Abstract
For decades, researchers have speculated how echolocating bats deal with masking by conspecific calls when flying in aggregations. To date, only a few attempts have been made to mathematically quantify the probability of jamming, or its effects. We developed a comprehensive sensorimotor predator-prey simulation, modeling numerous bats foraging in proximity. We used this model to examine the effectiveness of a spectral Jamming Avoidance Response (JAR) as a solution for the masking problem. We found that foraging performance deteriorates when bats forage near conspecifics, however, applying a JAR does not improve insect sensing or capture. Because bats constantly adjust their echolocation to the performed task (even when flying alone), further shifting the signals' frequencies does not mitigate jamming. Our simulations explain how bats can hunt successfully in a group despite competition and despite potential masking. This research demonstrates the advantages of a modeling approach when examining a complex biological system.
Highlights
Echolocation, a prime example of active sensing, provides bats with the ability to detect and hunt flying insects while avoiding obstacles in total darkness[1]
The jamming problem is one of the most fundamental problems raised by researchers of echolocation, but to our best knowledge, nobody ever estimated what are the chances of being jammed by another bat and how such jamming would affect hunting performance. This is very difficult to do with real bats as even if a microphone is placed on the bat, it is typically not as sensitive as the bat itself and it is not placed inside the ear
The substantial body of literature that has accumulated on bat echolocation and sensorimotor control allows simulating natural scenarios where bats are foraging in aggregations
Summary
Echolocation, a prime example of active sensing, provides bats with the ability to detect and hunt flying insects while avoiding obstacles in total darkness[1]. Echolocating bats emit highfrequency sound-signals and process the reflected echoes to sense their surroundings. While hunting in a group, conspecific bats emitting signals with similar frequencies may interfere with the ability of nearby bats to detect and process their own echoes. Understanding how bats avoid this interference, which is referred to as 'jamming' or 'masking', and how they segregate the desired weak echoes from the much louder calls emitted by other bats is one of the most central debates in the field. We define a 'masking signal' as any signal that may interfere with the bat’s ability to detect and localize an echo, and a 'jamming signal' as a signal that completely blocks the detection of an echo (see Methods).
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