Tiger beetles produce anti-bat ultrasound and are probable Batesian moth mimics. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230610. [PMID: 38747686 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Echolocating bats and their eared insect prey are in an acoustic evolutionary war. Moths produce anti-bat sounds that startle bat predators, signal noxiousness, mimic unpalatable models and jam bat sonar. Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) also purportedly produce ultrasound in response to bat attacks. Here we tested 19 tiger beetle species from seven genera and showed that they produce anti-bat signals to playback of authentic bat echolocation. The dominant frequency of beetle sounds substantially overlaps the sonar calls of sympatric bats. As tiger beetles are known to produce defensive chemicals such as benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, we hypothesized that tiger beetle sounds are acoustically advertising their unpalatability. We presented captive big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) with seven different tiger beetle species and found that 90 out of 94 beetles were completely consumed, indicating that these tiger beetle species are not aposematically signalling. Instead, we show that the primary temporal and spectral characteristics of beetle warning sounds overlap with sympatric unpalatable tiger moth (Arctinae) sounds and that tiger beetles are probably Batesian mimics of noxious moth models. We predict that many insect taxa produce anti-bat sounds and that the acoustic mimicry rings of the night sky are hyperdiverse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harlan M Gough
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Juliette J Rubin
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Jesse R Barber
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University , Boise, ID 83725, USA
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2
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El-Sappah AH, Yan K, Li J. The plant is neither dumb nor deaf; it talks and hears. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38281239 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Animals and insects communicate using vibrations that are frequently too low or too high for human ears to detect. Plants and trees can communicate and sense sound. Khait et al. used a dependable recording system to capture airborne sounds produced by stressed plants. In addition to allowing plants to communicate their stress, sound aids in plant defense, development, and resilience. It also serves as a warning that danger is approaching. Demey et al. and others discussed the audit examinations that were conducted to investigate sound discernment in plants at the atomic and biological levels. The biological significance of sound in plants, the morphophysiological response of plants to sound, and the airborne noises that plants make and can hear from a few meters away were all discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed H El-Sappah
- College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt
| | - Kuan Yan
- College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China
| | - Jia Li
- College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China
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3
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Khait I, Lewin-Epstein O, Sharon R, Saban K, Goldstein R, Anikster Y, Zeron Y, Agassy C, Nizan S, Sharabi G, Perelman R, Boonman A, Sade N, Yovel Y, Hadany L. Sounds emitted by plants under stress are airborne and informative. Cell 2023; 186:1328-1336.e10. [PMID: 37001499 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Stressed plants show altered phenotypes, including changes in color, smell, and shape. Yet, airborne sounds emitted by stressed plants have not been investigated before. Here we show that stressed plants emit airborne sounds that can be recorded from a distance and classified. We recorded ultrasonic sounds emitted by tomato and tobacco plants inside an acoustic chamber, and in a greenhouse, while monitoring the plant's physiological parameters. We developed machine learning models that succeeded in identifying the condition of the plants, including dehydration level and injury, based solely on the emitted sounds. These informative sounds may also be detectable by other organisms. This work opens avenues for understanding plants and their interactions with the environment and may have significant impact on agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itzhak Khait
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ohad Lewin-Epstein
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Raz Sharon
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; School of Mathematical Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Kfir Saban
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Revital Goldstein
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yehuda Anikster
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yarden Zeron
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Chen Agassy
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Shaked Nizan
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gayl Sharabi
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ran Perelman
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Arjan Boonman
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Nir Sade
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; The Institute of Cereal Crop Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Lilach Hadany
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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4
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Ayala-Berdon J, Martínez Gómez M, Ponce AR, Beamonte-Barrientos R, Vázquez J, Rodriguez-Peña ON. Weather, ultrasonic, cranial and body traits predict insect diet hardness in a Central Mexican bat community. MAMMAL RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-023-00678-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
Abstract
AbstractInsectivorous bats exhibit food preferences for specific attributes in their prey. Hardness has been defined as an important prey attribute, and in some cases a limiting factor in foraging decisions for smaller compared to larger bat species. The goal of this study was to identify which factors influence the selection of prey hardness in a vespertilionid bat community. We investigated food consumed by bats by analyzing fecal samples obtained from eight bat species coexisting in a mountain ecosystem of central Mexico and correlate non-phylogenetically and phylogenetically prey hardness to weather, bat´s body, cranial and ultrasonic call structure variables. Results showed that diet of vespertilionid bats was mainly represented by Diptera, Neuroptera, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera consumption. The qualitative prey hardness index (From soft 1 to hard 5) ranked bats as: Myotis melanorhinus, Corynorhinus mexicanus, Myotis volans, Myotis californicus (< 3); Myotis velifer (< 4); Eptesicus fuscus, Idionycteris phyllotis and Myotis thysanodes (> 4.2). Prey hardness was positively correlated to minimum and mean temperatures, bat´s body weight, total and forearm lengths, cranial variables as: zygomatic breadth, mandibular length, height of the coronoid process, lower molar width, C-M3 superior and inferior rows length and upper molar width; and negatively to ultrasonic variables as total slope, call duration, low and high frequencies, band width and frequency maximum power. Considering phylogenies, prey hardness positively correlated to mandibular length, C-M3 inferior and superior rows lengths (p < 0.05). Our results showed that environmental, morphological and echolocation variables can be used as predictors of preferred insect prey in a community of vespertilionid bats.
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5
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Sustainable pest control inspired by prey-predator ultrasound interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211007119. [PMID: 36215520 PMCID: PMC9618128 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211007119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nocturnal moths evolved ultrasound-triggered escape maneuvers for avoiding predatory bats emitting ultrasonic echolocation calls. Using ultrasound for pest control is not a novel concept, but the technique has not been systemized because of the moths' habituation to sounds and the narrow directionality of conventional ultrasound speakers. Here, we report the use of pulsed ultrasonic white noise, which contributes to achieving ecologically concordant plant protection. An ultrasonic pulse, which is temporal mimicry of the search-phase pulse in the echolocation calls of a sympatric bat, was identified using neuroethological screening of eared moth-repelling ultrasounds; these pulses elicit flight-stopping reactions in moths but have no or little auditory adaptation. Such repellent ultrasounds broadcast from the cylindrical omni-azimuth ultrasound emitters suppressed the intrusion of gravid females of pest moths into cultivation fields. Thus, egg numbers and plant damage by hatched larvae were drastically reduced, enabling farmers to substantially skip applications of chemical insecticides for controlling moth pests.
