The role of wing airflow sensors in bat flight control under wind gust conditions

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The role of wing airflow sensors in bat flight control under wind gust conditions Ben Falk1*, Delphia Varadarajan1 and Cynthia F. Moss1 1 University of Maryland, College Park, United States Insectivorous bats rely on echolocation and other sensory modalities to perform complex flight behaviors as they track flying prey and maneuver around obstacles. Microscopic hairs on the bat’s wing contribute sensory information to adaptive flight behaviors. The wing hairs are hypothesized to provide the flying bat with sensory information about air currents across the wing membrane. Neurophysiological studies have shown that bat wing hairs are directionally sensitive to airflow, and behavioral studies have shown that wing hair removal results in a decrease in the bat’s flight maneuverability (Sterbing-D’Angelo et al., PNAS, 2011). Here we report data from a behavioral study in which bats encountered gusts of wind as they performed an obstacle avoidance and prey-capture task. Echolocation signals, flight trajectories and wing kinematic data in baseline trials were compared with data in experimental trials, in which hairs were removed from the trailing and leading edges of the bat wing. Wind gusts were introduced randomly from different directions as the bat maneuvered through a narrow opening in a net to gain access to a tethered insect one meter beyond the opening. The effects of air turbulence on the bat’s flight maneuverability and echolocation behavior were quantified with high-speed video and sound recordings. By studying the effects of air turbulence on wingbeat kinematics, flight path, and echolocation behavior in bats with and without wing hairs, we hope to learn more about the mechanisms by which mammals and other organisms process sensory information to adapt their behaviors. Keywords: Adaptive Behavior, Echolocation, Flight control, multimodal signaling, navigation, sensorimotor integration Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster (but consider for student poster award) Topic: Orientation and Navigation Citation: Falk B, Varadarajan D and Moss CF (2012). The role of wing airflow sensors in bat flight control under wind gust conditions. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00010 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 27 Apr 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Mr. Ben Falk, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, United States, falk.ben@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Ben Falk Delphia Varadarajan Cynthia F Moss Google Ben Falk Delphia Varadarajan Cynthia F Moss Google Scholar Ben Falk Delphia Varadarajan Cynthia F Moss PubMed Ben Falk Delphia Varadarajan Cynthia F Moss Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.