Question

Bats hunt using echolocation, in which they send and receive high frequency sounds to locate prey. When bats hear the sounds of others, they typically begin hunting in the same area. As the number of bats hunting in the area increases, individuals become more successful at locating and capturing prey. Some populations of bats live in areas with high levels of noise pollution, such as near heavily trafficked bridges. How might the hunting behavior of bats be affected by such an environment?

Answer 1

The hunting behaviors of bats are affected by noisy environments because the bats' hunting methods will change to adapt to their noisy surroundings.

In an environment where there is much noise pollution, bats could be affected very negatively, causing the sounds of their prey to become hard to hear or to detect through the sounds of the city. This could lead to one of two things: A decrease in the bat population, or a development of a new hunting technique with in the population, leading to many possibilities with in the genetic gene pool. Studies have been made concerning bats in areas with high levels of noise pollution, and rather than the decline of bats in the population, a new hunting method was developed instead. Bats normally rely on the sound of their prey, as well as their echolocation. In the studies however, scientists found that the bats would begin to rely solely on echolocation, and not a mix of echolocation and the sounds of their prey, just echolocation. This helps the bats to adjust to their noisy environments so that they can better find their prey.

Answer 2

It would make it more difficult for the bats to use echolocation, as the sound from the roads would block their echo.