Abstract
Abstract Animals have evolved diverse strategies to use social information for increasing foraging success and efficiency. Echolocating bats, for example, can eavesdrop on bats foraging nearby because they shift from search-phase calls to feeding buzzes when they detect prey. Feeding buzzes can directly convey information about prey presence, but it is unknown whether search-phase calls also convey social information. Here, we investigated whether search-phase echolocation calls, distinct calls produced by some bat species to scan large open areas for prey, can additionally convey individual identity. We tested this in Molossus molossus, a neotropical insectivorous bat that forages with group members, presumably to find ephemeral insect swarms more efficiently. We caught M. molossus from six different social groups and recorded their search-phase calls during a standardized release procedure, then recaptured and tested 19 marked bats with habituation–dishabituation playback experiments. We showed that they can discriminate between group members based on search-phase calls, and our statistical analysis of call parameters supported the presence of individual signatures in search-phase calls. Individual discrimination is a prerequisite of individual recognition, which may allow M. molossus to maintain contact with group members while foraging without using specialized signals for communication.
Highlights
In most animals, foraging efficiency is crucial for fitness (Morse and Fritz 1987)
We investigated whether search-phase echolocation calls, distinct calls produced by some bat species to scan large open areas for prey, can convey individual identity
Molossus molossus used search-phase echolocation calls to discriminate between individual group members
Summary
In most animals, foraging efficiency is crucial for fitness (Morse and Fritz 1987). Many animals can increase their foraging efficiency by using social information (Giraldeau and Caraco 2000). When food is difficult to find yet abundant when found, the benefits of acquiring social information about where food is located can outweigh the cost of having to share the food resource with group members (Ranta et al 1993). These benefits are greatest for animals that exploit patchy ephemeral resources, which are unpredictable in space or time and, unlikely to be encountered when searching alone (Pulliam and Millikan 1982; Clark and Mangel 1984; Deygout et al 2010; Bhattacharya and Vicsek 2014). Olfactory information about the location of food may only be useful if the food source persists long enough to allow following of group
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