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Predator-Prey Interactions

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Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Electrophysiological Measurements from a Moth Olfactory System

Electrophysiological Measurements from a Moth Olfactory System

Published on: March 29, 2011

How do tiger moths jam bat sonar?

Aaron J Corcoran¹, Jesse R Barber, Nickolay I Hristov

¹Wake Forest University, Department of Biology, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA. corcaj8@wfu.edu

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|June 24, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Tiger moths (Bertholdia trigona) defend against bats by jamming their sonar. This study reveals moth clicks disrupt bat echolocation, causing prey misses and altered bat behavior.

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Area of Science:

Animal Behavior
Bioacoustics
Ecology

Background:

The tiger moth Bertholdia trigona uniquely jams bat sonar for defense.
Three hypotheses explain this sonar jamming: phantom echo, ranging interference, and masking.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine the acoustic mechanism of sonar jamming by Bertholdia trigona against big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus).
To analyze bat echolocation behavior and flight paths during attacks on the tiger moth.

Main Methods:

Recorded 3D flight paths and echolocation of bats attacking moths over seven nights.
Utilized 3D simulations to test proposed sonar jamming hypotheses.
Observed bat behavioral changes in response to moth clicks.

Main Results:

Bats missed prey at distances consistent with the ranging interference hypothesis (15-20 cm) after initial nights.
3D simulations refuted the phantom echo and masking hypotheses.
Moth clicks altered bat echolocation patterns, hindering prey tracking.

Conclusions:

The ranging interference hypothesis best explains Bertholdia trigona's sonar jamming defense.
Sonar jamming by tiger moths may have evolved from other defensive strategies.
This defense mechanism significantly impacts bat predatory behavior and success.