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Superfast Lombard response in free-flying, echolocating bats
Michael Bjerre Pedersen1, Martin Egenhardt1, Kristian Beedholm1
1Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
Current Biology : CB
|May 14, 2024
Summary
Bats rapidly adjust their vocalizations to loud noises, demonstrating a superfast Lombard response. This hard-wired reflex allows them to navigate and hunt effectively in noisy environments.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Bioacoustics
- Neuroethology
Background:
- Acoustic cues are vital for animal survival, but fluctuating noise levels pose challenges.
- Echolocating bats face extreme auditory dynamics, navigating and hunting in darkness with self-generated noise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the vocal-motor adjustments (Lombard response) in free-flying bats exposed to noise.
- To determine the onset, offset, and magnitude of the Lombard response in bats.
Main Methods:
- Studied greater mouse-eared bats performing a landing task with masking noise.
- Measured vocalizations and analyzed Lombard response characteristics (delay, relapse, magnitude).
Main Results:
- Bats exhibited a bandwidth-dependent Lombard response (0.1-0.2 dB/dB noise increase).
- Response and recovery times were rapid (20 ms) to noise onsets and cessations.
- Vocalizations did not time-lock to noise-free periods.
Conclusions:
- Free-flying bats display a rapid, hard-wired vocal-motor response to increased noise.
- This reflex is likely mediated by audio-motor feedback circuits, independent of other physiological cycles.
- Enables bats to adapt to dynamic auditory environments for foraging and navigation.
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