Skip to main content
Log in

Roosting together, foraging apart: information transfer about food is unlikely to explain sociality in female Bechstein's bats (Myotis bechsteinii)

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

To explain coloniality in birds and bats, communal roosts have been hypothesized to serve as information centers where colony members transfer knowledge about their habitat. If information is exchanged about food, individuals with low hunting success benefit by following successful foragers to their profitable feeding sites. Colony members should therefore forage together regularly and move in pairs or groups among different feeding places. In 1996 and 1997, we used radio-telemetry to study the nightly habitat use of ten adult female Bechstein's bats (Myotis bechsteinii) living in one maternity colony. Over several nights, each bat revisited its own foraging area, although females regularly switched day-roosts at the same time. Most individual foraging areas showed no, or only little, overlap with each other. Distances between individual activity centers were negatively and significantly correlated with the degree of individual day-roost association. Genetic similarity among colony members, determined using seven nuclear microsatellites, was significantly positively correlated with the degree of overlap among individual areas. Five females were repeatedly radio-tracked at different seasons, months apart. Even between years, all bats maintained their individual hunting areas. Because females are very loyal to their individual foraging areas and these areas are typically substantial distances from each other, information transfer about feeding sites is unlikely to be the crucial factor promoting coloniality. Therefore, other benefits of sociality like cooperative breeding may cause communal roosting. Strong fidelity to individual foraging areas suggests the importance of familiarity with the local habitat, and profound site knowledge could be a crucial "resource", promoting female philopatry in Bechstein's bats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Electronic Publication

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kerth, G., Wagner, M. & König, B. Roosting together, foraging apart: information transfer about food is unlikely to explain sociality in female Bechstein's bats (Myotis bechsteinii). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 50, 283–291 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650100352

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650100352

Navigation