Differences in auditory perception between species are influenced by phylogenetic origin and the perceptual challenges imposed by the natural environment, such as detecting prey- or predator-generated sounds and communication signals. Bats are well suited for comparative studies on auditory perception since they predominantly rely on echolocation to perceive the world, while their social calls and most environmental sounds have low frequencies. We tested if hearing sensitivity and stimulus level coding in bats differ between high and low-frequency ranges by measuring auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of 86 bats belonging to 11 species. In most species, auditory sensitivity was equally good at both high- and low-frequency ranges, while amplitude was more finely coded for higher frequency ranges. Additionally, we conducted a phylogenetic comparative analysis by combining our ABR data with published data on 27 species. Species-specific peaks in hearing sensitivity correlated with peak frequencies of echolocation calls and pup isolation calls, suggesting that changes in hearing sensitivity evolved in response to frequency changes of echolocation and social calls. Overall, our study provides the most comprehensive comparative assessment of bat hearing capacities to date and highlights the evolutionary pressures acting on their sensory perception.

中文翻译：

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蝙蝠的听觉灵敏度和振幅编码受回声定位呼叫和社交呼叫的不同影响

物种之间听觉感知的差异受到系统发育起源和自然环境施加的感知挑战的影响，例如检测猎物或捕食者产生的声音和通信信号。蝙蝠非常适合听觉感知的比较研究，因为它们主要依靠回声定位来感知世界，而它们的社交叫声和大多数环境声音的频率较低。我们通过测量属于 11 个物种的 86 只蝙蝠的听觉脑干反应 (ABR) 来测试蝙蝠的听觉灵敏度和刺激水平编码是否在高频和低频范围内有所不同。在大多数物种中，听觉灵敏度在高频和低频范围内都一样好，而对于高频范围，振幅编码得更精细。此外，我们通过将我们的 ABR 数据与 27 个物种的已发表数据相结合，进行了系统发育比较分析。特定物种的听力灵敏度峰值与回声定位呼叫和幼犬隔离呼叫的峰值频率相关，这表明听力灵敏度的变化是响应回声定位和社交呼叫的频率变化而演变的。总体而言，我们的研究提供了迄今为止对蝙蝠听力能力的最全面的比较评估，并突出了作用于其感官知觉的进化压力。表明听力灵敏度的变化是随着回声定位和社交电话的频率变化而演变的。总体而言，我们的研究提供了迄今为止对蝙蝠听力能力的最全面的比较评估，并突出了作用于其感官知觉的进化压力。表明听力灵敏度的变化是随着回声定位和社交电话的频率变化而演变的。总体而言，我们的研究提供了迄今为止对蝙蝠听力能力的最全面的比较评估，并突出了作用于其感官知觉的进化压力。