Sonar jamming in the field: effectiveness and behavior of a unique prey defense
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1
Wake Forest University, Biology, United States
Bats and moths provide a model predator-prey system that has been studied for over 50 years.
Previous field studies of bat-moth interactions have been limited by the technological challenges involved with studying nocturnal, volant animals that use ultrasound and engage in battles that frequently last a fraction of a second. We overcame these challenges using a robust field methodology that included three infrared cameras calibrated for three-dimensional reconstruction of bat and moth flight trajectories and four ultrasonic microphones that provided a spatial component to audio recordings. Our objectives were to document bat-moth interactions in a natural setting and test the effectiveness of a unique prey defense – sonar jamming. We tested the effect of sonar jamming by comparing the results of interactions between bats and Grote’s tiger moth (Bertholdia trigona) with their sound-producing organs intact or ablated. Jamming was highly effective, with over ten times as many silenced than clicking moths being captured by bats. Moths frequently combine their acoustic defense with evasive maneuvers, such as flying away from the bat and dropping. Dropping decreased bat capture rates for both clicking and silenced moths. Moths also exhibited negative phonotactic responses, however this only occurred late in attacks, not early in attacks as has been documented for other moth species. We discuss potential explanations for this discrepancy. Considering the prevailing hypothesis that moths benefit from being unpredictable, Bertholdia’s flight response was surprisingly consistent. The approach we have used provides many opportunities for expanding our knowledge of this and other model biological systems.
Acknowledgements
We thank Wesley Johnson, Ryan Wagner, Zachary Walker, Jean-Paul Kennedy, and Nick Dowdy and several Southwestern Research Station interns for assistance in the field. Brad Chadwell provided software for 3-D calculations. Nickolay Hristov helped develop our field recording setup. Jeff Muday provided technical assistance, and the staff of the SouthWestern Research Station provided logistical support. Funding was provided by NSF grant # IOS 0951160 to WEC.
Keywords:
bats,
Defense,
evasion,
flight,
jamming,
Moths,
predator-prey interaction,
sonar
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for participant symposium and student poster award)
Topic:
Sensory: Audition
Citation:
Corcoran
A and
Conner
WE
(2012). Sonar jamming in the field: effectiveness and behavior of a unique prey defense.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00260
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Received:
30 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Aaron Corcoran, Wake Forest University, Biology, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 27106, United States, corcaj8@wfu.edu