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Christensen C, Bracken AM, O'Riain MJ, Fehlmann G, Holton M, Hopkins P, King AJ, Fürtbauer I. Quantifying allo-grooming in wild chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus) using tri-axial acceleration data and machine learning. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221103. [PMID: 37063984 PMCID: PMC10090879 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Quantification of activity budgets is pivotal for understanding how animals respond to changes in their environment. Social grooming is a key activity that underpins various social processes with consequences for health and fitness. Traditional methods use direct (focal) observations to calculate grooming rates, providing systematic but sparse data. Accelerometers, in contrast, can quantify activity budgets continuously but have not been used to quantify social grooming. We test whether grooming can be accurately identified using machine learning (random forest model) trained on labelled acceleration data from wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). We successfully identified giving and receiving grooming with high precision (81% and 91%) and recall (87% and 79%). Giving grooming was associated with a distinct rhythmical signal along the surge axis. Receiving grooming had similar acceleration signals to resting, and thus was more difficult to assign. We applied our machine learning model to n = 680 collar data days from n = 12 baboons and found that grooming rates obtained from accelerometers were significantly and positively correlated with direct observation rates for giving but not receiving grooming. The ability to collect continuous grooming data in wild populations will allow researchers to re-examine and expand upon long-standing questions regarding the formation and function of grooming bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Christensen
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Anna M. Bracken
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - M. Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Gaëlle Fehlmann
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Mark Holton
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Phillip Hopkins
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Andrew J. King
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Ines Fürtbauer
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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Fernandez AA, Schmidt C, Schmidt S, Rodríguez-Herrera B, Knörnschild M. Social behaviour and vocalizations of the tent-roosting Honduran white bat. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248452. [PMID: 34379619 PMCID: PMC8357122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats are highly gregarious animals, displaying a large spectrum of social systems with different organizational structures. One important factor shaping sociality is group stability. To maintain group cohesion and stability, bats often rely on vocal communication. The Honduran white bat, Ectophylla alba, exhibits an unusual social structure compared to other tent-roosting species. This small white-furred bat lives in perennial stable mixed-sex groups. Tent construction requires several individuals and, as the only tent roosting species so far, involves both sexes. The bats´ social system and ecology render this species an interesting candidate to study social behaviour and vocal communication. In our study, we investigated the social behaviour and vocalizations of E. alba in the tent by observing two stable groups, including pups, in the wild. We documented 16 different behaviours, among others play and fur chewing, a behaviour presumably used for scent-marking. Moreover, we found 10 distinct social call types in addition to echolocation calls, and for seven call types we were able to identify the corresponding broad behavioural context. Most of the social call types were affiliative, including two types of contact calls, maternal directive calls, pup isolation calls and a call type related to the fur-chewing behaviour. In sum, this study entails an ethogram and describes the social vocalizations of a tent-roosting phyllostomid bat, providing the basis for further in-depth studies about the sociality and vocal communication in E. alba.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahana Aurora Fernandez
- Museum für Naturkunde—Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (AAF); (MK)
| | | | - Stefanie Schmidt
- Institute of Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera
- Escuela de Biología, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde—Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama
- Animal Behavior Lab, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (AAF); (MK)
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Rathinakumar A, Baheerathan M, Caspers BA, Erinjery JJ, Kaliraj P, Baskaran S, Marimuthu G. Male Chemical Signalling to Recruit Females in the Greater Short-Nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2021. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2021.23.1.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anbalagan Rathinakumar
- Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
| | - Murugavel Baheerathan
- Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
| | - Barbara A. Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Perumalswamy Kaliraj
- Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
| | - Subbian Baskaran
- Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
| | - Ganapathy Marimuthu
- Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, India
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Light, flight and the night: effect of ambient light and moon phase on flight activity of pteropodid bats. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 207:59-68. [PMID: 33537858 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01461-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Fruit-feeding pteropodid bats roost under varying light conditions. Some roost in trees with high exposure to daylight (> 1000 lx), while others roost in dark caves (< 0.1 lx). To understand the effect of ambient light intensity and moon phase on flight activity, we examined flight times across five lunar cycles in three pteropodid species whose roosts differ in daylight exposure. We found significant interspecific differences in flight emergence and termination times. All species initiated flights after sunset but Rousettus leschenaultii, which typically roosts in caves, delayed emergence (40 ± 11 min) more than the two tree-roosting species Pteropus giganteus (16 ± 6 min) and Cynopterus sphinx (19 ± 7 min). R. leschenaultii terminated flights earlier (30 ± 7 min before sunrise) than P. giganteus (11 ± 11 min) and C. sphinx (16 ± 10 min). All individuals from P. giganteus and C. sphinx roosts emerged within less than an hour, while emergence times were more spread out in the R. leschenaultii colony. Peak emergence times differed across moon phases in the cave-roosting R. leschenaultii but not in the other species. Flight activity in R. leschenaultii is restricted to comparatively lower light levels than the tree-roosting species. The observed interspecific differences suggest that bat species, sharing same landscapes may respond differently to light pollution.
