Dynamic relationship between noseleaf and pinnae in echolocating hipposiderid bats

Area of Science:

• Bioacoustics
• Animal Behavior
• Morphology

Background:

• Old World leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideridae) dynamically alter noseleaf and ear shapes during echolocation.
• Previous research indicates these deformations influence emitted and received sonar signals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if bats coordinate noseleaf (emission) and ear (reception) deformations for synergistic biosonar effects.
• To analyze the relationship between noseleaf and pinna kinematics in echolocating bats.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous 3D reconstructions of noseleaf and pinna landmark trajectories were performed in great roundleaf bats (Hipposideros pratti).
• Kinematic data were analyzed to identify correlations between noseleaf and pinna motions.

Main Results:

• Significant qualitative and quantitative relationships were found between noseleaf and pinna movements.
• Large noseleaf deformations correlated with non-rigid pinna motions.
• Closing noseleaf movements were associated with closing pinna motions, and canonical correlation analysis revealed tight correlations between noseleaf and pinna landmark motions.

Conclusions:

• The biosonar system in hipposiderid bats exhibits coordinated dynamics between emission (noseleaf) and reception (pinna) structures.
• This coordination suggests a mechanism for optimizing sonar signal processing in these bats.