White-winged vampire bats (Diaemus youngi) exchange contact calls

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 604-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. G. Carter ◽  
M. B. Fenton ◽  
P. A. Faure
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Equal Distance ◽  
Antiphonal Calling ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Vampire Bat

Temporally precise vocal exchanges, termed “antiphonal calling”, might allow pair or group members to maintain social contact with greater efficiency than when calling independently. The white-winged vampire bat ( Diaemus youngi (Jentink, 1893)) is a group-living species that produces social calls in antiphonal exchanges. Because white-winged vampire bats can use social calls to discriminate conspecifics, we suspect that one function of these vocal exchanges is to allow group members to know who is where. Here, we tested the prediction that antiphonal calling by groups of white-winged vampire bats increases when the spatial positions of conspecifics change. We recorded social calls from groups of four individually caged bats in total darkness, with each bat located in the corner of a 4 m × 4 m room. During test trials, we shifted the spatial positions of caged bats to new positions. During control trials, caged bats were displaced an equal distance but were returned to their original positions. We found that both the number of social calls and the proportion of antiphonal exchanges were greater during test trials than during control trials. These results suggest that white-winged vampire bats use antiphonal exchanges of social calls to monitor the spatial positions of conspecifics.

Chemical cues and group association preferences in a subsocial cockroach, Panesthia australis

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zacariah D. Billingham ◽  
David G. Chapple ◽  
Paul Sunnucks ◽  
Bob B. M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Restricted Gene Flow ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Wood Boring

An ability to recognise and discriminate between group and non-group members is essential for most group-living species. Several different sensory modalities may be utilised for social recognition, the most notable of which is olfaction. Among insects, members of the order Blattodea (cockroaches, termites) exhibit a diverse range of social systems and provide an excellent model for examining the role of chemical communication in group discrimination. We experimentally tested the importance of chemical cues in the association preferences of the subsocial Australian wood-boring cockroach, Panesthia australis. Using a series of dichotomous choice trials, we found that individuals preferred conspecific odour cues over those of an unscented peatmoss control. We then gave cockroaches a choice between the odour cues of cockroaches from different logs, and found that they did not exhibit a preference for the cues of individuals from their own log versus those from different logs within the same locality. However, cockroaches exhibited a strong preference for cues taken from individuals from a geographically distant population. Our findings suggest that P. australis engages in group discrimination, and that patterns of association may reflect an underlying preference for unfamiliar and/or genetically dissimilar individuals in a species encumbered by restricted gene flow.

scholarly journals Immune-challenged vampire bats produce fewer contact calls

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Stockmaier ◽  
Daniel. I. Bolnick ◽  
Rachel. A. Page ◽  
Darija Josic ◽  
Gerald G. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Sickness Behavior ◽  
Immune Challenge ◽  
Mate Attraction ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Social Encounters

AbstractInfections can affect how animals vocalize and, hence, interact with conspecifics. While this effect has been shown for mate-attraction calls, other vocalizations that facilitate social contact have received less attention. When isolated, vampire bats produce contact calls which attract highly associated groupmates. Here, we test the effect of an immune challenge on contact calling rates of individually isolated vampire bats. Sickness behavior did not appear to change call structure, but it decreased the number of contact calls produced. This effect could decrease contact with groupmates and augment other established mechanisms by which sickness reduces social encounters (e.g. mortality, lethargy, and social withdrawal or disinterest).

scholarly journals Submission signals in animal groups

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Adam R. Reddon ◽  
Tommaso Ruberto ◽  
Simon M. Reader
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Conflict Avoidance ◽  
Crucial Aspect ◽  
Social Animals ◽  
Mutual Interest ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Animal Societies

Abstract Aggression is costly, and animals have evolved tactics to mitigate these costs. Submission signals are an underappreciated example of such adaptations. Here we review submissive behaviour, with an emphasis on non-primates. We highlight the design of submission signals and how such signals can reduce costs. Animal societies necessitate frequent social interactions, which can increase the probability of conflict. Where maintaining group proximity is essential, animals cannot avoid aggression by fleeing. Mutual interest between group members may also select for efficient conflict avoidance and resolution mechanisms. As a result, submission signals may be especially well developed among group living species, helping social animals to overcome potential costs of recurring conflict that could otherwise counter the benefits of group living. Therefore, submission signalling can be a crucial aspect of social living and is deserving of specific attention within the broader context of social evolution and communication.

