Abstract
The complexity of social signals is thought to depend on the complexity of social systems, but evidence from wild animals is scarce. Here, we investigated the chemical information provided by individual male greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), a small, long-lived neotropical bat species with a harem-polygynous mating system. We analysed the chemical fingerprints of wing-sac liquids that are displayed by males in front of females. Specifically, we tested if fingerprints of 45 males included information about age (adult, juvenile), year of sampling, and distance between colonies. We confirmed age-specific differences in male-specific substances, but show furthermore that chemical fingerprints correlate with year of collection and distance between colonies. Thus, the wing-sac chemistry of male S. bilineata conveys a multitude of information, which can potentially be used by conspecifics, especially by females to assess the status of potential mates. Our study provides evidence for a multidimensionality of chemical information in a free-ranging mammal with high social complexity.
Highlights
Mammalian chemical signals are often complex and encode multiple information for intraspecific communication (Burger, 2005; Setchell et al, 2010; delBarco-Trillo et al, 2012; Stoffel et al, 2015)
The analysis of similarities showed that chemical samples of the same individual were on average more similar to each other than between different individuals
When male-specific substances were removed from the analysis, no difference could be detected between the chemical fingerprints of juvenile and adult males
Summary
Mammalian chemical signals are often complex and encode multiple information for intraspecific communication (Burger, 2005; Setchell et al, 2010; delBarco-Trillo et al, 2012; Stoffel et al, 2015). This is especially true for long-lived species that form stable social groups, where signals are shaped by a variety of selective forces (Gorman and Trowbridge, 1989; Voigt et al, 2008). Colonies of up to 50 members are organized in harems consisting of one territorial male and several
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