Roberson Briana J, Perea Santiago, DeRose-Broeckert Daniel, Castleberry Steven B
D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA.
The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies & The Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Jul 28;15(8):e71885. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71885. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Photoluminescence produced by excitation with ultraviolet light has been documented in an increasing number of nocturnal-crepuscular mammal species. Here, we provide a quantitative analysis to confirm visual observations of UV-induced photoluminescence in six North American bat species. We used museum specimens to examine wavelength at peak photoluminescent emission, within and among species. We observed green photoluminescence on the wings, uropatagium, and hind limbs of all 60 museum specimens examined. Spectral scans revealed a consistent emission peak between 520 and 552 nm corresponding to the observed green color. We found no differences in wavelength between species or sexes. Wavelength was not related to specimen age, supporting the use of museum specimens for detection of photoluminescence. Our results suggest the potential for photoluminescence to be homologous in origin among the species we examined. We emphasize the need for further exploration into potential evolutionary and functional roles of photoluminescence across mammalian taxa.
越来越多的夜间活动的哺乳动物被记录到在紫外线激发下会产生光致发光现象。在此，我们进行了定量分析，以证实对六种北美蝙蝠物种紫外线诱导光致发光的视觉观察。我们使用博物馆标本，研究了物种内部和物种之间光致发光发射峰值的波长。在我们检查的所有60个博物馆标本的翅膀、尾膜和后肢上，我们都观察到了绿色光致发光现象。光谱扫描显示，在520至552纳米之间有一个一致的发射峰值，与观察到的绿色相对应。我们发现物种之间或性别之间在波长上没有差异。波长与标本年龄无关，这支持了使用博物馆标本检测光致发光现象。我们的结果表明，在我们研究的物种中，光致发光现象在起源上可能具有同源性。我们强调需要进一步探索光致发光现象在整个哺乳动物类群中的潜在进化和功能作用。
