Morphological Correlates of Personality in Female Asian Particolored Bats (Vespertilio sinensis)

Wang, Yuze; Shi, Biye; Zhao, Xiaohui; Feng, Jiang; Jiang, Tinglei

doi:10.3390/ani10020289

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 103 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This interpretation is tentatively supported by the energy expenditure of hares in our study, being negatively associated with body mass (non-significant trend only, Additional File 1 : Fig. S2), which is consistent with findings of great tits Parus major [ 79 ] and Asian particolored bats Vespertilio sinensis [ 80 ]. Since bold animals tend to take more risks [ 81 – 83 ] and have higher energy costs, we suggest that occupying and defending a smaller area of higher forage quality might further allow bolder individuals to outweigh an increased risk of being detected by predators.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Personality drives activity and space use in a mammalian herbivore

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Animal personality has emerged as a key concept in behavioral ecology. While many studies have demonstrated the influence of personality traits on behavioral patterns, its quantification, especially in wild animal populations, remains a challenge. Only a few studies have established a link between personality and recurring movements within home ranges, although these small-scale movements are of key importance for identifying ecological interactions and forming individual niches. In this regard, differences in space use among individuals might reflect different exploration styles between behavioral types along the shy-bold continuum. Methods We assessed among-individual differences in behavior in the European hare (Lepus europaeus), a characteristic mammalian herbivore in agricultural landscapes using a standardized box emergence test for captive and wild hares. We determined an individuals’ degree of boldness by measuring the latencies of behavioral responses in repeated emergence tests in captivity. During capture events of wild hares, we conducted a single emergence test and recorded behavioral responses proven to be stable over time in captive hares. Applying repeated novel environment tests in a near-natural enclosure, we further quantified aspects of exploration and activity in captive hares. Finally, we investigated whether and how this among-individual behavioral variation is related to general activity and space use in a wild hare population. Wild and captive hares were treated similarly and GPS-collared with internal accelerometers prior to release to the wild or the outdoor enclosure, respectively. General activity was quantified as overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) obtained from accelerometers. Finally, we tested whether boldness explained variation in (i) ODBA in both settings and (ii) variation in home ranges and core areas across different time scales of GPS-collared hares in a wild population. Results We found three behavioral responses to be consistent over time in captive hares. ODBA was positively related to boldness (i.e., short latencies to make first contact with the new environment) in both captive and wild hares. Space use in wild hares also varied with boldness, with shy individuals having smaller core areas and larger home ranges than bold conspecifics (yet in some of the parameter space, this association was just marginally significant). Conclusions Against our prediction, shy individuals occupied relatively large home ranges but with small core areas. We suggest that this space use pattern is due to them avoiding risky, and energy-demanding competition for valuable resources. Carefully validated, activity measurements (ODBA) from accelerometers provide a valuable tool to quantify aspects of animal personality along the shy-bold continuum remotely. Without directly observing—and possibly disturbing—focal individuals, this approach allows measuring variability in animal personality, especially in species that are difficult to assess with experiments. Considering that accelerometers are often already built into GPS units, we recommend activating them at least during the initial days of tracking to estimate individual variation in general activity and, if possible, match them with a simple novelty experiment. Furthermore, information on individual behavioral types will help to facilitate mechanistic understanding of processes that drive spatial and ecological dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Personality drives activity and space use in a mammalian herbivore

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In summer, female V . sinensis roost and breed offspring here, forming a nursery (Wang et al, 2020 ). The population of bats arrives in the summer roost in mid‐June and leaves the summer roost by the end of September.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bats roosted in the crevices of 14 arches on the bridge; hence, we estimated that there was an average of 450 bats per arch, and that this bat population numbered about 6300 individuals. In summer, female V. sinensis roost and breed offspring here, forming a nursery (Wang et al, 2020). The population of bats arrives in the summer roost in mid-June and leaves the summer roost by the end of September.…”

Section: Study Site and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the emergence and return of the Asian particolored batVespertilio sinensisto the summer roost

Feng

Qin

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Circadian rhythms play a crucial role in the health and survival of organisms. However, little is known concerning how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect animal daily rhythms in the field, especially in nocturnal animals. Here, we investigated the first emergence, mid‐emergence, and return times of Vespertilio sinensis , and also integrated environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and light intensity) and biotic factors (reproductive status and predation risk) to determine causes of variation in the activity rhythms of the bats. We found that variation in the first emergence time, the mid‐emergence time, and the final return time were distinct. The results demonstrated that the emergence and return times of bats were affected by light intensity, reproductive status, and predation risk in a relatively complex pattern. Light intensity had the greatest contribution to activity rhythms. Moreover, we first investigated the effects of actual predators on the activity rhythms of bats; the results showed that the mid‐emergence time of bats was earlier as predators were hunting, but the final return time was later when predators were present. Finally, our results also highlighted the importance of higher energy demands during the lactation in bats to variation in activity rhythms. These results improve our understanding of the patterns and causes of variation in activity rhythms in bats and other nocturnal animals.

show abstract

“…A large number of V. sinensis roost under the bridge. In summer, female V. sinensis roost and breed offspring here, forming a nursery (Wang., BY Shi, X Zhao, Feng., & Jiang., 2020). The population of bats arrives in the summer roost in the middle of June and leaves the summer roost by the end of September.…”

Section: Study Site and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the emergence and return of Asian particolored bats Vespertilio sinensis

Feng

Qin

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The circadian rhythm is an adaptive biological process, allows organisms to anticipate daily environmental changes and implement appropriate strategies. Circadian rhythms play a crucial role in the health and survival of organisms. However, little is known concerning how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect animal daily rhythms in the field, especially in nocturnal animals. Here, we investigated the emergence and return times of Vesperilio sinensis, and also integrated environmental conditions (temperature, humidity and light intensity) and biotic factors (reproductive status and predation risk) to determine causes of variation in the activity rhythms of the bats. We found that variation in the first emergence time, the mid-emergence time, and the final return time were distinct. The results demonstrated that the emergence and return times of bats were affected by light intensity, reproductive status, and predation risk in a relatively complex pattern. Light intensity had the greatest contribution to activity rhythms. Moreover, we first investigated the effects of actual predators on the activity rhythms of bats; the results showed that the mid-emergence time of bats was earlier as predators were hunting, but the final return time was later when predators were present. This challenges the traditional view that high predation risk leads to later emergence and earlier return. Finally, our results also highlighted the importance of higher energy demands during the lactation period in bats to variation in activity rhythms. These results improve our understanding of the patterns and causes of variation in activity rhythms in bats and other nocturnal animals.

show abstract

Morphological Correlates of Personality in Female Asian Particolored Bats (Vespertilio sinensis)

Cited by 7 publications

References 103 publications

Personality drives activity and space use in a mammalian herbivore

Personality drives activity and space use in a mammalian herbivore

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the emergence and return of the Asian particolored batVespertilio sinensisto the summer roost

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the emergence and return of Asian particolored bats Vespertilio sinensis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About