Variation in echolocation call emission of Neotropical insect-eating bats in response to shifting ambient temperatures.

ABSTRACT: The sensory systems of animals are essential for them to respond to environmental cues and signals. However, their functionality might be altered by climate change. Most bats, for example, rely on acoustic signal emission to acquire food, but their high-frequency echolocation calls are strongly attenuated in the air. Attenuation in air changes with changing weather conditions, which can lead to shifts in echo-based prey detection distance. However, bats can adjust call parameters to the task and environment, and this behavioural plasticity may help them to counteract potential increases in sound attenuation to keep echo detectability constant. We explored this ability in a community of insectivorous bats in a montane forest of Costa Rica. We recorded bat echolocation calls in response to e

SUBMITTER: Iturralde-Polit PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12582406 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature