Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats

Abstract In most vocalizing vertebrates, lighter animals tend to produce acoustic signals of higher frequency than heavier animals. Two hypotheses propose to explain this negative relationship in vespertilionid bats: (i) mass-signal frequency allometry and (ii) emitter-limited (maximum gape) signal...

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Autores principales:	Jeneni Thiagavel, Sharlene E. Santana, John M. Ratcliffe
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0176fe53c08c40d9b6dda3e655a653f7
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0176fe53c08c40d9b6dda3e655a653f72021-12-02T11:40:52ZBody Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats10.1038/s41598-017-00959-22045-2322https://doaj.org/article/0176fe53c08c40d9b6dda3e655a653f72017-04-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00959-2https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract In most vocalizing vertebrates, lighter animals tend to produce acoustic signals of higher frequency than heavier animals. Two hypotheses propose to explain this negative relationship in vespertilionid bats: (i) mass-signal frequency allometry and (ii) emitter-limited (maximum gape) signal directionality. The first hypothesis, that lighter bats with smaller larynges are constrained to calls with higher frequencies, is supported at the species level. The second hypothesis proposes that in open space, small bats use higher frequencies to achieve narrow sonar beams, as beam directionality increases with both emitter size (maximum gape) and signal frequency. This hypothesis is supported within a comparative context but remains untested beyond a few species. We analyzed gape, body mass, and echolocation data under a phylogenetic comparative framework to test these hypotheses, and considered forearm length as both a proxy for wing design and an alternative measure of bat size. Controlling for mass, we found no support for the directionality hypothesis. Body mass and relative forearm length were negatively related to open space echolocation call peak frequency, reflecting species-specific size differences, but also the influence of wing design and preferred foraging habitat on size-independent species-specific differences in echolocation call design.Jeneni ThiagavelSharlene E. SantanaJohn M. RatcliffeNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Jeneni Thiagavel Sharlene E. Santana John M. Ratcliffe Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
description	Abstract In most vocalizing vertebrates, lighter animals tend to produce acoustic signals of higher frequency than heavier animals. Two hypotheses propose to explain this negative relationship in vespertilionid bats: (i) mass-signal frequency allometry and (ii) emitter-limited (maximum gape) signal directionality. The first hypothesis, that lighter bats with smaller larynges are constrained to calls with higher frequencies, is supported at the species level. The second hypothesis proposes that in open space, small bats use higher frequencies to achieve narrow sonar beams, as beam directionality increases with both emitter size (maximum gape) and signal frequency. This hypothesis is supported within a comparative context but remains untested beyond a few species. We analyzed gape, body mass, and echolocation data under a phylogenetic comparative framework to test these hypotheses, and considered forearm length as both a proxy for wing design and an alternative measure of bat size. Controlling for mass, we found no support for the directionality hypothesis. Body mass and relative forearm length were negatively related to open space echolocation call peak frequency, reflecting species-specific size differences, but also the influence of wing design and preferred foraging habitat on size-independent species-specific differences in echolocation call design.
format	article
author	Jeneni Thiagavel Sharlene E. Santana John M. Ratcliffe
author_facet	Jeneni Thiagavel Sharlene E. Santana John M. Ratcliffe
author_sort	Jeneni Thiagavel
title	Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
title_short	Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
title_full	Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
title_fullStr	Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
title_full_unstemmed	Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats
title_sort	body size predicts echolocation call peak frequency better than gape height in vespertilionid bats
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/0176fe53c08c40d9b6dda3e655a653f7
work_keys_str_mv	AT jenenithiagavel bodysizepredictsecholocationcallpeakfrequencybetterthangapeheightinvespertilionidbats AT sharleneesantana bodysizepredictsecholocationcallpeakfrequencybetterthangapeheightinvespertilionidbats AT johnmratcliffe bodysizepredictsecholocationcallpeakfrequencybetterthangapeheightinvespertilionidbats
_version_	1718395499868848128

Body Size Predicts Echolocation Call Peak Frequency Better than Gape Height in Vespertilionid Bats

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