Projects

Prey detection and Foraging For foraging, bats rely almost exclusively on their acoustic sense. Passive-acoustic bats like the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) listen to rustling noises generated by their prey. Active-acoustic species find their prey by the echoes of their own ultrasonic calls. Examples of this second group are the natterer's bats (Myotis nattereri) and the greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumquinum).

Echolocation and Communication The echolocation system of bats evolved primarily for spatial orientation and foraging. In our research we investigate how important a role echolocation plays for communication. Furthermore, we look at the possible communicative function of high-frequency calls emitted by shrews.

Learning and Cognition The costs of investing in higher brain function like cognition, learning and memory seem justifiable when considering the benefits: in a long-lived and highly mobile animal like a bat, remembering roost sites and profitable foraging grounds gives you an advantage. But even short-lived animals may well have developed foraging strategies that require learning capabilities. Thus it seems that cognitive abilities are under strong natural selection.

Ecophysiology and Energetics Niche partitioning not only occurs due to sensory but also to other physiological adaptations. Knowing the physiological background of animals helps understanding their behaviour and ecology.

Orientation and Habitat recognition What is the most important resource for all life on earth? Water. So how do animals find water? Vision or olfaction is what one would assume for most species. Bats however possess another sense: echolocation. Shrews also use calls of high frquencies when they explore new territory. Is it possible that those tiny ground-dwelling mammals also evolved echolocation to gather information about their surroundings that neither their eyes nor their whiskers can provide?