Abstract
Sexual dimorphism can lead to differences in foraging style among conspecifics due to morphological differences. Within bats, maneuverability and speed of flight are influenced by wing shape and size, which may differ between sexes. Female bats gain about 30% of their body mass during pregnancy, affecting their agility and flight efficiency. To fill the same foraging niche as males, pregnant female bats would require wing size and (or) shape modifications to maintain maneuverability. We investigated sexual dimorphism in bat wing morphology and how it varies among foraging guilds. Wing photos of male and female adult bats (19 species) in Canada, Belize, and Dominica were analyzed using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics, wing loading, and aspect ratios. Nonpregnant female bats had higher wing loading than males, suggesting that they are less maneuverable than males. Additionally, mass increases during pregnancy may not permit female bats to forage as male conspecifics do. Wing shape differed minimally among foraging guilds with only frugivores differing significantly from all other guilds. Further studies should investigate how female bats forage during their reproductive cycle and determine how frugivore wings differ and whether there are individual differences in wing shape that are not consistent among bat species.
Highlights
Sexual dimorphism is found in many species, resulting in differences in morphology between sexes (Hedrick and Temeles 1989; Pasinelli 2000)
Disparity analyses conducted among foraging guilds reveal that frugivore wing shape is significantly different from aerial insectivores (p < 0.05) and insectivore gleaners (p < 0.01), while there is no difference in wing shape between aerial insectivores and insectivore gleaners (p = 0.060)
Our study examined sexual dimorphism in bat wing shapes for various foraging guilds, and our results show that foraging guild, but not sex, influences the shape of the wing
Summary
Sexual dimorphism is found in many species, resulting in differences in morphology between sexes (Hedrick and Temeles 1989; Pasinelli 2000). Within the mammalian order Chiroptera (bats), maneuverability and speed of flight are influenced by morphology, which may differ between sexes and affect aspects of their ecological niche such as foraging style. Bats are the only mammalian order that has evolved true flight, due to the elongation of the metacarpals and phalanges producing a wing membrane, over which lift and thrust are able to be produced (Hedenstrom and Johansson 2015). Flight provides many benefits to bats, such as being able to exploit prey
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