Drinking and flying: does alcohol consumption affect the flight and echolocation performance of phyllostomid bats?

Area of Science:

• Zoology
• Animal Behavior
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Frugivorous and nectarivorous bats consume fermenting fruits and nectar, potentially ingesting ethanol.
• Understanding ethanol's effects on bat behavior and survival is crucial for assessing adaptive radiation.
• Interspecific variation in behavioral responses to ethanol is expected.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the behavioral responses of bats to ethanol consumption.
• To assess the impact of ethanol on bat flight and echolocation.
• To examine interspecific differences in ethanol tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Six species of phyllostomid bats were fed sugar water or sugar water with ethanol.
• Bats were challenged to fly through an obstacle course while echolocation was recorded.
• Saliva samples measured blood ethanol concentrations before flight trials.

Main Results:

• Ethanol consumption did not significantly affect bat flight performance or echolocation behavior.
• Species exhibited variations in blood alcohol concentrations after ethanol ingestion.
• No significant impairment was observed in the studied bat species.

Conclusions:

• The studied bats demonstrate a notable tolerance to ethanol.
• This tolerance may facilitate the use of ephemeral food resources by bats.
• Broad ethanol tolerance patterns suggest a significant role in the evolution of bat frugivory and nectarivory.