Driving factors for the evolution of species-specific echolocation call design in new world free-tailed bats (molossidae).

ABSTRACT: Phylogeny, ecology, and sensorial constraints are thought to be the most important factors influencing echolocation call design in bats. The Molossidae is a diverse bat family with a majority of species restricted to tropical and subtropical regions. Most molossids are specialized to forage for insects in open space, and thus share similar navigational challenges. We use an unprecedented dataset on the echolocation calls of 8 genera and 18 species of New World molossids to explore how habitat, phylogenetic relatedness, body mass, and prey perception contribute to echolocation call design. Our results confirm that, with the exception of the genus Molossops, echolocation calls of these bats show a typical design for open space foraging. Two lines of evidence point to echolocation call struct

SUBMITTER: Jung K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3891751 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature