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Long-term and persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats

Author

Listed:
  • Daria Genzel

    (UC Berkeley)

  • Janki Desai

    (UC Berkeley)

  • Elana Paras

    (Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley)

  • Michael M. Yartsev

    (UC Berkeley)

Abstract

Bats exhibit a diverse and complex vocabulary of social communication calls some of which are believed to be learned during development. This ability to produce learned, species-specific vocalizations – a rare trait in the animal kingdom – requires a high-degree of vocal plasticity. Bats live extremely long lives in highly complex and dynamic social environments, which suggests that they might also retain a high degree of vocal plasticity in adulthood, much as humans do. Here, we report persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) following exposure to broad-band, acoustic perturbation. Our results show that adult bats can not only modify distinct parameters of their vocalizations, but that these changes persist even after noise cessation – in some cases lasting several weeks or months. Combined, these findings underscore the potential importance of bats as a model organism for studies of vocal plasticity, including in adulthood.

Suggested Citation

  • Daria Genzel & Janki Desai & Elana Paras & Michael M. Yartsev, 2019. "Long-term and persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-11350-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11350-2
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