Collaborative Research: The Rules of Predation: Linking Biomechanics and Ecology in the Bat-Insect Arms Race

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How a predator pursues its prey may be one of the most important aspects of its behavior. Predation success determines survival for nearly all animals, be they predator or potential prey. We know little, however, about the specific movement abilities of predators and prey in nature and how they determine the outcomes of life-or-death encounters. It is difficult to study natural predation; these events are rare and difficult to anticipate. Predators use a variety of movement strategies to hunt prey: striking with great speed, sneaking up stealthily, and maneuvering quickly and repeatedly during pursuit, to name a few. This research will address how bats hunt insects using different predation strategies, dissecting the physiology and anatomy that underlie the abilities of particular species to select their form of pursuit. This research will provide rich learning opportunities for teams of students in biology, engineering and computer science. It will develop a science communication internship program at Brown University where students will transform research videos of bats hunting insects into media that will be distributed globally and that highlight the importance of bats and insects to our ecosystems.This project uses the model system of bats and insects to link detailed understanding of the mechanistic basis of locomotion with experiments and simulations that examine how movement abilities influence predator-prey interactions. Bats and insects are highly diverse groups that have co-evolved for millions of years. The researchers will use emerging video-recording and computer vision technologies to quantify with high precision the movement abilities of several bat species as they hunt insects under natural conditions. These field studies will be complemented by studies of bats flying in a custom flight arena that allow measurement of bat flight movements in greater detail. Flight and predator-prey computer simulations will be used to test hypotheses regarding what determines bat flight abilities and how movement abilities affect predator-prey outcomes. This will lead to open-access computer software that will help scientists studying a variety of animals to predict flight abilities and the outcomes of predator-prey interactions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.