scholarly journals Spontaneous abortion as a response to reproductive conflict in the banded mongoose

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 20190529
Author(s):  
E. Inzani ◽  
H. H. Marshall ◽  
F. J. Thompson ◽  
G. Kalema-Zikusoka ◽  
M. A. Cant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Abortion ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Reproductive Competition ◽  
Reproductive Conflict ◽  
Future Fertility ◽  
Banded Mongoose ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Term Data

When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can determine whether the fitness benefits of current reproductive effort exceed the potential costs to survival and future fertility. In group-living species, reproductive competition can occur through post-natal competition among the offspring of co-breeding females. Spontaneous abortion could be a response to such competition, allowing females to curtail reproductive expenditure on offspring that are unlikely to survive and to conserve resources for future breeding opportunities. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on banded mongooses, Mungos mungo , in which multiple females within a group give birth synchronously to a communal litter that is cared for by other group members. As predicted, abortions were more likely during dry periods when food is scarce, and in breeding attempts with more intense reproductive competition. Within breeding events, younger, lighter females carrying smaller fetuses were more likely to abort, particularly those that were also of lower rank. Our results suggest that abortion may be a means by which disadvantaged females conserve resources for future breeding attempts in more benign conditions, and highlight that female reproductive competition may be resolved long before the production of offspring.

scholarly journals Immune-challenged vampire bats produce fewer contact calls

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 20200272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Stockmaier ◽  
Daniel I. Bolnick ◽  
Rachel A. Page ◽  
Darija Josic ◽  
Gerald G. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Sickness Behaviour ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Social Encounters

Vocalizations are an important means to facilitate social interactions, but vocal communication may be affected by infections. While such effects have been shown for mate-attraction calls, other vocalizations that facilitate social contact have received less attention. When isolated, vampire bats produce contact calls that attract highly associated groupmates. Here, we test the effect of an immune challenge on contact calling rates of individually isolated vampire bats. Sickness behaviour did not appear to change call structure, but it decreased the number of contact calls produced. This effect could decrease contact with groupmates and augment other established mechanisms by which sickness reduces social encounters (e.g. mortality, lethargy and social withdrawal or disinterest).

scholarly journals Do bats use guano and urine stains to find new roosts? Tests with three group-living bats

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 201055
Author(s):  
Bridget K. G. Brown ◽  
Lauren Leffer ◽  
Yesenia Valverde ◽  
Nia Toshkova ◽  
Jessica Nystrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Desmodus Rotundus ◽  
Big Brown Bats ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Molossus Molossus ◽  
Artificial Roost

Many animals use social cues to find refuges. Bats can find roosts using the echolocation and social calls of conspecifics, but they might also use scent cues, a possibility which is less studied. The entrances of bat roosts are often marked by guano and urine, providing possible scent cues. We conducted eight experiments to test whether bats use the scent of guano and urine to find potential roosts. In field experiments, we tested if Molossus molossus (velvety free-tailed bats) in Panama and Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bats) in Ohio would investigate artificial roost boxes that were scented with guano and urine more often than a paired unscented control. We did not detect any difference in flights near the scented versus unscented roosts, and we detected only one entrance into any artificial roost (scented). In six captive experiments, we tested for the attraction of Desmodus rotundus (common vampire bats) and Molossus molossus to areas scented with guano and urine, under several conditions. Results were mixed, but overall suggested that the scent of guano and urine does not act as a strong lure for the tested bat species. We suggest that further tests of olfaction-based roost choice in bats should manipulate existing scent cues on familiar roosts.

scholarly journals Locomotor compromises maintain group cohesion in baboon troops on the move

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roi Harel ◽  
J. Carter Loftus ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Locomotor Capacity

