Chapter 16 - Sexual Selection in Neotropical Bats

Abstract

Neotropical bats are an ecologically diverse group of mammals that elucidate important mechanisms of sexual selection. Based on six on-hand case studies, I infer that olfactory communication is an important, if not the most important, sensory modality for female choice and male–male competition in bats. Sexually dimorphic glands and sexually selected behaviors such as odor blending and olfactory displays have been described for males of various species. Even though bats are best known for their exceptional acoustic capabilities, namely echolocation, sexually selected vocalizations seem to be rare; however, future studies may increase the number of documented cases. Given that bats are mostly active at low light levels, visual signals are unlikely to be under strong sexual selection in bats. Nonetheless, some morphological features, traits, and courtship displays of male bats fulfill the criteria of sexually selected visual signals in this group of strictly nocturnal mammals. Roost choice and dietary habits are presumably the main factors driving bat social and mating systems. These factors also define the genetic relatedness within male or female groups in colonies, and thus largely influence corresponding reproductive tactics. The role of sperm competition, complex vocalizations, and the subtle ways of olfactory deception seem to offer promising routes for future investigations in neotropical bats.