Jones G, Ransome R D
Department of Zoology, University of Bristol, U.K.
Proc Biol Sci. 1993 May 22;252(1334):125-8. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1993.0055.
The greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, is a model species in echolocation studies, and emits calls containing long constant-frequency (CF) components. The bats have auditory systems tuned sharply to frequencies close to the resting CF (RF) values. Call frequency and neural processing are both flexible within individual bats which use this mode of echolocation. The simple structure of the calls makes them ideal for sonographic analysis. Here, in a large-scale and long-term analysis of changes in the vocalizations of bats we show that: (i) the calls of R. ferrumequinum aged 1-28 years vary seasonally and over a lifetime in a predictable manner; and (ii) an infant's RF is at least partly determined by the RF of its mother. We consider the relative importance of genetic and learning factors upon the correlation between RFS of mothers and offspring.
大马蹄蝠（Rhinolophus ferrumequinum）是回声定位研究中的模式物种，发出的叫声包含长时恒定频率（CF）成分。这些蝙蝠的听觉系统对接近静息CF（RF）值的频率有敏锐的调谐。在使用这种回声定位模式的个体蝙蝠中，叫声频率和神经处理都具有灵活性。叫声的简单结构使其成为超声分析的理想对象。在此，在对蝙蝠发声变化进行的大规模长期分析中，我们表明：（i）1至28岁的大马蹄蝠的叫声在季节和一生中以可预测的方式变化；（ii）幼崽的RF至少部分由其母亲的RF决定。我们考虑了遗传和学习因素对母亲与后代RFS之间相关性的相对重要性。