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6
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Bullington LS, Seidensticker MT, Schwab N, Ramsey PW, Stone K. Do the evolutionary interactions between moths and bats promote niche partitioning between bats and birds? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17160-17178. [PMID: 34938500 PMCID: PMC8668740 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological theory suggests that the coexistence of species is promoted by the partitioning of available resources, as in dietary niche partitioning where predators partition prey. Yet, the mechanisms underlying dietary niche partitioning are not always clear. We used fecal DNA metabarcoding to investigate the diets of seven nocturnal insectivorous bird and bat species. Low diet overlap (2%-22%) supported resource partitioning among all species. Differences in diet corresponded with species identity, prey detection method, and foraging behavior of predators. Insects with ultrasonic hearing capabilities were consumed significantly more often by birds than bats, consistent with an evolved avoidance of echolocating strategies. In turn, bats consumed a greater proportion of noneared insects such as spruce budworms. Overall, our results suggest that evolutionary interactions among bats and moths translate to dietary niche partitioning and coexistence among bats and nocturnal birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorinda S. Bullington
- MPG Ranch MissoulaMissoulaMontanaUSA
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation SciencesUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMontanaUSA
| | - Mathew T. Seidensticker
- MPG Ranch MissoulaMissoulaMontanaUSA
- Northern Rockies Research & Educational ServicesLoloMontanaUSA
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7
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Jones TK, Allen KM, Moss CF. Communication with self, friends and foes in active-sensing animals. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:273391. [PMID: 34752625 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals that rely on electrolocation and echolocation for navigation and prey detection benefit from sensory systems that can operate in the dark, allowing them to exploit sensory niches with few competitors. Active sensing has been characterized as a highly specialized form of communication, whereby an echolocating or electrolocating animal serves as both the sender and receiver of sensory information. This characterization inspires a framework to explore the functions of sensory channels that communicate information with the self and with others. Overlapping communication functions create challenges for signal privacy and fidelity by leaving active-sensing animals vulnerable to eavesdropping, jamming and masking. Here, we present an overview of active-sensing systems used by weakly electric fish, bats and odontocetes, and consider their susceptibility to heterospecific and conspecific jamming signals and eavesdropping. Susceptibility to interference from signals produced by both conspecifics and prey animals reduces the fidelity of electrolocation and echolocation for prey capture and foraging. Likewise, active-sensing signals may be eavesdropped, increasing the risk of alerting prey to the threat of predation or the risk of predation to the sender, or drawing competition to productive foraging sites. The evolutionary success of electrolocating and echolocating animals suggests that they effectively counter the costs of active sensing through rich and diverse adaptive behaviors that allow them to mitigate the effects of competition for signal space and the exploitation of their signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Te K Jones
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Kathryne M Allen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Cynthia F Moss
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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8
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O’Reilly LJ, Harris BJ, Agassiz DJL, Holderied MW. Convergent Evolution of Wingbeat-Powered Anti-Bat Ultrasound in the Microlepidoptera. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.648223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Bats and moths provide a textbook example of predator-prey evolutionary arms races, demonstrating adaptations, and counter adaptations on both sides. The evolutionary responses of moths to the biosonar-led hunting strategies of insectivorous bats include convergently evolved hearing structures tuned to detect bat echolocation frequencies. These allow many moths to detect hunting bats and manoeuvre to safety, or in the case of some taxa, respond by emitting sounds which startle bats, jam their biosonar, and/or warn them of distastefulness. Until now, research has focused on the larger macrolepidoptera, but the recent discovery of wingbeat-powered anti-bat sounds in a genus of deaf microlepidoptera (Yponomeuta), suggests that the speciose but understudied microlepidoptera possess further and more widespread anti-bat defences. Here we demonstrate that wingbeat-powered ultrasound production, likely providing an anti-bat function, appears to indeed be spread widely in the microlepidoptera; showing that acoustically active structures (aeroelastic tymbals, ATs) have evolved in at least three, and likely four different regions of the wing. Two of these tymbals are found in multiple microlepidopteran superfamilies, and remarkably, three were found in a single subfamily. We document and characterise sound production from four microlepidopteran taxa previously considered silent. Our findings demonstrate that the microlepidoptera contribute their own unwritten chapters to the textbook bat-moth coevolutionary arms race.
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9
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Neurophysiology goes wild: from exploring sensory coding in sound proof rooms to natural environments. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 207:303-319. [PMID: 33835199 PMCID: PMC8079291 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01482-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
To perform adaptive behaviours, animals have to establish a representation of the physical "outside" world. How these representations are created by sensory systems is a central issue in sensory physiology. This review addresses the history of experimental approaches toward ideas about sensory coding, using the relatively simple auditory system of acoustic insects. I will discuss the empirical evidence in support of Barlow's "efficient coding hypothesis", which argues that the coding properties of neurons undergo specific adaptations that allow insects to detect biologically important acoustic stimuli. This hypothesis opposes the view that the sensory systems of receivers are biased as a result of their phylogeny, which finally determine whether a sound stimulus elicits a behavioural response. Acoustic signals are often transmitted over considerable distances in complex physical environments with high noise levels, resulting in degradation of the temporal pattern of stimuli, unpredictable attenuation, reduced signal-to-noise levels, and degradation of cues used for sound localisation. Thus, a more naturalistic view of sensory coding must be taken, since the signals as broadcast by signallers are rarely equivalent to the effective stimuli encoded by the sensory system of receivers. The consequences of the environmental conditions for sensory coding are discussed.
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10
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Leroy L, Mille C, Fogliani B. The Common Fruit-Piercing Moth in the Pacific Region: A Survey of the Current State of a Significant Worldwide Economic Pest, Eudocima phalonia (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), with a Focus on New Caledonia. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020117. [PMID: 33572720 PMCID: PMC7912060 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Fruit-piercing moths have long been cited as important pests in tropical and subtropical countries but genus as Eudocima, has recently gained in significance, and more specifically Eudocima phalonia (Linneaus). An overview of the current pest control proposed in the literature pointed the lack of sustainable integrated pest management. A synthesis of available data opens the research per-spectives that need to be encouraged in the ecological transition of our agricultural models. Abstract When referring to fruit-piercing moths, the genus Eudocima, and more specifically Eudocima phalonia (Linneaus), is cited as a worldwide crop pest. Damages associated with this pest are substantial on more than 100 fruit species, wherever it is encountered. In New Caledonia, the once occasional pest has become a serious threat to the current fruit arboriculture. Particularly devastating during outbreak periods, it has become an urgent need to find a suitable solution able to support farmers in the ecological transition of our agricultural models. This review proposes a synthesis of the existing data and publications on E. phalonia, worldwide and especially in New Caledonia, with recent observations. The assessment of this knowledge and the dynamics of the species in the territory of New Caledonia provide key information for a better prospect of adapted solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Leroy
- Équipe ARBOREAL: “AgricultuRe BiOdiveRsité Et vALorisation”, Laboratoire d’Entomologie Appliquée, Station de Recherches Fruitières de Pocquereux, IAC, Institut Agronomique néo-Calédonien, P.O. Box 32, 98880 La Foa, New Caledonia;
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Christian Mille
- Équipe ARBOREAL: “AgricultuRe BiOdiveRsité Et vALorisation”, Laboratoire d’Entomologie Appliquée, Station de Recherches Fruitières de Pocquereux, IAC, Institut Agronomique néo-Calédonien, P.O. Box 32, 98880 La Foa, New Caledonia;
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (C.M.)
