Visual detection threshold in the echolocating Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii)
Céchetto, Clément ; Jakobsen, Lasse LU and Warrant, Eric J. LU
(2023)
In Journal of Experimental Biology
226(2).
- Abstract
All bats possess eyes that are of adaptive value. Echolocating bats have retinae dominated by rod photoreceptors and use dim light vision for navigation, and in rare cases for hunting. However, the visual detection threshold of insectivorous echolocating bats remains unknown. Here, we determined this threshold for the vespertilionid bat Myotis daubentonii. We show that for a green luminous target, M. daubentonii has a visual luminance threshold of 3.2(±0.9)×10−4 cd m−2, an intensity corresponding to the luminance of an open cloudless terrestrial habitat on a starlit night. Our results show that echolocating bats have good visual sensitivity, allowing them to see during their active periods. Together with previous... (More)
All bats possess eyes that are of adaptive value. Echolocating bats have retinae dominated by rod photoreceptors and use dim light vision for navigation, and in rare cases for hunting. However, the visual detection threshold of insectivorous echolocating bats remains unknown. Here, we determined this threshold for the vespertilionid bat Myotis daubentonii. We show that for a green luminous target, M. daubentonii has a visual luminance threshold of 3.2(±0.9)×10−4 cd m−2, an intensity corresponding to the luminance of an open cloudless terrestrial habitat on a starlit night. Our results show that echolocating bats have good visual sensitivity, allowing them to see during their active periods. Together with previous results showing that M. daubentonii has poor visual acuity (∼0.6 cycles deg−1), this suggests that echolocating bats do not use vision to hunt but rather to orient themselves.
(Less)
- author
- Céchetto, Clément
; Jakobsen, Lasse
LU
and Warrant, Eric J.
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Absolute sensitivity, Bat vision, Behaviour, Nocturnal vision, Psychophysics
- in
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- volume
- 226
- issue
- 2
- article number
- jeb244451
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:36628935
- scopus:85149236151
- ISSN
- 0022-0949
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.244451
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 36f7bcb6-c0db-4909-b8e3-f3b6ed9fd525
- date added to LUP
- 2023-03-16 11:17:38
- date last changed
- 2024-06-27 11:35:51
@article{36f7bcb6-c0db-4909-b8e3-f3b6ed9fd525,
abstract = {{<p>All bats possess eyes that are of adaptive value. Echolocating bats have retinae dominated by rod photoreceptors and use dim light vision for navigation, and in rare cases for hunting. However, the visual detection threshold of insectivorous echolocating bats remains unknown. Here, we determined this threshold for the vespertilionid bat Myotis daubentonii. We show that for a green luminous target, M. daubentonii has a visual luminance threshold of 3.2(±0.9)×10<sup>−4</sup> cd m<sup>−2</sup>, an intensity corresponding to the luminance of an open cloudless terrestrial habitat on a starlit night. Our results show that echolocating bats have good visual sensitivity, allowing them to see during their active periods. Together with previous results showing that M. daubentonii has poor visual acuity (∼0.6 cycles deg<sup>−1</sup>), this suggests that echolocating bats do not use vision to hunt but rather to orient themselves.</p>}},
author = {{Céchetto, Clément and Jakobsen, Lasse and Warrant, Eric J.}},
issn = {{0022-0949}},
keywords = {{Absolute sensitivity; Bat vision; Behaviour; Nocturnal vision; Psychophysics}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
title = {{Visual detection threshold in the echolocating Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii)}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244451}},
doi = {{10.1242/jeb.244451}},
volume = {{226}},
year = {{2023}},
}