The Neural Basis of Echolocation in Bats

The Neural Basis of Echolocation in Bats
Author: George D. Pollak
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3642836623

The brain of an echo locating bat is devoted, in large part, to analyzing sound and conducting behavior in a world of sounds and echoes. This monograph is about analysis of sound in the brainstem of echolocating bats and concerns the relationship between brain structure and brain function. Echolocating bats are unique subjects for the study of such relationships. Like man, echolocating bats emit sounds just for the purpose of listening to them. Simply by observing the bat's echolocation sounds, we know what the bat listens to in nature. We therefore have a good idea what the bat's auditory brain is designed to do. But this alone does not make the bat unique. The brain of the bat is, by mammalian standards, rather primitive. The unique aspect is the combination of primitive characteristics and complex auditory processing. Within this small brain the auditory structures are hypertrophied and have an elegance of organization not seen in other mammals. It is as if the auditory pathways had evolved while the rest of the brain remained evolutionary quiescent.

Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins

Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins
Author: Jeanette A. Thomas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780226795980

Although bats and dolphins live in very different environments, are vastly different in size, and hunt different kinds of prey, both groups have evolved similar sonar systems, known as echolocation, to locate food and navigate the skies and seas. While much research has been conducted over the past thirty years on echolocation in bats and dolphins, this volume is the first to compare what is known about echolocation in each group, to point out what information is missing, and to identify future areas of research. Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins consists of six sections: mechanisms of echolocation signal production; the anatomy and physiology of signal reception and interpretation; performance and cognition; ecological and evolutionary aspects of echolocation mammals; theoretical and methodological topics; and possible echolocation capabilities in other mammals, including shrews, seals, and baleen whales. Animal behaviorists, ecologists, physiologists, and both scientists and engineers who work in the field of bioacoustics will benefit from this book.

Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition

Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition
Author: Nereida Bueno-Guerra
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2018-08-09
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 110842032X

Leading researchers present current methodological approaches and future directions for a less anthropocentric study of animal cognition.

Behaviour and Neurodynamics for Auditory Communication

Behaviour and Neurodynamics for Auditory Communication
Author: Jagmeet Kanwal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2006-04-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521829182

Explains how arousal, motivation, emotion and behavioral contexts are vocally expressed and how important sound attributes are recognized and perceived.

Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins

Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins
Author: Jeanette A. Thomas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 636
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780226795997

Although bats and dolphins live in very different environments, are vastly different in size, and hunt different kinds of prey, both groups have evolved similar sonar systems, known as echolocation, to locate food and navigate the skies and seas. While much research has been conducted over the past thirty years on echolocation in bats and dolphins, this volume is the first to compare what is known about echolocation in each group, to point out what information is missing, and to identify future areas of research. Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins consists of six sections: mechanisms of echolocation signal production; the anatomy and physiology of signal reception and interpretation; performance and cognition; ecological and evolutionary aspects of echolocation mammals; theoretical and methodological topics; and possible echolocation capabilities in other mammals, including shrews, seals, and baleen whales. Animal behaviorists, ecologists, physiologists, and both scientists and engineers who work in the field of bioacoustics will benefit from this book.

Bat Bioacoustics

Bat Bioacoustics
Author: M. Brock Fenton
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2016-06-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1493935275

Arguably biosonar is one of the ‘eye-opening’ discoveries about animal behavior and the auditory systems of echolocators are front and center in this story. Echolocation by bats has proven to be a virtual gold mine for colleagues studying neurobiology, while providing many rich examples of its impact on other areas of bats’ lives. In this volume we briefly review the history of the topic (reminding readers of the 1995 Hearing by Bats). We use a chapter on new findings in the phylogeny of bats to put the information that follows in an evolutionary context. This includes an examination of the possible roles of Prestin and FoxP2 genes and various anatomical features affecting bat vocalizations. We introduce recent work on the role of noseleafs, ears, and other facial components on the focusing of sound and collection of echoes. ​

Behavioural Neuroscience

Behavioural Neuroscience
Author: Seán Commins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2018-04-12
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1107104505

A visually engaging explanation of the neural process underlying various behaviours in species ranging from the simplest organisms to humans.

