Boerma David B, Swartz Sharon M
Department of Biology, Pace University, New York, NY 10038, USA.
Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA.
iScience. 2024 Jun 26;27(7):110381. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110381. eCollection 2024 Jul 19.
Bats and birds are the only living vertebrates capable of powered flight. However, bats differ from birds in that their flight required the evolution of ascending landing maneuvers that achieve their iconic head-under-heels roosting posture. We examined the evolution of landing flight in bats and tested its association with the physical properties of roosts. Bats performed four maneuvers, each correlated with patterns of peak impact force, impulse, and roosting ecology, a critical aspect of bat biology. Our findings indicate that the common ancestor of bats performed simple, four-limbed landings, similar to extant gliding mammals, and that rotationally complex landings enhancing control over impact forces coevolved multiple times with shifts to stiff, horizontal roosts. These results suggest landing biomechanics is central to bat biology: it was critical to flight adaptation in the past, mediates roost use in the present, and may affect bats' ability to respond to deforestation in the future.
蝙蝠和鸟类是仅有的具备动力飞行能力的现存脊椎动物。然而，蝙蝠与鸟类的不同之处在于，它们的飞行需要进化出向上的着陆动作，以实现标志性的头朝下脚朝上的栖息姿势。我们研究了蝙蝠着陆飞行的进化过程，并测试了其与栖息地物理特性的关联。蝙蝠会进行四种动作，每种动作都与峰值冲击力、冲量以及栖息生态相关，而栖息生态是蝙蝠生物学的一个关键方面。我们的研究结果表明，蝙蝠的共同祖先进行简单的四足着陆，类似于现存的滑翔哺乳动物，并且增强对冲击力控制的旋转复杂着陆与转向坚硬、水平的栖息地多次共同进化。这些结果表明着陆生物力学是蝙蝠生物学的核心：它在过去对飞行适应至关重要，在当下介导栖息地的使用，并且可能在未来影响蝙蝠应对森林砍伐的能力。
