Growth of horseshoe bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in temperate continental conditions and the influence of climate

Abstract

Growth characteristics of three species of horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. euryale and R. mehelyi) were studied in northern Bulgaria, and measurements of cohorts born there in different years were compared interannually. Bulgarian horseshoe bats are usually born in the first 3 weeks of June and start to leave the roost at an age of about 3 weeks. Young horseshoe bats of all three species had attained more than 95% of the adult dimensions at the time when they started to regularly leave the cave to forage on their own in mid of July. Individually marked juvenile R. ferrumequinum reached adult dimensions in most external wing measurements in the first half of August. Accordingly the pooled measurements of all juveniles did not differ anymore from those of adult bats in the second half of August. The same pattern was found in R. mehelyi and R. euryale. We found a clear relationship between the climatic conditions prevailing in each year and the final size of individuals born respectively in those years. Whereas previous studies have addressed climatic effects only on several bat species along their northern limits of distribution, these data provide the first evidence for an influence of climate on the growth of individuals in the centre of the species' distributions.

Birth synchrony and postnatal growth inRhinolophus ferrumequinum(Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in two successive dry (2015) and wet year (2016) in a nursing colony in Kerend cave, western Iran

“…Figure 9 shows the differences between the mean daily temperatures of the first 30 days of postnatal growth period recorded at the closest synoptic weather station to population site in two consecutive years. Decreased local temperatures in May-July 2016 may, positively, affected postnatal growth rates in young greater horseshoe bats, as is reported in E. fuscus (Hood et al, 2002) and Rhinolophus mehelyi and R. ferrumequinum (Dietz et al, 2007). In addition to local temperatures, high precipitation levels in wet year may have reduced insect abundance and foraging opportunities for R. ferrumequinum.…”

“…Therefore, this species in different parts of their range is generally expected to have populations that experience different environmental pressures and stressful factors such as variation in precipitation, temperature and food resources. Limited information available about two populations of R. ferrumequinum in northeast China (41 3 0 N, 125 50 0 E; Liu, Feng, Jiang, Wu, & Sun, 2007) and northern Bulgaria (43 34 0 N, 24 51 0 E; Dietz et al, 2007) compared with those obtained in present study in western Iran (34 15 0 N, 46 17 0 E) demonstrate a possible temporal variation in timing of parturition and latitudinal position of the nursing roosts in this species, as Bulgarian and Chinese populations gave birth mostly in early June but the population in Kerend cave gave birth in late May. Therefore, we assume that R. ferrumequinum in its vast range is likely to delay parturition and decrease birth synchrony when are encountered to lower annual temperature and higher rainfall.…”

“…Such adaptations have evolved in conjunction with detection mechanisms that allow early sensing of the emerging event especially if a response in reproductive output is adaptive (Powlesland, Lloyd, Best, & Merton, 1992;Ruf, Fietz, Schlund, & Bieber, 2006). Variability in weather conditions has long been known to influence reproductive pattern of bat species through timing of birth (Bronson, 1989;Cumming & Bernard, 1997;Grindal, Collard, & Brigham, 1992; Lu can, Weiser, & Hanák, 2013; Mello, Schittini, Selig, & Bergaloo, 2004), duration of pregnancy (Grindal et al, 1992), survival (Frick, Reynolds, & Kunz, 2010), reproductive success (Zahn, 1999) growth and development of young (Allen, Richardson, McCracken, & Kunz, 2010;Dietz, Dietz, & Siemers, 2007;Hood et al, 2002;Hoying & Kunz, 1998). It has been suggested that endothermic animals like bats that use climatic signals such as temperature and rainfall to regulate the reproductive timings, hibernation, or migration, are sensitive to climate change (Brook et al, 2008;Sherwin et al, 2013).…”

The patterns and possible causes of global geographical variation in the body size of the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)

“…In addition to heat dissipation, ambient temperature may impact insect density, and may provide an additional ecological basis for FAL size variation. Dietz () found that low temperatures may decrease insect density, and thus influence wing development (e.g. FAL) in R. ferrumequinum .…”

Datos biométricos de cinco especies de murciélagos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) de la Región de Murcia (SE España)

“…Además, numerosos estudios han demostrado que dichas medidas biométricas pueden sufrir variaciones geográficas (Albayrak & Coşkun 2000, Bornholdt et al 2008, pueden revelar la existencia de un dimorfismo sexual (Benda 1994, Lindenfors et al 2007) y pueden estar influidas por las condiciones ambientales durante el desarrollo del individuo (Paz 1986;Zahn et al 2006;Dietz et al 2007). Por otro lado, la longitud y anchura de las alas tiene importantes implicaciones en la aerodinámica de los individuos (Findley et al 1972, Norberg & Rayner 1987, Blood & McFarlane 1988, Fenton 1990) y estos datos pueden contribuir a explicar cuestiones ecológicas para especies muy similares (Norberg & Rayner 1987;Bogdanowicz et al 1999;Salsamendi et al 2005;Dietz et al 2006).…”