Navigation behavior by active sensing in bats

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Systems Science of Bio-navigation
• Project/Area Number: 16H06542
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Complex systems
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: Hiryu Shizuko 同志社大学, 生命医科学部, 教授 (70449510)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小林 耕太 同志社大学, 生命医科学部, 教授 (40512736) ; 福井 大 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 助教 (60706670)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-06-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: エコーロケーション / 生物ソナー / バイオロギング / 超音波センシング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we conducted advanced measurements of the navigation behavior of bats using various scales and measurement methods, with the aim of clarifying the unique navigation tactics of bats involving ultrasonic sensing. The main results are as follows: 1) We discovered that bats flying in groups change the frequency of their ultrasound pulses. In addition, we demonstrated that jamming avoidance behavior of bats during group navigation is useful from an engineering point of view. 2) Successful bio-logging using a custom-made acoustic GPS logger has provided valuable new insights into the movement ecology of echolocating bats in the wild.　 (3) Repeated flights in obstacle space showed a learning effect that reduced the cost of flight paths and ultrasonic sensing, indicating that navigation changes with the internal state of the individual.

Free Research Field

生物音響工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

コウモリは飛翔能力を持つ唯一の哺乳類であり，聴覚を用いた特殊な環境把握能力も兼ね備えている．本研究では，飼育下から野生環境に至る幅広いスケールで，コウモリの移動と音響データの計測を行った．その結果，コウモリの高度なナビゲーションを支える新しい行動や戦術を発見し，さらにそれらが工学的にも価値ある知見であることを実証した．コウモリのモデル動物としての利点を活かすことで，生態学から工学に至る生物ナビゲーション研究の創出とその発展に寄与する成果が得られたと考えている．