Center for Society and Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e25845. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025845. Epub 2011 Oct 3.
Multiple lineages of bats have evolved striking facial and body pelage makings, including spots, stripes and countershading. Although researchers have hypothesized that these markings mainly evolved for crypsis, this idea has never been tested in a quantitative and comparative context. We present the first comparative study integrating data on roosting ecology (roost type and colony size) and pelage coloration patterns across bats, and explore the hypothesis that the evolution of bat pelage markings is associated with roosting ecologies that benefit from crypsis. We find that lineages that roost in the vegetation have evolved pelage markings, especially stripes and neck collars, which may function in crypsis through disruptive coloration and a type of countershading that might be unique to bats. We also demonstrate that lineages that live in larger colonies and are larger in size tend not to have pelage markings, possibly because of reduced predation pressures due to the predator dilution effect and a lower number of potential predators. Although social functions for pelage color patterns are also possible, our work provides strong support for the idea that roosting ecology has driven the evolution of pelage markings in bats.
许多蝙蝠种类的面部和身体皮毛都进化出了醒目的斑纹，包括斑点、条纹和保护色。尽管研究人员假设这些斑纹主要是为了伪装而进化的，但这个想法从未在定量和比较的背景下得到验证。我们提出了第一个综合蝙蝠栖息生态学（栖息类型和群体大小）和皮毛颜色模式数据的比较研究，并探索了蝙蝠皮毛斑纹进化与受益于伪装的栖息生态相关的假说。我们发现，栖息在植被中的蝙蝠进化出了皮毛斑纹，特别是条纹和颈圈，这些斑纹可能通过破坏色和一种可能是蝙蝠特有的保护色来发挥伪装作用。我们还表明，生活在较大群体中的蝙蝠种类往往没有皮毛斑纹，这可能是由于捕食者稀释效应和潜在捕食者数量减少导致的捕食压力降低。尽管皮毛颜色模式也可能具有社交功能，但我们的工作为栖息生态是驱动蝙蝠皮毛斑纹进化的观点提供了强有力的支持。