| | - Bruno Fogliani
- Équipe ARBOREAL: “AgricultuRe BiOdiveRsité Et vALorisation”, Laboratoire d’Entomologie Appliquée, Station de Recherches Fruitières de Pocquereux, IAC, Institut Agronomique néo-Calédonien, P.O. Box 32, 98880 La Foa, New Caledonia;
- ISEA: Institut des Sciences Exactes et Appliquées, Universiteé de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, 98851 Nouméa CEDEX, New Caledonia
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11
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Echolocating bats accumulate information from acoustic snapshots to predict auditory object motion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:29229-29238. [PMID: 33139550 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011719117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike other predators that use vision as their primary sensory system, bats compute the three-dimensional (3D) position of flying insects from discrete echo snapshots, which raises questions about the strategies they employ to track and intercept erratically moving prey from interrupted sensory information. Here, we devised an ethologically inspired behavioral paradigm to directly test the hypothesis that echolocating bats build internal prediction models from dynamic acoustic stimuli to anticipate the future location of moving auditory targets. We quantified the direction of the bat's head/sonar beam aim and echolocation call rate as it tracked a target that moved across its sonar field and applied mathematical models to differentiate between nonpredictive and predictive tracking behaviors. We discovered that big brown bats accumulate information across echo sequences to anticipate an auditory target's future position. Further, when a moving target is hidden from view by an occluder during a portion of its trajectory, the bat continues to track its position using an internal model of the target's motion path. Our findings also reveal that the bat increases sonar call rate when its prediction of target trajectory is violated by a sudden change in target velocity. This shows that the bat rapidly adapts its sonar behavior to update internal models of auditory target trajectories, which would enable tracking of evasive prey. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the echolocating big brown bat integrates acoustic snapshots over time to build prediction models of a moving auditory target's trajectory and enable prey capture under conditions of uncertainty.
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12
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Social learning exploits the available auditory or visual cues. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14117. [PMID: 32839492 PMCID: PMC7445250 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71005-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to acquire a behavior can be facilitated by exposure to a conspecific demonstrator. Such social learning occurs under a range of conditions in nature. Here, we tested the idea that social learning can benefit from any available sensory cue, thereby permitting learning under different natural conditions. The ability of naïve gerbils to learn a sound discrimination task following 5 days of exposure adjacent to a demonstrator gerbil was tested in the presence or absence of visual cues. Naïve gerbils acquired the task significantly faster in either condition, as compared to controls. We also found that exposure to a demonstrator was more potent in facilitating learning, as compared to exposure to the sounds used to perform the discrimination task. Therefore, social learning was found to be flexible and equally efficient in the auditory or visual domains.
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13
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Yack JE, Raven BH, Leveillee MB, Naranjo M. What Does an Insect Hear? Reassessing the Role of Hearing in Predator Avoidance with Insights from Vertebrate Prey. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1036-1057. [PMID: 32717080 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects have a diversity of hearing organs known to function in a variety of contexts, including reproduction, locating food, and defense. While the role of hearing in predator avoidance has been extensively researched over the past several decades, this research has focused on the detection of one type of predator-echolocating bats. Here we reassess the role of hearing in antipredator defense by considering how insects use their ears to detect and avoid the wide range of predators that consume them. To identify the types of sounds that could be relevant to insect prey, we first review the topic of hearing-mediated predator avoidance in vertebrates. Sounds used by vertebrate prey to assess predation risk include incidental sound cues (e.g., flight sounds, rustling vegetation, and splashing) produced by an approaching predator or another escaping prey, as well as communication signals produced by a predator (e.g., echolocation calls, songs) or nonpredator (e.g., alarm calls). We then review what is known, and what is not known, about such sounds made by the main predators and parasitoids of insects (i.e., birds, bats, terrestrial vertebrates, and invertebrates) and how insects respond to them. Three key insights emerged from our review. First, there is a lack of information on how both vertebrate and insect prey use passive sound cues produced by predators to avoid being captured. Second, while there are numerous examples of vertebrate prey eavesdropping on the calls and songs of predators and nonpredators to assess risk, there are currently no such examples for eared insect prey. Third, the hearing sensitivity of many insects, including those with ears considered to be dedicated to detecting bats or mates, overlaps with both sound cues and signals generated by nonbat predators. Sounds of particular relevance to insect prey include the flight sounds and calls of insectivorous birds, the flight sounds of insect predators and parasitoids, and rustling vegetation sounds of birds and terrestrial predators. We conclude that research on the role of insect hearing in predator avoidance has been disproportionally focused on bat-detection, and that acoustically-mediated responses to other predators may have been overlooked because the responses of prey may be subtle (e.g., ceasing activity, increasing vigilance). We recommend that researchers expand their testing of hearing-mediated risk assessment in insects by considering the wide range of sounds generated by predators, and the varied responses exhibited by prey to these sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne E Yack
- Department of Biology, Nesbitt Biology Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Brianna H Raven
- Department of Biology, Nesbitt Biology Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Michelle B Leveillee
- Department of Biology, Nesbitt Biology Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Mairelys Naranjo
- Department of Biology, Nesbitt Biology Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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14
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Diebold CA, Salles A, Moss CF. Adaptive Echolocation and Flight Behaviors in Bats Can Inspire Technology Innovations for Sonar Tracking and Interception. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20102958. [PMID: 32456142 PMCID: PMC7285367 DOI: 10.3390/s20102958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Target tracking and interception in a dynamic world proves to be a fundamental challenge faced by both animals and artificial systems. To track moving objects under natural conditions, agents must employ strategies to mitigate interference and conditions of uncertainty. Animal studies of prey tracking and capture reveal biological solutions, which can inspire new technologies, particularly for operations in complex and noisy environments. By reviewing research on target tracking and interception by echolocating bats, we aim to highlight biological solutions that could inform new approaches to artificial sonar tracking and navigation systems. Most bat species use wideband echolocation signals to navigate dense forests and hunt for evasive insects in the dark. Importantly, bats exhibit rapid adaptations in flight trajectory, sonar beam aim, and echolocation signal design, which appear to be key to the success of these animals in a variety of tasks. The rich suite of adaptive behaviors of echolocating bats could be leveraged in new sonar tracking technologies by implementing dynamic sensorimotor feedback control of wideband sonar signal design, head, and ear movements.
