Unpredictable prey motion shapes behavior across time scales

Locating, tracking and intercepting objects is a fundamental behavior for many organisms. For instance, predators must track and capture erratically moving prey for their survival. Using the echolocating bat as a model species, we investigated how short-term changes in target motion predictability affect longer-term motor plans when tracking a prey item. We used a paradigm where prey motion is under experimental control, and then applied computational methods to characterize how target motion predictability influences short- and long-term behavioral control. We found that target motion predictability during the tracking phase of insect capture influences both short-term changes in sonar call control as well as longer-term behavioral control for transitioning between hunting phases. For changes in immediate behavioral control, bats produce more bursts of calls at a higher rate when tracking unpredictable moving prey, an indication that the bat is collecting more information about the target's motion for unpredictable than predictable trials. In terms of longer-term behavioral control, target motion unpredictability delays the transition from tracking to capture phase behaviors. We suggest that the bat does this to collect more information about target motion to time the transition from tracking to capture behaviors for hunting success. Additionally, we found the effects of target motion unpredictability are first seen as changes in the vocal motor plan and then the auditory motor plan (ear motion), hinting at a sequencing of motor changes that warrants further investigation.