Aerial-hawking bats searching the sky for prey face problem that flight and echolocation exert independent possibly conflicting influences on call intervals. These can only exploit their full range unambiguously if they emit next when all echoes from preceding would have arrived. However, not every interval is equally available. The need to reduce high energetic costs of forces aerial-hawking couple emission wingbeat. We compared wingbeat periods 11 bat species with delays last-expected...

The visual splendor of many diurnal flowers serves to attract visually guided pollinators such as bees and birds, but it remains be seen whether bat-pollinated have evolved analogous echo-acoustic signals lure their echolocating pollinators. Here, we demonstrate how an unusual dish-shaped leaf displayed above the inflorescences vine Marcgravia evenia attracts bat Specifically, this leaf's echoes fulfilled requirements for effective beacon, that is, they were strong, multidirectional, had a...

Habitat-specific cues play an important role in orientation for animals that move through a mosaic of habitats. Environmental can be imprinted upon during early life stages to guide later return adult habitats, yet many species must orient toward suitable habitats without previous experience the habitat. It is hypothesized multiple sensory may enable differentiate between sequential order relevant spatial scales over which different types information are conveyed, but research, especially...

Human habitation in deserts can create rich novel resources that may be used by native desert species. However, at night such lose attractiveness when they are artificially lit areas. For bats, attraction to manmade habitats might species specific. In an isolated village the Negev is known for its high bat activity we investigated effects of artificial lighting on flight behaviour two aerial insectivorous species: Pipistrellus kuhlii, a non-desert synanthropic bat, common urban environments...

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsTheme Sections 524:125-135 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11175 Soundscapes and living communities in coral reefs: temporal spatial variation Sophie L. Nedelec1,2,*, Stephen D. Simpson3, Marc Holderied1, Andrew N. Radford1, Gael Lecellier4,5, Craig Radford6, David Lecchini2,5 1School of Biological Sciences,...

Abstract Global climate change is continuing to occur at an alarming rate. In addition increases in global weather extremes, melting of polar ice caps, and subsequent sea level rises, known directly impact the life cycles ecologies many animals plants. While projected result substantial geographic range habitat contractions for species future, effects on habitats conservation concern remain poorly understood. this study, we investigated how future occurrence distribution four major forest...

Aerial hawking bats use intense echolocation calls to search for insect prey. Their have evolved into the most airborne animal vocalisations. Yet our knowledge about call intensities in field is restricted a small number of species. We describe novel stereo videogrammetry method used study flight and behaviour, measure source levels aerial bat Eptesicus bottae (Vespertilionidae). Bats flew close their predicted minimum power speed. Source level increased with duration; loudest E. was at 133...

Summary Omnivory enables animals to fill more than one trophic niche, providing access a wider variety of food resources with potentially higher nutrient value, particularly when become scarce. Animals can achieve omnivory using different strategies, for example opportunistic foraging, or switching between multiple niches. The Neotropical bat Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766) is common and widespread species known nectar feeding, but it also eats fruit insects. Approaching stationary...

Significance Bats and moths are embroiled in an evolutionary arms race. Using ultrasonic biosonar, bats detect their insect prey, which turn deploy diverse strategies to avoid predation. Here, we show that some moth species evolved wings covered with a canopy of scales reduces echoes. Our empirical mathematical analysis together exhibit key features desirable technological acoustic metamaterial. This work enriches our understanding the structural functional complexity lepidopteran reveals...

The loss of elastic stability (buckling) can lead to catastrophic failure in the context traditional engineering structures. Conversely, nature, buckling often serves a desirable function, such as prey-trapping mechanism Venus fly trap (

Abstract The clearing and fragmentation of tropical forests is the single biggest threat to primate populations who depend on this habitat for survival. In contrast primates that live in continuous, undisturbed forests, communities fragmented need adapt decreased food availability increased inter‐ intraspecific competition typical these degraded anthropogenically disturbed habitats. Some species are highly sensitive fragmentation, whilst other can even thrive forests. Here, we assessed how...

Summary Understanding the causes and consequences of animal flight speed has long been a challenge in biology. Aerodynamic theory is used to predict most economical speeds, minimizing energy expenditure either per distance (maximal range speed, V mr ) or time (minimal power mp ). When foraging flight, also affects prey encounter intake rates. According optimal theory, such effects may shift energetically above . Therefore, we predicted that if energetic considerations indeed have substantial...

Animal coordinated movement interactions are commonly explained by assuming unspecified social forces of attraction, repulsion and alignment with parameters drawn from observed data. Here we propose test a biologically realistic quantifiable biosonar interaction mechanism for echolocating bats based on spatial perceptual bias, i.e. actual sound field, reaction delay, motor constraints in speed acceleration. We found that foraging pairs flying over water surface swapped leader-follower roles...

Abstract Tropical forests are being cleared at an accelerating rate, despite one of the most important habitats for global biodiversity. Many remaining tropical forest tracts now highly degraded and fragmented, which presents a major problem sensitive threatened forest-dwelling species that depend on this habitat survival. In study, we assessed impacts fragmentation, its associated edge-effects, tree diversity, size, structural diversity within transitional north west Madagascar. Using data...

SUMMARY Nectar-feeding glossophagine bats searching for flowers are guided by their echolocation system as well olfactory cues in detecting and recognizing nectar sources. Therefore, chiropterophilous plants, which depend on these pollinators, may be expected to have evolved acoustically conspicuous that facilitate detection. As it is poorly understood how manage find recognize acoustically, we investigated the echoes of some pollinated bats. Echoes bell-shaped bat-pollinated characteristic...

SUMMARY Echolocating bats obtain three-dimensional images of their surroundings in complete darkness by emitting sonar signals and evaluating returning echoes. When flying close to objects, risk collision therefore depend on the accuracy – particularly perceived distance obstacles, which is coded time delay between call echo. Yet, during flight, such perturbed first because receive echoes at different positions second are modified Doppler shifts. Certain designs avoid both sources ranging...

Summary Insects with bat-detecting ears are ideal animals for investigating sensory system adaptations to predator cues. Noctuid moths have two auditory receptors (A1 and A2) sensitive the ultrasonic echolocation calls of insectivorous bats. Larger detected at greater distances by bats than smaller moths. also lower A1 best thresholds, allowing them detect possibly compensating their increased conspicuousness. Interestingly, sound frequency lowest threshold is in larger moths, suggesting...

Anthropogenic habitat modification often has a profound negative impact on the flora and fauna of an ecosystem. In parts Middle East, ephemeral rivers (wadis) are characterised by stands acacia trees. Green, flourishing assemblages these trees in decline several countries, most likely due to human-induced water stress changes. We examined importance healthy for bats their arthropod prey comparison other natural artificial habitats available Arava desert Israel. assessed bat activity species...

Significance Ultrathin sound absorbers offer lightweight solutions from building acoustics to sonar cloaking. The scales on moth wings have evolved reduce the echo returning bats, and we investigate their resonant sound-absorber functionality. Resonant are most efficient at resonance, laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) revealed that an individual scale’s three resonance modes indeed span biosonar frequencies of bats. porous anisotropic nanostructure such was parameterized its effective stiffness...