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15
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Kolkert H, Andrew R, Smith R, Rader R, Reid N. Insectivorous bats selectively source moths and eat mostly pest insects on dryland and irrigated cotton farms. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:371-388. [PMID: 31988733 PMCID: PMC6972826 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are efficient predators of pest arthropods in agroecosystems. This pest control service has been estimated to be worth billions of dollars to agriculture globally. However, few studies have explicitly investigated the composition and abundance of dietary prey items consumed or assessed the ratio of pest and beneficial arthropods, making it difficult to evaluate the quality of the pest control service provided. In this study, we used metabarcoding to identify the prey items eaten by insectivorous bats over the cotton-growing season in an intensive cropping region in northern New South Wales, Australia. We found that seven species of insectivorous bat (n = 58) consumed 728 prey species, 13 of which represented around 50% of total prey abundance consumed. Importantly, the identified prey items included major arthropod pests, comprising 65% of prey relative abundance and 13% of prey species recorded. Significant cotton pests such as Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian bollworm) and Achyra affinitalis (cotton webspinner) were detected in at least 76% of bat fecal samples, with Teleogryllus oceanicus (field crickets), Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm), and Crocidosema plebejana (cotton tipworm) detected in 55% of bat fecal samples. Our results indicate that insectivorous bats are selective predators that exploit a narrow selection of preferred pest taxa and potentially play an important role in controlling lepidopteran pests on cotton farms. Our study provides crucial information for farmers to determine the service or disservice provided by insectivorous bats in relation to crops, for on-farm decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Kolkert
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rose Andrew
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rhiannon Smith
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Romina Rader
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Nick Reid
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
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16
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Bailey LA, Brigham RM, Bohn SJ, Boyles JG, Smit B. An experimental test of the allotonic frequency hypothesis to isolate the effects of light pollution on bat prey selection. Oecologia 2019; 190:367-374. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04417-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Blanco RE, Jones WW, Benech N. The seismic wave motion camouflage of large carnivorous dinosaurs. J Theor Biol 2018; 459:154-161. [PMID: 30296449 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Living elephants produce seismic waves during vocalizations and locomotion that are potentially detectable at large distances. In the Mesozoic world, seismic waves were probably a very relevant source of information about the behavior of large dinosaurs. In this work, we study the relationship between foot shape and the directivity pattern of seismic waves generated during locomotion. For enlarged foot morphologies (based on a morphological index) of theropod dinosaurs, there is a marked effect of seismic wave directivity at 20 m. This effect is not important in the foot morphologies of other dinosaurs, including the foot shapes of herbivores and theropods such as therizinosaurids. This directivity produces a lower intensity in the forward direction that would slightly reduce the probability of detection of an ambush predator. Even more relevant is the fact that during the approach of a predator, the intensity of seismic waves detected by potential prey remains constant in the mentioned distance range. This effect hides the predator's approach, and we call this "seismic wave camouflage". We also discuss the potential relationship of this effect with enlarged fossil footprints assigned to metatarsal support.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Ernesto Blanco
- Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; Espacio Interdisciplinario, Universidad de la República, José Enrique Rodó 1843, Montevideo 11200, Uruguay.
| | - Washington W Jones
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Montevideo 11000-CC. 399, Uruguay; Espacio Interdisciplinario, Universidad de la República, José Enrique Rodó 1843, Montevideo 11200, Uruguay.
| | - Nicolás Benech
- Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; Espacio Interdisciplinario, Universidad de la República, José Enrique Rodó 1843, Montevideo 11200, Uruguay.
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18
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MacLeod KJ, Freidenfelds NA, Leighton GM, Langkilde T. Tree selection is linked to locomotor performance and associated noise production in a lizard. J Zool (1987) 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty J. MacLeod
- Department of Biology Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | | | | | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
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19
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Abstract
The wings of moths and butterflies are densely covered in scales that exhibit intricate shapes and sculptured nanostructures. While certain butterfly scales create nanoscale photonic effects, moth scales show different nanostructures suggesting different functionality. Here we investigate moth-scale vibrodynamics to understand their role in creating acoustic camouflage against bat echolocation, where scales on wings provide ultrasound absorber functionality. For this, individual scales can be considered as building blocks with adapted biomechanical properties at ultrasonic frequencies. The 3D nanostructure of a full Bunaea alcinoe moth forewing scale was characterized using confocal microscopy. Structurally, this scale is double layered and endowed with different perforation rates on the upper and lower laminae, which are interconnected by trabeculae pillars. From these observations a parameterized model of the scale's nanostructure was formed and its effective elastic stiffness matrix extracted. Macroscale numerical modeling of scale vibrodynamics showed close qualitative and quantitative agreement with scanning laser Doppler vibrometry measurement of this scale's oscillations, suggesting that the governing biomechanics have been captured accurately. Importantly, this scale of B. alcinoe exhibits its first three resonances in the typical echolocation frequency range of bats, suggesting it has evolved as a resonant absorber. Damping coefficients of the moth-scale resonator and ultrasonic absorption of a scaled wing were estimated using numerical modeling. The calculated absorption coefficient of 0.50 agrees with the published maximum acoustic effect of wing scaling. Understanding scale vibroacoustic behavior helps create macroscopic structures with the capacity for broadband acoustic camouflage.
