Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Toothed whales use sonar to detect, locate, and track prey. They adjust emitted sound intensity, auditory sensitivity and click rate to target range, and terminate prey pursuits with high-repetition-rate, low-intensity buzzes. However, their narrow acoustic field of view (FOV) is considered stable t...

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Main Authors:	Wisniewska, Danuta M, Ratcliffe, John M, Beedholm, Kristian, Christensen, Christian B, Johnson, Mark, Koblitz, Jens C, Wahlberg, Magnus, Madsen, Peter T
Format:	Online
Language:	English
Published:	eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd 2015
Online Access:	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413254/

id	pubmed-4413254
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	pubmed-44132542015-04-30 Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Wisniewska, Danuta M Ratcliffe, John M Beedholm, Kristian Christensen, Christian B Johnson, Mark Koblitz, Jens C Wahlberg, Magnus Madsen, Peter T Ecology Toothed whales use sonar to detect, locate, and track prey. They adjust emitted sound intensity, auditory sensitivity and click rate to target range, and terminate prey pursuits with high-repetition-rate, low-intensity buzzes. However, their narrow acoustic field of view (FOV) is considered stable throughout target approach, which could facilitate prey escape at close-range. Here, we show that, like some bats, harbour porpoises can broaden their biosonar beam during the terminal phase of attack but, unlike bats, maintain the ability to change beamwidth within this phase. Based on video, MRI, and acoustic-tag recordings, we propose this flexibility is modulated by the melon and implemented to accommodate dynamic spatial relationships with prey and acoustic complexity of surroundings. Despite independent evolution and different means of sound generation and transmission, whales and bats adaptively change their FOV, suggesting that beamwidth flexibility has been an important driver in the evolution of echolocation for prey tracking. eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd 2015-03-20 /pmc/articles/PMC4413254/ /pubmed/25793440 http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05651 Text en © 2015, Wisniewska et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
repository_type	Open Access Journal
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building	NCBI PubMed
collection	Online Access
language	English
format	Online
author	Wisniewska, Danuta M Ratcliffe, John M Beedholm, Kristian Christensen, Christian B Johnson, Mark Koblitz, Jens C Wahlberg, Magnus Madsen, Peter T
spellingShingle	Wisniewska, Danuta M Ratcliffe, John M Beedholm, Kristian Christensen, Christian B Johnson, Mark Koblitz, Jens C Wahlberg, Magnus Madsen, Peter T Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
author_facet	Wisniewska, Danuta M Ratcliffe, John M Beedholm, Kristian Christensen, Christian B Johnson, Mark Koblitz, Jens C Wahlberg, Magnus Madsen, Peter T
author_sort	Wisniewska, Danuta M
title	Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
title_short	Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
title_full	Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
title_fullStr	Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
title_full_unstemmed	Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)
title_sort	range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (phocoena phocoena)
description	Toothed whales use sonar to detect, locate, and track prey. They adjust emitted sound intensity, auditory sensitivity and click rate to target range, and terminate prey pursuits with high-repetition-rate, low-intensity buzzes. However, their narrow acoustic field of view (FOV) is considered stable throughout target approach, which could facilitate prey escape at close-range. Here, we show that, like some bats, harbour porpoises can broaden their biosonar beam during the terminal phase of attack but, unlike bats, maintain the ability to change beamwidth within this phase. Based on video, MRI, and acoustic-tag recordings, we propose this flexibility is modulated by the melon and implemented to accommodate dynamic spatial relationships with prey and acoustic complexity of surroundings. Despite independent evolution and different means of sound generation and transmission, whales and bats adaptively change their FOV, suggesting that beamwidth flexibility has been an important driver in the evolution of echolocation for prey tracking.
publisher	eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
publishDate	2015
url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413254/
_version_	1613217000686878720

Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

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