Salles BatLab

Our Research

Bats are gregarious animals that have well-developed audio-vocal systems and produce ultrasonic vocalizations to navigate their environment. They also produce social communication calls that vary in complexity, form, and function. 

Our lab focuses on the neuroethology of auditory processing and social behavior in bats. We work at the intersection of behavioral ecology and neural systems to understand the mechanisms that drive these behaviors.

We combine lab and fieldwork, employing a multidisciplinary approach that includes studying behavior, acoustics, neuroanatomy, and electrophysiology. 

Current projects aim to answer the following questions:

• What drives social cohesion and roost fidelity in bats?

• Do oxytocin and vasopressin expression patterns differ in the brains of bats with differential roost fidelity?

• How do bats recognize roost mates from strangers?

• How are hierarchical social structures formed and disrupted?

• To what extent does the communication vocal repertoire of bats change with geographical locations within species?

• How do urban spaces and anthropogenic pressures impact the neurobiology of urban and rural dwelling bats?

• How does context modulate behavioral responses to communication sounds?

• What are the neural circuits underlying social communication processing and contextual modulation?

• What is the role of the Auditory cortex and the amygdala in the modulation of auditory processing at the level of the inferior colliculus?

Our work will provide insights into the mechanisms underlying auditory communication processing in mammals, enabling the development of new ideas and hypotheses that could further understand how other mammals, including humans, solve this task. Additionally, expanding the knowledge of the behavioral ecology of these animals and the way they interact can have broad impacts on other fields, such as disease ecology and conservation efforts.