Curriculum

Major Publications since 2001
Miller LA, Surlykke A. 2001. How some insects detect and avoid being eaten by bats: The tactics and counter tactics of prey and predator. BioScience 51, 570-581.

Rasmussen MH, Miller LA, Au WWL. 2002. Source levels of clicks from free-ranging white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris Gray 1846) recorded in Icelandic waters. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 111, 1122-1125.

Miller LA, Futtrup V, Dunning DC. 2004. How extrinsic sounds interfere with bat biosonar. In: Thomas JA, Moss CF, Vater M, eds. Echolocation in bats and dolphins, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 380-385.

Tougaard J, Miller LA, Simmons JA. 2004. The role of arctiid moth clicks in defense against echolocating bats: interference with temporal processing. In: Thomas JA, Moss CF, Vater M, eds. Echolocation in bats and dolphins, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 365-372.

Verfuss UK, Miller LA, Schnitzler H-U. 2005. Spatial orientation in echolocating harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 3385-3394.

Beedholm K, Miller LA, Blanchet A-M. 2006. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) in a harbor porpoise show lack of automatic gain control for simulated echoes. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 119, EL41-EL46.

Simon M, Urgarte F, Wahlberg M, Miller LA. 2006. Icelandic Killer whales (Orcinus orca) use a pulsed call suitable for manipulating the schooling behaviour of Herring (Clupea harengus). Bioacoustics 16, 57-74.

Teilmann J, Tougaard J, Kirketerp T, Anderson K, Labberte S, Miller LA. 2006. Reactions of captive harbor porpoises, (Phocoena phocoena), to pinger-like sounds. Marine Mammal Science 22, 240-260.

Akamatsu T, Teilmann J, Miller LA, Tougaard J, Dietz R, Wang D, Wang K, Seibert U, Naito Y. 2007. Comparison of echolocation behaviour between coastal and riverine porpoises. Deep-Sea Research II 54, 290-297.

Nachtigall P. E., Mooney T. A., Taylor K. A., Miller L. A., Rasmussen M.H., Akamatsu T., Teilmann J., Linnenschmidt M., and Vikingsson G. A. (2008) Shipboard measurements of the hearing of the white-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris. Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 642-647.

Research areas

Acoustic Communication and Biosonar in Odontocetes and Bats

Research information

Subjects of Past Research and Achievements: Neurobiology of earthworm giant axon synaptic transmission, Neurobiology of crayfish escape behaviour, Neurobiology of hearing in insects, Neurobiology and behaviour of escape responses in insects that can hear bats, Bat biosonar and prey capture, Odontocete biosonar of animals in captivity and free-ranging animals, Odontocete biosonar and prey capture, Hearing by odontocetes.

My research focuses currently on hearing, acoustic communication and biosonar in toothed whales. Field studies on biosonar and acoustic communication in narwhals, sperm whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises are joint efforts to increase our knowledge their use of sound in the natural environment. We study the biosonar and prey capture behavior of captive harbor porpoises at our facility in Kerteminde and in cooperation with the Fjord & Bælt. I have also studied hearing in insects and bats and bat-insect interactions.
Some recent and current research includes: 1) the interactions between northern bats and hepialid moths, 2) adaptations of pipistrelle bats to clutter, 3) detection of echoes in noise by harbor porpoises using electrophysiological methods (auditory brainstem responses), 4) biosonar and prey capture behavior of harbor porpoises, 5) behavioral and physiological responses of harbor porpoises to potentially aversive sounds, 6) sound production by harbor porpoises using cadaver heads, 7) satellite tracking and diving profiles by wild harbor porpoises, 8) hydrophone array studies for determining source levels and directionality of clicks from wild sperm whales and white-beaked dolphins, and social signals (whistles from white-beaked dolphins, 9) playback of click bursts and tones to white-beaked dolphins in the wild for studying hearing and responses. 10) hearing in wild white-beaked dolphins. 11) possibility of studying hearing in baleen whales (minke and humpback).