Bat Signals Affected by Climate Change

Scientists, concerned and curious about how climate change may affect bats’ echolocation abilities, took a closer look at what will likely happen.<br /> <br />Bats rely on emitting sounds and assessing the echoes to navigate their way around objects when flying in the dark. <br /><br />They also use the technique, which is called echolocation, to hunt for food. <br /> <br />Scientists, concerned and curious about how climate change may affect colonies’ abilities to sustain themselves, took a closer look at how bats in various climates will likely function. <br /><br />Humidity, heat, and wind all affect sound waves’ abilities to travel through the air, so the researchers used a range of temperate and tropical climates in their study. <br /><br />They also factored in the estimates that temperatures over the coming century will increase between 3 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit. <br /><br />Environmental changes did, indeed, have an impact on how well bats were able to locate and take advantage of nourishment sources, in both positive and negative ways. <br /><br />It was concluded that select bats living in temperate zones between the tropics and polar circles, will probably end up having a tougher time of it as the sounds they project are in the higher frequency ranges. <br /><br /> Increases in temperature compromise the volume and clarity of the chirps and affects high-frequency sounds more.<br /><br />On the opposite end, the lower-pitched cries of bats in tropical climates will actually increase their abilities to target and capture plants and insects.