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20
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Humphreys RK, Ruxton GD. Dropping to escape: a review of an under-appreciated antipredator defence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:575-589. [PMID: 30298642 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dropping is a common antipredator defence that enables rapid escape from a perceived threat. However, despite its immediate effectiveness in predator-prey encounters (and against other dangers such as a parasitoid or an aggressive conspecific), it remains an under-appreciated defence strategy in the scientific literature. Dropping has been recorded in a wide range of taxa, from primates to lizards, but has been studied most commonly in insects. Insects have been found to utilise dropping in response to both biotic and abiotic stimuli, sometimes dependent on mechanical or chemical cues. Whatever the trigger for dropping, the decision to drop by prey will present a range of inter-related costs and benefits to the individual and so there will be subtle complexities in the trade-offs surrounding this defensive behaviour. In predatory encounters, dropping by prey will also impose varying costs and benefits on the predator - or predators - involved in the system. There may be important trade-offs involved in the decision made by predators regarding whether to pursue prey or not, but the predator perspective on dropping has been less explored at present. Beyond its function as an escape tactic, dropping has also been suggested to be an important precursor to flight in insects and further study could greatly improve understanding of its evolutionary importance. Dropping in insects could also prove of significant practical importance if an improved understanding can be applied to integrated pest-management strategies. Currently the non-consumptive effects of predators on their prey are under-appreciated in biological control and it may be that the dropping behaviour of many pest species could be exploited via management practices to improve crop protection. Overall, this review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current literature on dropping and to raise awareness of this fascinating and widespread behaviour. It also seeks to offer some novel hypotheses and highlight key avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind K Humphreys
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, U.K
| | - Graeme D Ruxton
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, U.K
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21
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Bent AM, Ings TC, Mowles SL. Anthropogenic noise disrupts mate searching in Gryllus bimaculatus. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Bent
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | - Thomas C Ings
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | - Sophie L Mowles
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
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22
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Early erratic flight response of the lucerne moth to the quiet echolocation calls of distant bats. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202679. [PMID: 30125318 PMCID: PMC6101402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nocturnal insects have evolved ultrasound-sensitive hearing in response to predation pressures from echolocating insectivorous bats. Flying tympanate moths take various evasive actions when they detect bat cries, including turning away, performing a steering/zigzagging flight and ceasing flight. In general, infrequent ultrasonic pulses with low sound intensities that are emitted by distant bats evoke slight turns, whereas frequent and loud ultrasonic pulses of nearby bats evoke erratic or rapid unpredictable changes in the flight path of a moth. Flight cessation, which is a freezing response that causes the moth to passively dive (drop) to the ground, is considered the ultimate last-ditch evasive behaviour against approaching bats where there is a high predation threat. Here, we found that the crambid moth Nomophila nearctica never performed passive dives in response to frequent and loud ultrasonic pulses of >60 dB sound pressure level (SPL) that simulated the attacking echolocation call sequence of the predominant sympatric insectivorous bat Eptesicus fuscus, but rather turned away or flew erratically, regardless of the temporal structure of the stimulus. Consequently, N. nearctica is likely to survive predation by bats by taking early evasive action even when it detects the echolocation calls of sympatric bats hunting other insects at a distance. Since aerially hawking bats can track and catch erratically flying moths after targeting their prey, this early escape strategy may be common among night-flying tympanate insects.
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23
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Šmejkal M, Ricard D, Sajdlová Z, Čech M, Vejřík L, Blabolil P, Vejříková I, Prchalová M, Vašek M, Souza AT, Brönmark C, Peterka J. Can species-specific prey responses to chemical cues explain prey susceptibility to predation? Ecol Evol 2018; 8:4544-4551. [PMID: 29760895 PMCID: PMC5938473 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of danger represents an essential ability of prey for gaining an informational advantage over their natural enemies. Especially in complex environments or at night, animals strongly rely on chemoreception to avoid predators. The ability to recognize danger by chemical cues and subsequent adaptive responses to predation threats should generally increase prey survival. Recent findings suggest that European catfish (Silurus glanis) introduction induce changes in fish community and we tested whether the direction of change can be attributed to differences in chemical cue perception. We tested behavioral response to chemical cues using three species of freshwater fish common in European water: rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), roach (Rutilus rutilus), and perch (Perca fluviatilis). Further, we conducted a prey selectivity experiment to evaluate the prey preferences of the European catfish. Roach exhibited the strongest reaction to chemical cues, rudd decreased use of refuge and perch did not alter any behavior in the experiment. These findings suggest that chemical cue perception might be behind community data change and we encourage collecting more community data of tested prey species before and after European catfish introduction to test the hypothesis. We conclude that used prey species can be used as a model species to verify whether chemical cue perception enhances prey survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Šmejkal
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Ricard
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic.,Fisheries and Oceans Canada Gulf Fisheries Centre Moncton Canada
| | - Zuzana Sajdlová
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Martin Čech
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Vejřík
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Petr Blabolil
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Ivana Vejříková
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Marie Prchalová
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Mojmír Vašek
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Allan T Souza
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | | | - Jiří Peterka
- Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Institute of Hydrobiology České Budějovice Czech Republic
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24
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Russo D, Ancillotto L, Jones G. Bats are still not birds in the digital era: echolocation call variation and why it matters for bat species identification. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The recording and analysis of echolocation calls are fundamental methods used to study bat distribution, ecology, and behavior. However, the goal of identifying bats in flight from their echolocation calls is not always possible. Unlike bird songs, bat calls show large variation that often makes identification challenging. The problem has not been fully overcome by modern digital-based hardware and software for bat call recording and analysis. Besides providing fundamental insights into bat physiology, ecology, and behavior, a better understanding of call variation is therefore crucial to best recognize limits and perspectives of call classification. We provide a comprehensive overview of sources of interspecific and intraspecific echolocation call variations, illustrating its adaptive significance and highlighting gaps in knowledge. We remark that further research is needed to better comprehend call variation and control for it more effectively in sound analysis. Despite the state-of-art technology in this field, combining acoustic surveys with capture and roost search, as well as limiting identification to species with distinctive calls, still represent the safest way of conducting bat surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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25
