UWP104E Assignment # 5

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University of California, Davis *

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104E

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Anthropology

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Names: Noah Derita, Jesse Ly Scientific Paper: Tent_bats_Redacted2.pdf Question: Is there a relationship between tent construction and mating systems of Ectophylla alba bats? Hypothesis: If the tent is used to attract the opposite sex to mate, then we expect males will construct the tents and there will be an increase in the number of tents in the reproductive season. Discussion: In this study we recorded that both female and male Ectophylla alba bats will make modifications to their tent. The data also shows that there was no increase in tent production during the assumed weeks of oestrus. So the tents are likely not a method for males to attract females. This behavior could be linked to their complex social structure in which groups formed by E. alba are very stable over time. Individuals will live together until their tent deteriorates, and then they move together to a new tent [4]. It is an interesting dynamic, similar to the reproductive patterns of humans. Some things to note are the sample size for the number of tents we recorded being modified was really small. Only four individuals were recorded modifying a tent, and none were seen creating a tent. If females were viewed creating them as well, then it would make for a more solid conclusion. The rates and times of tent construction could also be linked to the food resource dependence of E. alba bats. This is because they have to commute to a restricted set of fig tree species in their habitat, which seems to increase their spatial movements. This is much different from other bat species which are able to use several different types of foods when their preferred food is not available or close to their roost [5]. In the study, there was also no genetic information to compare with the social structure of the tent- roost bats to indicate increased reproductive success for the species. If there were no family relationship among the bats in the tent group, roost construction would be more of a cooperative behavior instead of a mating behavior. [2] The study didn’t support the hypothesis that the mating system was resource-defense polygyny as observed from other species of tent-roosting bats like the L. silvicolum. Instead of a social structure with one male and multiple females, we observed a stable group of several males and females. [3] More research is needed to determine whether this behavior of E. alba is unique to its species as there is still much unknown knowledge about the other social behaviors of other tent-roosting bat species. Even with over 100 known species of bats that exhibited roosting in tents, few attempts have been made to determine their social systems. The basis of the resource defense polygyny hypothesis could only be formed from those few species observed, but from our study, there are clear variations in the social system that can be formed between roosting bat species. [3] Adding that social relationships between tent-roosting bat species have more variations, it would be due to factors other than the creation of a tent as a resource. [1] Even though this type of research is in its early phases, investigating the mating system of tent-roosting bats would help provide essential information about the relationship between the social structures of bats and roost ecology. By having comparative studies, we can use the intraspecific variation of the bat’s social

behaviors to uncover their unique history in populations. Ultimately, this knowledge can be used to have a better understanding of the evolution of bat species and how their adaptations to specific habitats influence their social behavior. References: [1] Chaverri, G., & Kunz, T. H. (2010). Ecological Determinants of Social Systems: Perspectives on the Functional Role of Roosting Ecology in the Social Behavior of Tent- Roosting Bats. In R. Macedo (Ed.), Advances in the Study of Behavior (Vol. 42, pp. 275– 318). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-3454(10)42009-4 [2] Clutton-Brock, T. (2002). Breeding Together: Kin Selection and Mutualism in Cooperative Vertebrates. Science , 296 (5565), 69–72. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.296.5565.69 [3] Dechmann, D. K. N., Kalko, E. K. V., König, B., & Kerth, G. (2005). Mating system of a Neotropical roost-making bat: The white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , 58 (3), 316–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-005-0913-y [4] Rodríguez-Herrera, Bernal, Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales, and Rodrigo A. Medellín. “Hanging out in Tents: Social Structure, Group Stability, Male Behavior, and Their Implications for the Mating System of Ectophylla Alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).” Mammal Research 64, no. 1 (January 1, 2019): 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364- 018-0383-z . [5] Villalobos-Chaves, David, Manuel Spínola-Parallada, Katrin Heer, Elisabeth K V Kalko, and Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera. “Implications of a Specialized Diet for the Foraging Behavior of the Honduran White Bat, Ectophylla Alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).” Journal of Mammalogy 98, no. 4 (August 1, 2017): 1193–1201. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx044 .

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