@article {48148, title = {Global warming alters sound transmission: differential impact on the prey detection ability of echolocating bats}, journal = {Journal of The Royal Society Interface}, volume = {11}, year = {2013}, month = {Feb-07-20132184}, abstract = {

Climate change impacts the biogeography and phenology of plants and ani- mals, yet the underlying mechanisms are little known. Here, we present a functional link between rising temperature and the prey detection ability of echolocating bats. The maximum distance for echo-based prey detection is physically determined by sound attenuation. Attenuation is more pronoun- ced for high-frequency sound, such as echolocation, and is a nonlinear function of both call frequency and ambient temperature. Hence, the prey detection ability, and thus possibly the foraging efficiency, of echolocating bats and susceptible to rising temperatures through climate change. Using present-day climate data and projected temperature rises, we modelled this effect for the entire range of bat call frequencies and climate zones around the globe. We show that depending on call frequency, the prey detection volume of bats will either decrease or increase: species calling above a cross- over frequency will lose and species emitting lower frequencies will gain prey detection volume, with crossover frequency and magnitude depending on the local climatic conditions. Within local species assemblages, this may cause a change in community composition. Global warming can thus directly affect the prey detection ability of individual bats and indirectly their interspecific interactions with competitors and prey.

}, keywords = {echolocation, foraging, global warming, sensory ecology, species interactions}, issn = {1742-5689}, doi = {10.1098/rsif.2013.0961}, url = {http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/cgi/doi/10.1098/rsif.2013.0961https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1098/rsif.2013.0961}, author = {Luo, J. and Koselj, K. and Zsebok, S. and Siemers, B. M. and Goerlitz, H. R.} } @article {48144, title = {Sensory ecology of prey rustling sounds: acoustical features and their classification by wild Grey Mouse Lemurs}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {21}, year = {2007}, month = {Jan-02-2007}, abstract = {

1. Predatory mammals and birds from several phylogenetic lineages use prey rustling sounds to detect and locate prey. However, it is not known whether these rustling sounds convey information about the prey, such as its size or profitability, and whether predators use them to classify prey accordingly.

2. We recorded rustling sounds of insects in Madagascar walking on natural substrate and show a clear correlation between insect mass and several acoustic parameters.

3. In subsequent behavioural experiments in the field, we determined whether nocturnal animals, when foraging for insects, evaluate these parameters to classify their prey. We used field-experienced Grey Mouse Lemurs Microcebus murinus in short-term captivity. Mouse Lemurs are generally regarded as a good model for the most ancestral primate condition. They use multimodal sensorial information to find food (mainly fruit, gum, insect secretions and arthropods) in nightly forest. Acoustic cues play a role in detection of insect prey.

4. When presented with two simultaneous playbacks of rustling sounds, lemurs spontaneously chose the one higher above their hearing threshold, i.e. they used the rustling sound\&$\#$39;s amplitude for classification. We were not able, despite attempts in a reinforced paradigm, to persuade lemurs to use cues other than amplitude, e.g. frequency cues, for prey discrimination.

5. Our data suggests that Mouse Lemurs, when foraging for insects, use the mass\–amplitude correlation of prey-generated rustling sounds to evaluate the average mass of insects and to guide their foraging decisions.

}, keywords = {foraging, prey choice, prey selection, primates, size selection}, issn = {0269-8463}, doi = {10.1111/fec.2007.21.issue-110.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01212.x}, url = {http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/fec/21/1}, author = {Goerlitz, H. R. and Siemers, B. M.} }