Abstract
Behavioural ecologists increasingly recognise spatial memory as one the most influential cognitive traits involved in evolutionary processes. In particular, spatial working memory (SWM), i.e. the ability of animals to store temporarily useful information for current foraging tasks, determines the foraging efficiency of individuals. As a consequence, SWM also has the potential to influence competitive abilities and to affect patterns of sympatric occurrence among closely related species. The present study aims at comparing the efficiency of SWM between generalist (Glossophaga soricina) and specialist (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) nectarivorous bats at flowering patches. The two species differ in diet – the generalist diet including seasonally fruits and insects with nectar and pollen while the specialist diet is dominated by nectar and pollen yearlong – and in some morphological traits – the specialist being heavier and with proportionally longer rostrum than the generalist. These bats are found sympatrically within part of their range in the Neotropics. We habituated captive individuals to feed on artificial flower patches and we used infrared video recordings to monitor their ability to remember and avoid the spatial location of flowers they emptied in previous visits in the course of 15-min foraging sequences. Experiments revealed that both species rely on SWM as their foraging success attained significantly greater values than random expectations. However, the nectar specialist L. yerbabuenae was significantly more efficient at extracting nectar (+28% in foraging success), and sustained longer foraging bouts (+27% in length of efficient foraging sequences) than the generalist G. soricina. These contrasting SWM performances are discussed in relation to diet specialization and other life history traits.
Highlights
The past decade has witnessed the rise of a new approach to animal behaviour, called cognitive ecology [1]
We have shown in this study that both species use spatial working memory (SWM) to improve their foraging success in flower patches, i.e. they have developed abilities to remember the location of visited flowers during past visit sequences
The nectar specialist L. yerbabuenae is more efficient at this task, showing both greater foraging efficiency and longer efficient foraging sequences
Summary
The past decade has witnessed the rise of a new approach to animal behaviour, called cognitive ecology [1]. Cognitive ecology is concerned with the process of decision-making in animals in their environment, and its consequences for reproductive success. The logical reasoning behind this is that better cognitive abilities enhance animals’ fitness by improving their ability to acquire food, escape predators or choose mates ([2] and other references therein). Animals relying on spatially scattered food resources, such as seed-caching birds, may develop better spatial memory skills than conspecific individuals with different foraging habits [3]. Spatial memory consists of the mental storage of spatial coordinates of past visited locations. This information may be used for subsequent relocation of roosts and high-quality food sources [4], or avoidance of areas with high predation risks [5]
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