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Holderied MW, Thomas LA, Korine C. Ultrasound avoidance by flying antlions (Myrmeleontidae). J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.189308. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.189308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The acoustic arms race between insectivorous bats and their invertebrate prey has led to the convergent evolution of ultrasound hearing in seven orders of nocturnal insects. Upon hearing the echolocation calls of an approaching bat such insects take defensive action. Here we document an unknown sense of ultrasound hearing and phonotactic flight behaviour in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae (antlions). The antlion Myrmeleon hyalinus was presented with sound pulses at ultrasonic frequencies used by echolocating bats and its response thresholds in tethered flight determined. Behaviours included abdominal twitches, wing-flicks, brief pauses in flight and flight cessation. Such behaviours create erratic evasive flight manoeuvres in other eared insects, particularly mantids and lacewings. Antlions responded best to ultrasound between 60-80 kHz (75 dB peSPL at 80 kHz) showing response thresholds similar to the related lacewings (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae). Yet at lower ultrasonic frequencies (20-50 kHz) antlions were far less sensitive than lacewings. Based on calculated response distances we conclude that antlions respond only after having been detected by bats rather than using early evasive flights. We argue that the high response threshold for low frequency ultrasound is adaptive for an insect that is mainly active close to and within vegetation, because a behavioural response to the lower ultrasonic frequencies used by high-flying bats would result in evasive action in the absence of actual predation risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc W. Holderied
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
| | - Liam A. Thomas
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
| | - Carmi Korine
- The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
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26
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Predator counteradaptations: stealth echolocation overcomes insect sonar-jamming and evasive-manoeuvring defences. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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27
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Roberts D. Mosquito larvae can detect water vibration patterns from a nearby predator. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 107:499-505. [PMID: 28065189 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485316001140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mosquito larvae have been shown to respond to water-borne kairomones from nearby predators by reducing their activity, and thus visibility. If they can identify the predator, they can then alter their response depending upon the associated predation risk. No studies have shown that mosquito larva may also detect water-borne vibrations from the predator. Final instar larvae of three mosquitoes: Culiseta longiareolata, Culex perexiguus and C. quinquefasciatus, were exposed to recorded vibrations from feeding dragonfly nymphs, to dragonfly kairomones and the combined effect of both. Predator vibrations caused C. longiareolata to significantly reduce bottom feeding and instead increased the more passive surface filter feeding. The larvae also significantly increased escape swimming activity. These behavioural changes were not significantly different from the effect of dragonfly kairomones, and there was no synergistic or additional effect of the two. C. perexiguus gave a smaller (but still significant) response to both dragonfly vibrations and to kairomones, probably due to a different feeding behaviour: when lying on the bottom, it was an inactive filter feeder. C. quinquefasciatus did not respond to either vibrations or kairomones and during these experiments was entirely an inactive surface filter feeder. Both C. longiareolata and C. perexiguus were thus able to detect and identify vibrations from feeding dragonfly nymphs as an anti-predator strategy. The lack of response in C. quinquefasciatus is probably a result of living in water that is highly polluted with organic material, where few predators can survive.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Roberts
- Biology Department,Sultan Qaboos University,Oman
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28
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Amichai E, Blumrosen G, Yovel Y. Calling louder and longer: how bats use biosonar under severe acoustic interference from other bats. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 282:20152064. [PMID: 26702045 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Active-sensing systems such as echolocation provide animals with distinct advantages in dark environments. For social animals, however, like many bat species, active sensing can present problems as well: when many individuals emit bio-sonar calls simultaneously, detecting and recognizing the faint echoes generated by one's own calls amid the general cacophony of the group becomes challenging. This problem is often termed 'jamming' and bats have been hypothesized to solve it by shifting the spectral content of their calls to decrease the overlap with the jamming signals. We tested bats' response in situations of extreme interference, mimicking a high density of bats. We played-back bat echolocation calls from multiple speakers, to jam flying Pipistrellus kuhlii bats, simulating a naturally occurring situation of many bats flying in proximity. We examined behavioural and echolocation parameters during search phase and target approach. Under severe interference, bats emitted calls of higher intensity and longer duration, and called more often. Slight spectral shifts were observed but they did not decrease the spectral overlap with jamming signals. We also found that pre-existing inter-individual spectral differences could allow self-call recognition. Results suggest that the bats' response aimed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and not to avoid spectral overlap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Amichai
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gaddi Blumrosen
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel Segol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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29
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Nakano R, Mason AC. Hearing sensitivity is more relevant to acoustic conspicuousness than to mechanical constraints in crambid moths. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blw029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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30
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Ntelezos A, Guarato F, Windmill JFC. The anti-bat strategy of ultrasound absorption: the wings of nocturnal moths (Bombycoidea: Saturniidae) absorb more ultrasound than the wings of diurnal moths (Chalcosiinae: Zygaenoidea: Zygaenidae). Biol Open 2017; 6:109-117. [PMID: 27913454 PMCID: PMC5278430 DOI: 10.1242/bio.021782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The selection pressure from echolocating bats has driven the development of a diverse range of anti-bat strategies in insects. For instance, several studies have proposed that the wings of some moths absorb a large portion of the sound energy contained in a bat's ultrasonic cry; as a result, the bat receives a dampened echo, and the moth becomes invisible to the bat. To test the hypothesis that greater exposure to bat predation drives the development of higher ultrasound absorbance, we used a small reverberation chamber to measure the ultrasound absorbance of the wings of nocturnal (Bombycoidea: Saturniidae) and diurnal moths (Chalcosiinae: Zygaenoidea: Zygaenidae). The absorption factor of the nocturnal saturniids peaks significantly higher than the absorption factor of the diurnal chalcosiines. However, the wings of the chalcosiines absorb more ultrasound than the wings of some diurnal butterflies. Following a phylogenetic analysis on the character state of diurnality/ nocturnality in the Zygaenidae, we propose that diurnality in the Chalcosiinae is plesiomorphic (retained); hence, the absorbance of their wings is probably not a vestigial trait from an ancestral, nocturnal form but an adaptation to bat activity that overlaps their own. On a within-species level, females of the saturniids Argema mittrei and Samia cynthia ricini have significantly higher absorption factors than the males. In the female S. c. ricini, the higher absorption factor corresponds to a detection distance by bats that is at best 20-30% shorter than that of the male. Summary: Moth wings partly absorb the ultrasonic calls of bats to reduce predation. Different moths fly at night or day, and this work compares their absorption of ultrasound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios Ntelezos
- Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW, UK
| | - Francesco Guarato
- Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW, UK
| | - James F C Windmill
- Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW, UK
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31
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Corcoran AJ, Conner WE. How moths escape bats: predicting outcomes of predator-prey interactions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:2704-15. [PMID: 27340205 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.137638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
What determines whether fleeing prey escape from attacking predators? To answer this question, biologists have developed mathematical models that incorporate attack geometries, pursuit and escape trajectories, and kinematics of predator and prey. These models have rarely been tested using data from actual predator-prey encounters. To address this problem, we recorded multi-camera infrared videography of bat-insect interactions in a large outdoor enclosure. We documented 235 attacks by four Myotis volans bats on a variety of moths. Bat and moth flight trajectories from 50 high-quality attacks were reconstructed in 3-D. Despite having higher maximum velocity, deceleration and overall turning ability, bats only captured evasive prey in 69 of 184 attacks (37.5%); bats captured nearly all moths not evading attack (50 of 51; 98%). Logistic regression indicated that prey radial acceleration and escape angle were the most important predictors of escape success (44 of 50 attacks correctly classified; 88%). We found partial support for the turning gambit mathematical model; however, it underestimated the escape threshold by 25% of prey velocity and did not account for prey escape angle. Whereas most prey escaping strikes flee away from predators, moths typically escaped chasing bats by turning with high radial acceleration toward 'safety zones' that flank the predator. This strategy may be widespread in prey engaged in chases. Based on these findings, we developed a novel geometrical model of predation. We discuss implications of this model for the co-evolution of predator and prey kinematics and pursuit and escape strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron J Corcoran
