Navigation Links
Bats pick up rustling sounds against highway background noise
Date:9/18/2008

Listening for faint rustling noises made by tasty beetles on a quiet day is simple for bats hunting with their exquisitely sensitive hearing. So try imagining what it must be like trying to locate rustling treats just metres from a roaring highway. It would seem to be almost impossible to pick out a centipede's footsteps as a juggernaut hurtles past; or is it? How animals that locate their prey by sound alone cope in our increasingly noisy world puzzles Bjrn Siemers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany. Siemers explains that no one had ever measured whether bats that hunt by listening for rustling insects are affected by man-made noise. However, this is a question that Siemers is frequently asked by urban planners keen to minimise our impact on local wildlife populations. Curious to know how sharp-eared bats react to loud background noise, Siemers and his colleagues Andrea Schaub and Joachim Ostwald monitored foraging bats' responses to rustling mealworms in noisy environments and publish their results on 19th September 2008 in The Journal of Experimental Biology on http://jeb.biologists.org.

Working with a group of young male greater mouse-eared bats, Siemers and Schaub allowed individual bats to forage freely in a large soundproof room. Dividing the back of the room in two, the duo provided the bats with a choice of rustling mealworm snacks in each half of the room to dine on. Over the course of several days, the bats divided their attention equally between the two halves of the room, easily locating the rustling nibbles. But how would the bats react when the team switched on a noise in one of the two dining areas?

First, the team synthesized true white noise before playing the sound in one half of the flight arena. The bats instantly avoided the unpleasant buzzing sound, spending more than 80% of their time hunting in the quiet dining area.

Next, Siemers and Schaub headed out to
'/>"/>

Contact: Kathryn Phillips
kathryn@biologists.com
44-012-234-25525
The Company of Biologists
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Cells united against cancer
2. Progress Against Malaria: Developments on the Horizon
3. Genes that both extend life and protect against cancer identified
4. Gamma interferon could aid fight against fungal infections
5. In the laboratory, green tea proves a powerful medicine against severe sepsis
6. Omega-3 fatty acids protect against Parkinsons, study says
7. Protein protects brain against compound in lead poisoning, liver disease
8. Blood pressure drug telmisartan shows powerful activity against stroke
9. CWRU School of Medicine has evidence vaccine against malaria will reduce disease
10. A search for protection against chemotherapy cardiotoxicity
11. Translational research patented first experimental treatment against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email: