Dissertation Research: Predator Assessment of Prey Cues

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To attract mates, males often produce conspicuous advertisement signals. A few examples include the bright, colorful plumage of many male birds, and the loud night choruses of male frogs. While these signals can be effective in attracting females, they often attract predators as well. Males that produce attractive advertisement signals may have increased reproductive success; however, this often comes at the cost of increased risk of predation. Hence there is a conflict between sexual selection on the one hand (and the evolution of ever more attractive mating signals) and natural selection on the other (and the need to be inconspicuous to predators in order to survive). How a predator perceives, processes and remembers a prey signal can be critical to the evolution of prey signals. However, there has been little study of predators that eavesdrop on their prey. The neotropical bat feeds on frogs and uses frog mating calls to detect, localize, and assess its prey. On the basis of frog calls alone, bats can tell which frogs are palatable and which are poisonous. Working on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) in Panama, the PIs will investigate how these eavesdropping bats assess the mating signals of their prey. The project includes an investigation of the variance in calls produced by all frog species in the area and if and how frog-eating bats perceive and discriminate among calls of palatable and poisonous frogs. Experiments will involve playbacks of natural and synthesized calls to determine those call parameters bats use to identify palatable prey. The project will provide a detailed analysis of mating calls by frogs and an assessment of tradeoffs between selection for mating signals and avoiding predation.Broader Impacts: The project will provide education in science to youth, minorities, and women. Students from Panama and the University of Texas will serve as research assistants and will be mentored in experimental design, data collection, and other aspects of field and laboratory research. Several outreach presentations will be given to school groups and teachers interested in bat biology.