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Abstract
Abstract
Allogrooming provides a window into the social lives of many group-living mammals and birds. The fitness benefits of allogrooming are encouraged by proximate mechanisms that make it physiologically rewarding for both actors and receivers. However, receivers might not always benefit from allogrooming. Some allogrooming decisions might be the actor’s response to cues of the recipient’s need. Other decisions might only be caused by the actor’s motivational state. To test these ideas, we studied what triggers allogrooming in common vampire bats. In test 1, subjects that had experimentally disturbed and wetted fur were more likely to be allogroomed, even when controlling for increased self-grooming. In test 2, allogrooming rates were elevated not only by receiver self-grooming (a cue for receiver need) but also by the actor’s previous self-grooming. Both effects were significantly greater than the effect of self-grooming by third parties. Interestingly, we detected a negative interaction: the positive effect of receiver need on allogrooming was smaller when the actor was previously self-grooming. This is consistent with the hypothesis that there are “receiver-driven” allogrooming decisions, which are responses to recipient need, and “actor-driven” decisions, which are not. We predict that receiver-driven allogrooming will bestow greater benefits to recipients compared with actor-driven allogrooming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Narizano
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado, Republic of Panama
| | - Gerald G Carter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado, Republic of Panama
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Chaverri G, Ancillotto L, Russo D. Social communication in bats. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1938-1954. [PMID: 29766650 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bats represent one of the most diverse mammalian orders, not only in terms of species numbers, but also in their ecology and life histories. Many species are known to use ephemeral and/or unpredictable resources that require substantial investment to find and defend, and also engage in social interactions, thus requiring significant levels of social coordination. To accomplish these tasks, bats must be able to communicate; there is now substantial evidence that demonstrates the complexity of bat communication and the varied ways in which bats solve some of the problems associated with their unique life histories. However, while the study of communication in bats is rapidly growing, it still lags behind other taxa. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of communication in bats, from the reasons why they communicate to the diversity and application of different signal modalities. The most widespread form of communication is the transmission of a signaller's characteristics, such as species identity, sex, individual identity, group membership, social status and body condition, and because many species of bats can rely little on vision due to their nocturnal lifestyles, it is assumed that sound and olfaction are particularly important signalling modes. For example, research suggests that secretions from specialized glands, often in combination with urine and saliva, are responsible for species recognition in several species. These olfactory signals may also convey information about sex and colony membership. Olfaction may be used in combination with sound, particularly in species that emit constant frequency (CF) echolocation calls, to recognize conspecifics from heterospecifics, yet their simple structure and high frequency do not allow much information of individual identity to be conveyed over long distances. By contrast, social calls may encode a larger number of cues of individual identity, and their lower frequencies increase their range of detection. Social calls are also known to deter predators, repel competitors from foraging patches, attract group mates to roost sites, coordinate foraging activities, and are used during courtship. In addition to sound, visual displays such as wing flapping or hovering may be used during courtship, and swarming around roost sites may serve as a visual cue of roost location. However, visual communication in bats still remains a poorly studied signal modality. Finally, the most common form of tactile communication known in bats is social grooming, which may be used to signal reproductive condition, but also to facilitate and strengthen cooperative interactions. Overall, this review demonstrates the rapid advances made in the study of bat social communication during recent years, and also identifies topics that require further study, particularly those that may allow us to understand adaptation to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloriana Chaverri
- Recinto de Golfito, Universidad de Costa Rica, Golfito, 60701, Costa Rica
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, Portici NA 80055, Italy
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, Portici NA 80055, Italy.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, U.K
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Mahandran V, Murugan CM, Nathan PT. Effect of female group size on harem male roosting behavior of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx. Acta Ethol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-017-0276-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Hengjan Y, Pramono D, Takemae H, Kobayashi R, Iida K, Ando T, Kasmono S, Basri C, Fitriana YS, Arifin EMZ, Ohmori Y, Maeda K, Agungpriyono S, Hondo E. Daytime behavior of Pteropus vampyrus in a natural habitat: the driver of viral transmission. J Vet Med Sci 2017; 79:1125-1133. [PMID: 28496012 PMCID: PMC5487794 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.16-0643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Flying foxes, the genus Pteropus, are considered viral reservoirs. Their
colonial nature and long flight capability enhance their ability to spread viruses
quickly. To understand how the viral transmission occurs between flying foxes and other
animals, we investigated daytime behavior of the large flying fox (Pteropus
vampyrus) in the Leuweung Sancang conservation area, Indonesia, by using
instantaneous scan sampling and all-occurrence focal sampling. The data were obtained from
0700 to 1700 hr, during May 11–25, 2016. Almost half of the flying foxes (46.9 ± 10.6% of
all recorded bats) were awake and showed various levels of activity during daytime. The
potential behaviors driving disease transmission, such as self-grooming, mating/courtship
and aggression, peaked in the early morning. Males were more active and spent more time on
sexual activities than females. There was no significant difference in time spent for
negative social behaviors between sexes. Positive social behaviors, especially maternal
cares, were performed only by females. Sexual activities and negative/positive social
behaviors enable fluid exchange between bats and thus facilitate intraspecies
transmission. Conflicts for living space between the flying foxes and the ebony leaf
monkey (Trachypithecus auratus) were observed, and this caused daily
roosting shifts of flying foxes. The ecological interactions between bats and other
wildlife increase the risk of interspecies infection. This study provides the details of
the flying fox’s behavior and its interaction with other wildlife in South-East Asia that
may help explain how pathogen spillover occurs in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupadee Hengjan
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Didik Pramono
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Hitoshi Takemae
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Keisuke Iida
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ando
- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Jakarta 10270, Indonesia
| | - Supratikno Kasmono
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Chaerul Basri
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | | | - Eko M Z Arifin
- Livestock, Fisheries and Marine Services, Garut 44118, Indonesia
| | - Yasushige Ohmori
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Ken Maeda
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan
| | - Srihadi Agungpriyono
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Eiichi Hondo
- Laboratory of Animal Morphology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
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