Biology of Sensory Systems

Biology of Sensory Systems
Author: C. U. M. Smith
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2008-11-20
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0470694386

Since publication of the first edition, huge developments have taken place in sensory biology research and new insights have been provided in particular by molecular biology. These show the similarities in the molecular architecture and in the physiology of sensory cells across species and across sensory modality and often indicate a common ancestry dating back over half a billion years. Biology of Sensory Systems has thus been completely revised and takes a molecular, evolutionary and comparative approach, providing an overview of sensory systems in vertebrates, invertebrates and prokaryotes, with a strong focus on human senses. Written by a renowned author with extensive teaching experience, the book covers, in six parts, the general features of sensory systems, the mechanosenses, the chemosenses, the senses which detect electromagnetic radiation, other sensory systems including pain, thermosensitivity and some of the minority senses and, finally, provides an outline and discussion of philosophical implications. New in this edition: Greater emphasis on molecular biology and intracellular mechanisms New chapter on genomics and sensory systems Sections on TRP channels, synaptic transmission, evolution of nervous systems, arachnid mechanosensitive sensilla and photoreceptors, electroreception in the Monotremata, language and the FOXP2 gene, mirror neurons and the molecular biology of pain Updated passages on human olfaction and gustation. Over four hundred illustrations, boxes containing supplementary material and self-assessment questions and a full bibliography at the end of each part make Biology of Sensory Systems essential reading for undergraduate students of biology, zoology, animal physiology, neuroscience, anatomy and physiological psychology. The book is also suitable for postgraduate students in more specialised courses such as vision sciences, optometry, neurophysiology, neuropathology, developmental biology. Praise from the reviews of the first edition: "An excellent advanced undergraduate/postgraduate textbook." ASLIB BOOK GUIDE "The emphasis on comparative biology and evolution is one of the distinguishing features of this self-contained book. .... this is an informative and thought-provoking text..." TIMES HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

Hearing by Bats

Hearing by Bats
Author: Richard R. Fay
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461225566

The Springer Handbook oj Auditory Research presents a series of com prehensive and synthetic reviews of the fundamental topics in modern auditory research. It is aimed at all individuals with interests in hearing research including advanced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical investigators. The volumes will introduce new investigators to important aspects of hearing science and will help established investigators to better understand the fundamental theories and data in fields of hearing that they may not normally follow closely. Each volume is intended to present a particular topic comprehensively, and each chapter will serve as a synthetic overview and guide to the literature. As such, the chapters present neither exhaustive data reviews nor original research that has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals. The series focuses on topics that have developed a solid data and conceptual foundation rather than on those for which a literature is only beginning to develop. New research areas will be covered on a timely basis in the series as they begin to mature. Each volume in the series consists of five to eight substantial chapters on a particular topic. In some cases, the topics will be ones of traditional interest for which there is a solid body of data and theory, such as auditory neuroanatomy (Vol. 1) and neurophysiology (Vol. 2). Other volumes in the series will deal with topics which have begun to mature more recently, such as development, plasticity, and computational models of neural processing.

Bats

Bats
Author: M. Brock Fenton
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-01-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022606526X

There are more than 1,300 species of bats—or almost a quarter of the world’s mammal species. But before you shrink in fear from these furry “creatures of the night,” consider the bat’s fundamental role in our ecosystem. A single brown bat can eat several thousand insects in a night. Bats also pollinate and disperse the seeds for many of the plants we love, from bananas to mangoes and figs. Bats: A World of Science and Mystery presents these fascinating nocturnal creatures in a new light. Lush, full-color photographs portray bats in flight, feeding, and mating in views that show them in exceptional detail. The photos also take the reader into the roosts of bats, from caves and mines to the tents some bats build out of leaves. A comprehensive guide to what scientists know about the world of bats, the book begins with a look at bats’ origins and evolution. The book goes on to address a host of questions related to flight, diet, habitat, reproduction, and social structure: Why do some bats live alone and others in large colonies? When do bats reproduce and care for their young? How has the ability to fly—unique among mammals—influenced bats’ mating behavior? A chapter on biosonar, or echolocation, takes readers through the system of high-pitched calls bats emit to navigate and catch prey. More than half of the world’s bat species are either in decline or already considered endangered, and the book concludes with suggestions for what we can do to protect these species for future generations to benefit from and enjoy. From the tiny “bumblebee bat”—the world’s smallest mammal—to the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, whose wingspan exceeds five feet, A Battery of Bats presents a panoramic view of one of the world’s most fascinating yet least-understood species.