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The evolution of echolocation in bats.

Gareth Jones1, Emma C Teeling

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK. gareth.jones@bris.ac.uk

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|May 17, 2006
PubMed
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Recent molecular phylogenies suggest echolocation evolved early in bats, possibly lost and re-evolved. Bat echolocation call diversity is driven by ecology, not just ancestry.

Area of Science:

  • * Evolutionary Biology
  • * Bioacoustics
  • * Mammalogy

Background:

  • * Molecular phylogenies are reshaping our understanding of bat evolution.
  • * Bats exhibit diverse echolocation abilities, with some possessing sophisticated laryngeal echolocation (calls produced in the larynx) while others, like Old World fruit bats, do not echolocate.
  • * Previous hypotheses on echolocation evolution in bats are being re-evaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the evolutionary origins of laryngeal echolocation in bats.
  • * To explore the potential secondary evolution of echolocation in non-echolocating bat families.
  • * To understand the influence of ecological factors on the adaptive radiation of echolocation call design.

Main Methods:

  • * Analysis of recent molecular phylogenies of bats.

Related Experiment Videos

  • * Interpretation of phylogenetic trees in the context of echolocation abilities.
  • * Examination of acoustic features and their evolutionary origins.

    • Main Results:

    • * Phylogenetic analyses indicate that bats with advanced echolocation (e.g., horseshoe bats) and non-echolocating bats (e.g., Old World fruit bats) share a common ancestor.
    • * Laryngeal echolocation may have evolved in the ancestral bat population, with subsequent loss in some lineages.
    • * Secondary evolution of echolocation (e.g., via tongue clicking) may have occurred in certain bat families.
    • * Acoustic adaptations like Doppler shift compensation, whispering echolocation, and nasal sound emission have arisen independently multiple times (convergent evolution).
    • * The diversity in echolocation call design is significantly influenced by ecological pressures and environmental challenges.

    Conclusions:

    • * Echolocation in bats likely has a complex evolutionary history involving both early origins and secondary losses/re-evolutions.
    • * Ecological factors play a crucial role in shaping the evolution of echolocation, often overcoming phylogenetic constraints.
    • * Convergent evolution is a significant factor in the development of specialized acoustic features for echolocation in bats.