Department of Biological Sciences, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, CA, 95521, USA.
Dixon Field Station, Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, California, 95620, USA.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 9;12(1):9519. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13645-9.
As a migratory, cryptic, foliage-roosting bat with a mostly solitary roosting behavior we have an incomplete understanding of the social behavior of the hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus. In this species most social interactions between conspecifics are thought to involve mating behavior or territorial disputes. Developing a more complete understanding of the social behavior of this species would provide critical insight to address conservation challenges including high fatality rates from wind turbines during the period of fall migration. We tested the response of hoary bats to conspecific social call playback during the spring and fall migration to: (1) test whether conspecific social call broadcasting attracts or repels individual bats; (2) examine whether there are seasonal differences in these responses; (3) describe the structure and variation of recorded social calls; and (4) test whether conspecific social call playback can increase capture success. Hoary bats were attracted to social call broadcasting during both the spring and fall migration. Hoary bats produced social calls during the spring and fall migration, and when only males were present, suggesting a social function not associated with mating. While calls were variable in frequency and length, social calls tended to be a consistent upsloping shape. Attraction to social calls suggests social interactions not associated with mating behavior in hoary bats, and this technique proved successful as an acoustic lure to aid in capture and study of this elusive species.
作为一种迁徙、隐秘、以树叶为栖息地且主要独居的蝙蝠，我们对毛腿蝠的社会行为了解甚少，Lasiurus cinereus。在这个物种中，大多数同种个体之间的社会互动被认为涉及交配行为或领地争端。更全面地了解该物种的社会行为将为解决保护挑战提供关键的见解，包括秋季迁徙期间风力涡轮机造成的高死亡率。我们测试了毛腿蝠在春季和秋季迁徙期间对同种社会呼叫回放的反应，以：(1) 测试同种社会呼叫广播是吸引还是排斥个体蝙蝠；(2) 检查这些反应是否存在季节性差异；(3) 描述记录的社会呼叫的结构和变化；(4) 测试同种社会呼叫回放是否可以增加捕获成功率。毛腿蝠在春季和秋季迁徙期间都对社会呼叫广播有反应。毛腿蝠在春季和秋季迁徙期间会发出社会呼叫，而当只有雄性存在时，这表明存在与交配无关的社会功能。虽然呼叫的频率和长度都有变化，但社会呼叫往往呈一致的上升形状。对社会呼叫的吸引力表明毛腿蝠的社会互动与交配行为无关，这种技术被证明是一种成功的声学诱饵，可以帮助捕获和研究这种难以捉摸的物种。
