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. ?
Preface.- A History of the Study of Echolocation.- Phylogeny, Genes, and
Hearing Implications for the Evolution of Echolocation in Bats.- Ultrasound
Production, Emission, and Reception.- To Scream or to Listen? Prey Detection
and Discrimination in Animal-Eating Bats.- Roles of Acoustic Social
Communication in the Lives of Bats.- Guild Structure and Niche
Differentiation in Echolocating Bats.- Neural Coding of Signal Duration and
Complex Acoustic Objects.- The Neural Processing of Frequency Modulations in
the Auditory System of Bats.- Behavioral and Physiological Bases for Doppler
Shift Compensation by Echolocating Bats.- Perceiving the World Through
Echolocation and Vision.- Perspectives and Challenges for Future Research in
Bat Hearing.- Index.
