Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats
Abstract: Echolocating bats are known to fly and forage in complete darkness, using the echoes of their actively emitted calls to navigate and to detect prey. However, under dim light conditions many bats can also rely on vision. Many flying animals have been shown to navigate by optic flow informat...
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ftunivantwerpen:c:irua:158318 2023-07-16T04:01:08+02:00 Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats Kugler, Kathrin Luksch, Harald Peremans, Herbert Vanderelst, Dieter Wiegrebe, Lutz Firzlaff, Uwe 2019 pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1583180151162165141 https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docman/irua/294ea3/158318_2020_03_22.pdf eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1242/JEB.195404 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/isi/000462866500012 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess 0022-0949 The journal of experimental biology Biology Human medicine Engineering sciences. Technology info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2019 ftunivantwerpen https://doi.org/10.1242/JEB.195404 2023-06-26T22:28:25Z Abstract: Echolocating bats are known to fly and forage in complete darkness, using the echoes of their actively emitted calls to navigate and to detect prey. However, under dim light conditions many bats can also rely on vision. Many flying animals have been shown to navigate by optic flow information and, recently, bats were shown to exploit echo-acoustic flow to navigate through dark habitats. Here, we show for the bat Phyllostomus discolor that, in lighted habitats where self-motion-induced optic flow is strong, optic and echo-acoustic flow interact to guide navigation. Echo-acoustic flow showed a surprisingly strong effect compared with optic flow. We thus demonstrate multimodal interaction between two far-ranging spatial senses, vision and echolocation, available in this combination almost exclusively in bats and toothed whales. Our results highlight the importance of merging information from different sensory systems in a sensory-specialist animal to successfully navigate and hunt under difficult conditions. Article in Journal/Newspaper toothed whales IRUA - Institutional Repository van de Universiteit Antwerpen Journal of Experimental Biology |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
IRUA - Institutional Repository van de Universiteit Antwerpen |
op_collection_id |
ftunivantwerpen |
language |
English |
topic |
Biology Human medicine Engineering sciences. Technology |
spellingShingle |
Biology Human medicine Engineering sciences. Technology Kugler, Kathrin Luksch, Harald Peremans, Herbert Vanderelst, Dieter Wiegrebe, Lutz Firzlaff, Uwe Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
topic_facet |
Biology Human medicine Engineering sciences. Technology |
description |
Abstract: Echolocating bats are known to fly and forage in complete darkness, using the echoes of their actively emitted calls to navigate and to detect prey. However, under dim light conditions many bats can also rely on vision. Many flying animals have been shown to navigate by optic flow information and, recently, bats were shown to exploit echo-acoustic flow to navigate through dark habitats. Here, we show for the bat Phyllostomus discolor that, in lighted habitats where self-motion-induced optic flow is strong, optic and echo-acoustic flow interact to guide navigation. Echo-acoustic flow showed a surprisingly strong effect compared with optic flow. We thus demonstrate multimodal interaction between two far-ranging spatial senses, vision and echolocation, available in this combination almost exclusively in bats and toothed whales. Our results highlight the importance of merging information from different sensory systems in a sensory-specialist animal to successfully navigate and hunt under difficult conditions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kugler, Kathrin Luksch, Harald Peremans, Herbert Vanderelst, Dieter Wiegrebe, Lutz Firzlaff, Uwe |
author_facet |
Kugler, Kathrin Luksch, Harald Peremans, Herbert Vanderelst, Dieter Wiegrebe, Lutz Firzlaff, Uwe |
author_sort |
Kugler, Kathrin |
title |
Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
title_short |
Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
title_full |
Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
title_fullStr |
Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
title_full_unstemmed |
Optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
title_sort |
optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in bats |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1583180151162165141 https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docman/irua/294ea3/158318_2020_03_22.pdf |
genre |
toothed whales |
genre_facet |
toothed whales |
op_source |
0022-0949 The journal of experimental biology |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1242/JEB.195404 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/isi/000462866500012 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/JEB.195404 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
_version_ |
1771550667943444480 |