- Wake Forest University, Department of Biology, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
| | - William E Conner
- Wake Forest University, Department of Biology, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
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To Scream or to Listen? Prey Detection and Discrimination in Animal-Eating Bats. BAT BIOACOUSTICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3527-7_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Russo D, Ancillotto L, Cistrone L, Korine C. The Buzz of Drinking on the Wing in Echolocating Bats. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit; Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata; Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali; Dipartimento di Agraria; Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; Portici (Napoli) Italy
- School of Biological Sciences; Life Sciences Building; University of Bristol; Bristol UK
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit; Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata; Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali; Dipartimento di Agraria; Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; Portici (Napoli) Italy
| | - Luca Cistrone
- Forestry and Conservation; Cassino (Frosinone) Italy
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology; Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion Israel
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Nakano R, Ihara F, Mishiro K, Toyama M, Toda S. High duty cycle pulses suppress orientation flights of crambid moths. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 83:15-21. [PMID: 26549128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Bat-and-moth is a good model system for understanding predator-prey interactions resulting from interspecific coevolution. Night-flying insects have been under predation pressure from echolocating bats for 65Myr, pressuring vulnerable moths to evolve ultrasound detection and evasive maneuvers as counter tactics. Past studies of defensive behaviors against attacking bats have been biased toward noctuoid moth responses to short duration pulses of low-duty-cycle (LDC) bat calls. Depending on the region, however, moths have been exposed to predation pressure from high-duty-cycle (HDC) bats as well. Here, we reveal that long duration pulse of the sympatric HDC bat (e.g., greater horseshoe bat) is easily detected by the auditory nerve of Japanese crambid moths (yellow peach moth and Asian corn borer) and suppress both mate-finding flights of virgin males and host-finding flights of mated females. The hearing sensitivities for the duration of pulse stimuli significantly dropped non-linearly in both the two moth species as the pulse duration shortened. These hearing properties support the energy integrator model; however, the threshold reduction per doubling the duration has slightly larger than those of other moth species hitherto reported. And also, Asian corn borer showed a lower auditory sensitivity and a lower flight suppression to short duration pulse than yellow peach moth did. Therefore, flight disruption of moth might be more frequently achieved by the pulse structure of HDC calls. The combination of long pulses and inter-pulse intervals, which moths can readily continue detecting, will be useful for repelling moth pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nakano
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Fumio Ihara
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
| | - Koji Mishiro
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Toyama
- Grape and Persimmon Research Division, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 301-2 Mitsu, Akitsu, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-2494, Japan
| | - Satoshi Toda
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
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Seibert AM, Koblitz JC, Denzinger A, Schnitzler HU. Bidirectional Echolocation in the Bat Barbastella barbastellus: Different Signals of Low Source Level Are Emitted Upward through the Nose and Downward through the Mouth. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0135590. [PMID: 26352271 PMCID: PMC4564259 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus) preys almost exclusively on tympanate moths. While foraging, this species alternates between two different signal types. We investigated whether these signals differ in emission direction or source level (SL) as assumed from earlier single microphone recordings. We used two different settings of a 16-microphone array to determine SL and sonar beam direction at various locations in the field. Both types of search signals had low SLs (81 and 82 dB SPL rms re 1 m) as compared to other aerial-hawking bats. These two signal types were emitted in different directions; type 1 signals were directed downward and type 2 signals upward. The angle between beam directions was approximately 70°. Barbastelle bats are able to emit signals through both the mouth and the nostrils. As mouth and nostrils are roughly perpendicular to each other, we conclude that type 1 signals are emitted through the mouth while type 2 signals and approach signals are emitted through the nose. We hypothesize that the “stealth” echolocation system of B. barbastellus is bifunctional. The more upward directed nose signals may be mainly used for search and localization of prey. Their low SL prevents an early detection by eared moths but comes at the expense of a strongly reduced detection range for the environment below the bat. The more downward directed mouth signals may have evolved to compensate for this disadvantage and may be mainly used for spatial orientation. We suggest that the possibly bifunctional echolocation system of B. barbastellus has been adapted to the selective foraging of eared moths and is an excellent example of a sophisticated sensory arms race between predator and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Maria Seibert
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jens C. Koblitz
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annette Denzinger
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Wakefield A, Stone EL, Jones G, Harris S. Light-emitting diode street lights reduce last-ditch evasive manoeuvres by moths to bat echolocation calls. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150291. [PMID: 26361558 PMCID: PMC4555863 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The light-emitting diode (LED) street light market is expanding globally, and it is important to understand how LED lights affect wildlife populations. We compared evasive flight responses of moths to bat echolocation calls experimentally under LED-lit and -unlit conditions. Significantly, fewer moths performed 'powerdive' flight manoeuvres in response to bat calls (feeding buzz sequences from Nyctalus spp.) under an LED street light than in the dark. LED street lights reduce the anti-predator behaviour of moths, shifting the balance in favour of their predators, aerial hawking bats.
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Effect of Ecological Restoration on Body Condition of a Predator. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133551. [PMID: 26226363 PMCID: PMC4520667 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological restoration attempts to recover the structure and function of ecosystems that have been degraded by human activities. A crucial test of ecosystem recovery would be to determine whether individuals in restored environments are as healthy as those in conserved environments. However, the impact of restoration on physiology of terrestrial animals has never been tested. Here, we evaluated the effect of two restoration methods on body condition measured as body size, body mass, lipid and muscle content of the spider Nephila clavipes in a tropical dry forest that has suffered chronic disturbance due to cattle grazing. We used experimental plots that had been excluded from disturbance by cattle grazing during eight years. Plots were either planted with native trees (i. e. maximal intervention), or only excluded from disturbance (i. e. minimal intervention), and were compared with control conserved (remnants of original forest) and disturbed plots (where cattle is allowed to graze). We predicted (1) better body condition in spiders of conserved and restored sites, compared to disturbed sites, and (2) better body condition in plots with maximal intervention than in plots with minimal intervention. The first prediction was not supported in males or females, and the second prediction was only supported in females: body dry mass was higher in planted than in conserved plots for spiders of both sexes and also higher that in disturbed plots for males, suggesting that plantings are providing more resources. We discuss how different life histories and environmental pressures, such as food availability, parasitism, and competition for resources can explain our contrasting findings in male and female spiders. By studying animal physiology in restoration experiments it is possible to understand the mechanistic basis of ecological and evolutionary processes that determine success of ecological restoration.