AbstractWhen members of a group differ in locomotor capacity, coordinating collective movement poses a challenge: some individuals may have to move faster (or slower) than their preferred speed to remain together. Such compromises have energetic repercussions yet research in collective behavior has largely neglected locomotor consensus costs. Here we integrate high-resolution tracking of wild baboon locomotion and movement with simulations to demonstrate that size-based variation in locomotor capacity poses an obstacle to collective movement. While all baboons modulate their gait and move-pause dynamics during collective movement, the costs of maintaining cohesion are disproportionately borne by smaller group members. Although consensus costs are not distributed equally, all group-mates do make locomotor compromises, suggesting a shared decision-making process drives the pace of collective movement in this highly despotic species. These results highlight the importance of considering how social dynamics and locomotor capacity interact to shape the movement ecology of group-living species.

scholarly journals Locomotor compromises maintain group cohesion in baboon troops on the move

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1955) ◽  
pp. 20210839
Author(s):  
Roi Harel ◽  
J. Carter Loftus ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Group Cohesion ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Locomotor Capacity

When members of a group differ in locomotor capacity, coordinating collective movement poses a challenge: some individuals may have to move faster (or slower) than their preferred speed to remain together. Such compromises have energetic repercussions, yet research in collective behaviour has largely neglected locomotor consensus costs. Here, we integrate high-resolution tracking of wild baboon locomotion and movement with simulations to demonstrate that size-based variation in locomotor capacity poses an obstacle to the collective movement. While all baboons modulate their gait and move-pause dynamics during collective movement, the costs of maintaining cohesion are disproportionately borne by smaller group members. Although consensus costs are not distributed equally, all group-mates do make locomotor compromises, suggesting a shared decision-making process drives the pace of collective movement in this highly despotic species. These results highlight the importance of considering how social dynamics and locomotor capacity interact to shape the movement ecology of group-living species.

scholarly journals Within-group behavioural consequences of between-group conflict: a prospective review

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1843) ◽  
pp. 20161567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew N. Radford ◽  
Bonaventura Majolo ◽  
Filippo Aureli
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Group Conflict ◽  
Group Behaviour ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Outcome Group ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Conflict is rife in group-living species and exerts a powerful selective force. Group members face a variety of threats from extra-group conspecifics, from individuals looking for reproductive opportunities to rival groups seeking resources. Theory predicts that such between-group conflict should influence within-group behaviour. However, compared with the extensive literature on the consequences of within-group conflict, relatively little research has considered the behavioural impacts of between-group conflict. We give an overview of why between-group conflict is expected to influence subsequent behaviour among group members. We then use what is known about the consequences of within-group conflict to generate testable predictions about how between-group conflict might affect within-group behaviour in the aftermath. We consider the types of behaviour that could change and how the role of different group members in the conflict can exert an influence. Furthermore, we discuss how conflict characteristics and outcome, group size, social structure and within-group relationship quality might modulate post-conflict behavioural changes. Finally, we propose the need for consistent definitions, a broader range of examined behaviours and taxa, individual-focused data collection, complementary observational and experimental approaches, and a consideration of lasting effects if we are to understand fully the significant influence of between-group conflict on social behaviour.

scholarly journals Bats (Plecotus auritus) use contact calls for communication among roost mates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Furmankiewicz ◽  
Gareth Jones
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Echolocation Call ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Group Members

AbstractCommunication between group members is mediated by a diverse range of signals. Contact calls are produced by many species of birds and mammals to maintain group cohesion and associations among individuals. Contact calls in bats are typically relatively low-frequency social calls, produced only for communication. However, echolocation calls (higher in frequency and used primarily for orientation and prey detection) can also facilitate interaction among individuals and location of conspecifics in the roost. We studied calling behaviour of brown long-eared bats (Plecotus auritus) during return to maternity roosts in response to playbacks of social and echolocation calls. We hypothesised that calling by conspecifics would elicit responses in colony members. Bat responses (inspection flights and social calls production) were significantly highest during social call and echolocation call playbacks than during noise (control) playbacks. We suggest that social calling in maternity roosts of brown long-eared bat evolved to maintain associations among roostmates, rather than to find roosts or roostmates, because this species is strongly faithful to roosts and the social groups and roosts are stable over time and space. Living in a stable social group requires recognition of group members and affiliation of social bonds with group members, features that may be mediated by vocal signals.

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