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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
15:31
Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture
Published on: October 23, 2019
Is tissue maturation necessary for flight? Changes in body composition during postnatal development in the big brown
Wendy R Hood1, Olav T Oftedal, Thomas H Kunz
1Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. wrhood@auburn.edu
Summary
Bat pups achieve near-adult body composition before weaning, suggesting extended lactation is crucial for developing flight capabilities, not just nutrient transfer. This highlights unique developmental strategies in bats.
Area of Science:
- Comparative physiology
- Developmental biology
- Animal energetics
Background:
- Offspring development is influenced by resource availability, individual capacity, and metabolic trade-offs.
- Bats exhibit a prolonged period of offspring dependency, necessitating investigation into its developmental drivers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the extended dependency in bats is linked to the requirement for advanced tissue maturation before flight.
- To analyze the body composition changes during postnatal growth in the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of body composition in Eptesicus fuscus during postnatal development.
- Measurement of body water, fat, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium concentrations.
Main Results:
- Newborn bats have high body water but achieve near-adult levels before weaning.
- Bat pups show elevated concentrations of fat and protein compared to adults pre-weaning.
- Mineral concentrations (Ca, P, Mg) exhibit distinct postnatal patterns, with magnesium declining and then stabilizing.
Conclusions:
- Extended lactation in bats appears necessary for achieving flight-ready tissue maturity, rather than solely for mineral transfer.
- Bats' developmental strategy for achieving independence through flight maturity differs from most mammals but resembles that of birds.
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