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Dynamics of the echolocation beam during prey pursuit in aerial hawking bats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:8118-23. [PMID: 26080398 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1419943112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the evolutionary arms race between prey and predator, measures and countermeasures continuously evolve to increase survival on both sides. Bats and moths are prime examples. When exposed to intense ultrasound, eared moths perform dramatic escape behaviors. Vespertilionid and rhinolophid bats broaden their echolocation beam in the final stage of pursuit, presumably as a countermeasure to keep evading moths within their "acoustic field of view." In this study, we investigated if dynamic beam broadening is a general property of echolocation when catching moving prey. We recorded three species of emballonurid bats, Saccopteryx bilineata, Saccopteryx leptura, and Rhynchonycteris naso, catching airborne insects in the field. The study shows that S. bilineata and S. leptura maintain a constant beam shape during the entire prey pursuit, whereas R. naso broadens the beam by lowering the peak call frequency from 100 kHz during search and approach to 67 kHz in the buzz. Surprisingly, both Saccopteryx bats emit calls with very high energy throughout the pursuit, up to 60 times more than R. naso and Myotis daubentonii (a similar sized vespertilionid), providing them with as much, or more, peripheral "vision" than the vespertilionids, but ensonifying objects far ahead suggesting more clutter. Thus, beam broadening is not a fundamental property of the echolocation system. However, based on the results, we hypothesize that increased peripheral detection is crucial to all aerial hawking bats in the final stages of prey pursuit and speculate that beam broadening is a feature characterizing more advanced echolocation.
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Nakano R, Ihara F, Mishiro K, Toyama M, Toda S. Double meaning of courtship song in a moth. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:20140840. [PMID: 25009064 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Males use courtship signals to inform a conspecific female of their presence and/or quality, or, alternatively, to 'cheat' females by imitating the cues of a prey or predator. These signals have the single function of advertising for mating. Here, we show the dual functions of the courtship song in the yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis, whose males generate a series of short pulses and a subsequent long pulse in a song bout. Repulsive short pulses mimic the echolocation calls of sympatric horseshoe bats and disrupt the approach of male rivals to a female. The attractive long pulse does not mimic bat calls and specifically induces mate acceptance in the female, who raises her wings to facilitate copulation. These results demonstrate that moths can evolve both attractive acoustic signals and repulsive ones from cues that were originally used to identify predators and non-predators, because the bat-like sounds disrupt rivals, and also support a hypothesis of signal evolution via receiver bias in moth acoustic communication that was driven by the initial evolution of hearing to perceive echolocating bat predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Nakano
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
| | - Fumio Ihara
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
| | - Koji Mishiro
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Toyama
- Grape and Persimmon Research Division, Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 301-2 Mitsu, Akitsu, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-2494, Japan
| | - Satoshi Toda
- Breeding and Pest Management Division, Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1 Fujimoto, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8605, Japan
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Mora EC, Cobo-Cuan A, Macías-Escrivá F, Kössl M. Unexpected dynamic up-tuning of auditory organs in day-flying moths. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:657-66. [PMID: 25894491 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1009-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In certain nocturnal moth species the frequency range of best hearing shifts to higher frequencies during repeated sound stimulation. This could provide the moths with a mechanism to better detect approaching echolocating bats. However, such a dynamic up-tuning would be of little value for day-flying moths that use intra-specific acoustic communication. Here we examined if the ears of day-flying moths provide stable tuning during longer sound stimulation. Contrary to our expectations, dynamic up-tuning was found in the ear of the day-flying species Urania boisduvalii and Empyreuma pugione. Audiograms were measured with distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The level of the dominant distortion product (i.e. 2f1-f2) varied as a function of time by as much as 45 dB during ongoing acoustic stimulation, showing a systematic decrease at low frequencies and an increase at high frequencies. As a consequence, within about 2 s of acoustic stimulation, the DPOAEs audiogram shifted from low to high frequencies. Despite the up-tuning, the range of best audition still fell within the frequency band of the species-specific communication signals, suggesting that intra-specific communication should not be affected adversely. Up-tuning could be an ancestral condition in moth ears that in day-flying moths does not underlie larger selection pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel C Mora
- Research Group in Bioacoustics and Neuroethology, Faculty of Biology, Havana University, 25 St. No. 455, Vedado, CP. 10400, Havana, Cuba,
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Garvey PM, Glen AS, Pech RP. Foraging Ermine Avoid Risk: behavioural responses of a mesopredator to its interspecific competitors in a mammalian guild. Biol Invasions 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0833-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Selective forces on origin, adaptation and reduction of tympanal ears in insects. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 201:155-69. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0962-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Neurobiology of acoustically mediated predator detection. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 201:99-109. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0948-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Revised: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Nakano R, Takanashi T, Surlykke A. Moth hearing and sound communication. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 201:111-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0945-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Revised: 09/13/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Convergent evolution of anti-bat sounds. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:811-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0924-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Rolfe AK, Kurta A, Clemans DL. Species-level analysis of diets of two mormoopid bats from Puerto Rico. J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/13-mamm-a-190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Kinoshita Y, Ogata D, Watanabe Y, Riquimaroux H, Ohta T, Hiryu S. Prey pursuit strategy of Japanese horseshoe bats during an in-flight target-selection task. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:799-809. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0921-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Mora EC, Fernández Y, Hechavarría J, Pérez M. Tone-deaf ears in moths may limit the acoustic detection of two-tone bats. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 83:275-85. [PMID: 24942265 DOI: 10.1159/000361035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Frequency alternation in the echolocation of insectivorous bats has been interpreted in relation to ranging and duty cycle, i.e. advantages for echolocation. The shifts in frequency of the calls of these so-called two-tone bats, however, may also play its role in the success of their hunting behavior for a preferred prey, the tympanate moth. How the auditory receptors (e.g. the A1 and A2 cells) in the moth's ear detect such frequency shifts is currently unknown. Here, we measured the auditory responses of the A1 cell in the noctuid Spodoptera frugiperda to the echolocation hunting sequence of Molossus molossus, a two-tone bat. We also manipulated the bat calls to control for the frequency shifts by lowering the frequency band of the search and approach calls. The firing response of the A1 receptor cell significantly decreases with the shift to higher frequencies during the search and approach phases of the hunting sequence of M. molossus; this could be explained by the receptor's threshold curve. The frequency dependence of the decrease in the receptor's response is supported by the results attained with the manipulated sequence: search and approach calls with the same minimum frequency are detected by the moth at the same threshold intensity. The two-tone bat M. molossus shows a call frequency alternation behavior that may enable it to overcome moth audition even in the mid-frequency range (i.e. 20-50 kHz) where moths hear best.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel C Mora
- Research Group in Bioacoustics and Neuroethology, Department of Animal and Human Biology, Faculty of Biology, Havana University, Havana, Cuba
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