Dear colleagues,
on behalf of all authors, I like to announce the publication of our recent work on the lack of evidence for spectral jamming avoidance in pipistrelle bats:
Simone Götze, Jens C. Koblitz, Annette Denzinger, Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler. No evidence for spectral jamming avoidance in echolocation behavior of foraging pipistrelle bats. Scientific Reports
The full text is available OPEN ACCESS at:
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep30978
Abstract:
Frequency shifts in signals of bats flying near conspecifics have been interpreted as a spectral jamming avoidance response (JAR). However, several prerequisites supporting a JAR hypothesis have not been controlled for in previous studies. We recorded flight
and echolocation behavior of foraging Pipistrellus pipistrellus while flying alone and with a conspecific and tested whether frequency changes were due to a spectral JAR with an increased frequency difference, or whether changes could be explained by
other reactions. P. pipistrellus reacted to conspecifics with a reduction of sound duration and often also pulse interval, accompanied by an increase in terminal frequency. This reaction is typical of behavioral situations where targets of interest
have captured the bat’s attention and initiated a more detailed exploration. All observed frequency changes were predicted by the attention reaction alone, and do not support the JAR hypothesis of increased frequency separation. Reaction distances of 1–11 m
suggest that the attention response may be elicited either by detection of the conspecific by short range active echolocation or by long range passive acoustic detection of echolocation calls.
Cheers,
Jens
--
Jens Koblitz
BioAcoustics Network
Kumetstr. 1
5234 Villigen
Switzerland
Eichenallee 32 a
41469 Neuss
Germany
Home: +41 (0) 56 55 876 20
Cell: +49 (0) 1512-2236452