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Swarming behaviour associated with group cohesion in tree-dwelling bats.
1Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ľ. Štúra 2, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia.
Behavioural Processes
|September 15, 2015
Summary
Social bats use nighttime swarming behavior to collectively choose new roosts. This ensures group cohesion during frequent roost switching, enhancing survival and resource use.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Animal Social Systems
- Bat Conservation
Background:
- Group living in social species enhances survival and resource exploitation.
- Bats frequently switch roosts, often over long distances, with temporary group disintegration during foraging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanism by which group members select new roosts without complete group disintegration.
- To investigate the role of swarming activity in roost selection for Leisler's bats.
Main Methods:
- Automatic infrared monitors recorded activity at tree hollow entrances.
- Generalized linear models analyzed the association between group size, season, and swarming activity.
Main Results:
- Swarming activity in Leisler's bats occurred throughout the night, peaking before civil twilight at occupied roosts.
- Group size positively correlated with swarming activity; season had a smaller negative effect.
- Bats swarmed sites regardless of occupancy, suggesting exploration of multiple potential roosts.
Conclusions:
- Swarming behavior may signal potential roost sites to colony members.
- This threshold behavior ensures group cohesion during the process of roost switching.
- Swarming facilitates collective decision-making for roost selection in bats.
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