Morphological, developmental, and genetic basis for bat echolocation

The majority of bat species—commonly referred to as microbats—employ “laryngeal echolocation,” wherein high-frequency sound pulses are generated using the larynx and returning echoes are detected via the inner ear to navigate and locate prey. In contrast, megabats, which are primarily frugivorous and behaviorally distinct, generally lack this form of behavior. Traditionally, microbats were considered to possess proportionally larger cochleae, allowing for longer basilar membranes that presumably confer enhanced frequency resolution. However, recent studies have challenged this assumption, revealing that cochlear size in microbats is not universally larger than that of non-echolocating bats, thereby prompting a reevaluation of its functional role in echolocation. On the genetic level, the Prestin gene—a motor protein involved in outer hair cell function—was once proposed as a key molecular driver of echolocation. Yet accumulating evidence suggests that the association between Prestin sequence evolution and echolocation capability is questionable and less deterministic than previously assumed. In this presentation, I will provide an overview of the current state of our understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of bat echolocation and introduce our ongoing investigations into the morphological, developmental, and genomic foundations of this remarkable behavioral adaptation.