Singing strategies are linked to perch use on foraging territories in heart‐nosed bats

• Published in: Ecology and evolution 2022-02, Vol.12 (2), p.e8519-n/a
• Main Authors: Smarsh, Grace C., Long, Ashley M., Smotherman, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bats; Behavioural Ecology; Birds; Cardioderma cor; Chiroptera; Dry season; Food; Foraging behavior; foraging strategy; Global positioning systems; GPS; Heart; heart‐nosed bat; Home range; Hypotheses; Males; Night; Playback; Prey; Resource utilization; Seasons; Singing; social behavior; space use; Territorial behavior; territoriality; Territory; Trees; Vocalization behavior
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8519

Acoustic communication allows animals to coordinate and optimize resource utilization in space. Cardioderma cor, the heart‐nosed bat, is one of the few species of bats known to sing during nighttime foraging. Previous research found that heart‐nosed bats react aggressively to song playback, supporting the territorial defense hypothesis of singing in this species. We further investigated the territorial defense hypothesis from an ecological standpoint, which predicts that singing should be associated with exclusive areas containing a resource, by tracking 14 individuals nightly during the dry seasons in Tanzania. We quantified the singing behavior of individuals at all perches used throughout the night. Using home range analysis tools, we quantified overall use, night ranges and singing ranges, as well as areas used in early and later time periods at night. Males sang back and forth from small (x¯ = 3.48 ± 2.71 ha), largely exclusive areas that overlapped with overall night ranges used for gleaning prey. Individuals varied in singing effort; however, all sang significantly more as night progressed. Subsequently, areas used earlier at night and overall use areas were both larger than singing areas. Individuals varied in singing strategies. Some males sang for long periods in particular trees and had smaller core areas, while others moved frequently among singing trees. The most prolific singers used more perches overall. Our results support the hypothesis that acoustic communication repertoires evolved in support of stable foraging territory advertisement and defense in some bats. Heart‐nosed bats sing loud, audible songs back and forth from perches. Space use analyses demonstrate that singing occurs on discrete foraging territories, supporting the use of singing to advertise and maintain territories. Males vary in singing patterns and perch use, but more prolific singers use more perches, and have smaller core areas.