Spatial Proximity between Newborns Influences the Development of Social Relationships in Bats

Ancillotto, Leonardo; Serangeli, Maria Tiziana; Russo, Danilo

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.02016.x

Cited by 29 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…In T. brasiliensis , nose‐rubbing is performed together with a specific vocalization, in individuals that were experimentally re‐united after being apart, thus representing a ‘greeting’ behaviour probably aimed to reinforce social bonds (Bohn et al, ). Likewise, huddling (accomplished through physical body contact between bats whose bodies typically also vibrate) and reciprocal grooming in captive Pipistrellus kuhlii and Hypsugo savii are more common among colony mates (Ancillotto, Serangeli & Russo, ; Ancillotto et al, ).…”

Section: How Do Bats Communicate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social communication in bats

2018

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Bats represent one of the most diverse mammalian orders, not only in terms of species numbers, but also in their ecology and life histories. Many species are known to use ephemeral and/or unpredictable resources that require substantial investment to find and defend, and also engage in social interactions, thus requiring significant levels of social coordination. To accomplish these tasks, bats must be able to communicate; there is now substantial evidence that demonstrates the complexity of bat communication and the varied ways in which bats solve some of the problems associated with their unique life histories. However, while the study of communication in bats is rapidly growing, it still lags behind other taxa. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of communication in bats, from the reasons why they communicate to the diversity and application of different signal modalities. The most widespread form of communication is the transmission of a signaller's characteristics, such as species identity, sex, individual identity, group membership, social status and body condition, and because many species of bats can rely little on vision due to their nocturnal lifestyles, it is assumed that sound and olfaction are particularly important signalling modes. For example, research suggests that secretions from specialized glands, often in combination with urine and saliva, are responsible for species recognition in several species. These olfactory signals may also convey information about sex and colony membership. Olfaction may be used in combination with sound, particularly in species that emit constant frequency (CF) echolocation calls, to recognize conspecifics from heterospecifics, yet their simple structure and high frequency do not allow much information of individual identity to be conveyed over long distances. By contrast, social calls may encode a larger number of cues of individual identity, and their lower frequencies increase their range of detection. Social calls are also known to deter predators, repel competitors from foraging patches, attract group mates to roost sites, coordinate foraging activities, and are used during courtship. In addition to sound, visual displays such as wing flapping or hovering may be used during courtship, and swarming around roost sites may serve as a visual cue of roost location. However, visual communication in bats still remains a poorly studied signal modality. Finally, the most common form of tactile communication known in bats is social grooming, which may be used to signal reproductive condition, but also to facilitate and strengthen cooperative interactions. Overall, this review demonstrates the rapid advances made in the study of bat social communication during recent years, and also identifies topics that require further study, particularly those that may allow us to understand adaptation to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

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Section: How Do Bats Communicate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social communication in bats

2018

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“…However, mark-recapture data at swarming sites indicate that some males stay together over multiple nights and young-ofthe-year often arrive together [42]. The causes and consequences of these associations are not known, but there is evidence that interactions between pups can influence the development of subsequent social relationships [43].…”

Section: Cooperation At the Roostmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-kin cooperation in bats

Wilkinson

Carter

Bohn

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 18 to a theme issue 'The evolution of cooperation based on direct fitness benefits'. Many bats are extremely social. In some cases, individuals remain together for years or even decades and engage in mutually beneficial behaviours among non-related individuals. Here, we summarize ways in which unrelated bats cooperate while roosting, foraging, feeding or caring for offspring. For each situation, we ask if cooperation involves an investment, and if so, what mechanisms might ensure a return. While some cooperative outcomes are likely a by-product of selfish behaviour as they are in many other vertebrates, we explain how cooperative investments can occur in several situations and are particularly evident in food sharing among common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) and alloparental care by greater spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus hastatus). Fieldwork and experiments on vampire bats indicate that sharing blood with non-kin expands the number of possible donors beyond kin and promotes reciprocal help by strengthening long-term social bonds. Similarly, more than 25 years of recapture data and field observations of greater spearnosed bats reveal multiple cooperative investments occurring within stable groups of non-kin. These studies illustrate how bats can serve as models for understanding how cooperation is regulated in social vertebrates.

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“…Huddling may also have emerged because it dilutes predation risk (Gilbert et al 2010); however, it is not the case in species in which young cannot leave their nest, such as in the barn owl studied here. Social activities such as allopreening/grooming could also induce huddling (Ancillotto et al 2012), but allopreening was not correlated with time spent together in our study population (unpublished data).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 78%

Social huddling and physiological thermoregulation are related to melanism in the nocturnal barn owl

et al. 2015

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Endothermic animals vary in their physiological ability to maintain a constant body temperature. Since melanin-based coloration is related to thermoregulation and energy homeostasis, we predict that dark and pale melanic individuals adopt different behaviours to regulate their body temperature. Young animals are particularly sensitive to a decrease in ambient temperature because their physiological system is not yet mature and growth may be traded-off against thermoregulation. To reduce energy loss, offspring huddle during periods of cold weather. We investigated in nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) whether body temperature, oxygen consumption and huddling were associated with melanin-based coloration. Isolated owlets displaying more black feather spots had a lower body temperature and consumed more oxygen than those with fewer black spots. This suggests that highly melanic individuals display a different thermoregulation strategy. This interpretation is also supported by the finding that, at relatively low ambient temperature, owlets displaying more black spots huddled more rapidly and more often than those displaying fewer spots. Assuming that spot number is associated with the ability to thermoregulate not only in Swiss barn owls but also in other Tytonidae, our results could explain geographic variation in the degree of melanism. Indeed, in the northern hemisphere, barn owls and allies are less spotted polewards than close to the equator, and in the northern American continent, barn owls are also less spotted in colder regions. If melanic spots themselves helped thermoregulation, we would have expected the opposite results. We therefore suggest that some melanogenic genes pleiotropically regulate thermoregulatory processes.

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Spatial Proximity between Newborns Influences the Development of Social Relationships in Bats

Cited by 29 publications

References 68 publications

Social communication in bats

Social communication in bats

Non-kin cooperation in bats

Social huddling and physiological thermoregulation are related to melanism in the nocturnal barn owl

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