@article{SchneebergerSchulzeScheffleretal.2021,
  author    = {Schneeberger, Karin and Schulze, Michael and Scheffler, Ingo and Caspers, Barbara A.},
  title     = {Evidence of female preference for odor of distant over local males in a bat with female dispersal},
  series = {Behavioral ecology : the official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology},
  volume    = {32},
  journal   = {Behavioral ecology : the official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Oxford University Press},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1045-2249},
  doi       = {10.1093/beheco/arab003},
  pages     = {657 -- 661},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Geographic variation of sexually selected male traits is common in animals. Female choice also varies geographically and several studies found female preference for local males, which is assumed to lead to local adaptation and, therefore, increases fitness. As females are the nondispersing sex in most mammalian taxa, this preference for local males might be explained by the learning of male characteristics. Studies on the preference of females in female-dispersing species are lacking so far. To find out whether such females would also show preferences for local males, we conducted a study on greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), a species where females disperse and males stay in their natal colony. Male greater sac-winged bats possess a wing pouch that is filled with odoriferous secretion and fanned toward females during courtship display. In a combination of chemical analysis and behavioral preference tests, we analyzed whether the composition of wing sac secretion varies between two geographically distinct populations (300 km), and whether females show a preference for local or distant male scent. Using gas chromatography, we found significant differences in the composition of the wing sac odors between the two geographically distinct populations. In addition, the behavioral preference experiments revealed that females of both populations preferred the scent of geographically distant males over local males. The wing sac odor might thus be used to guarantee optimal outbreeding when dispersing to a new colony. This is-to our knowledge-the first study on odor preference of females of a species with female-biased dispersal.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MarggrafLindeckeVoigtetal.2023,
  author    = {Marggraf, Lara Christin and Lindecke, Oliver and Voigt, Christian C. and Pētersons, Gunārs and Voigt-Heucke, Silke Luise},
  title     = {Nathusius' bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, bypass mating opportunities of their own species, but respond to foraging heterospecifics on migratory transit flights},
  series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution},
  publisher = {Frontiers},
  address   = {Lausanne, Schweiz},
  issn      = {2296-701X},
  doi       = {10.3389/fevo.2022.908560},
  pages     = {1 -- 10},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {In late summer, migratory bats of the temperate zone face the challenge of accomplishing two energy-demanding tasks almost at the same time: migration and mating. Both require information and involve search efforts, such as localizing prey or finding potential mates. In non-migrating bat species, playback studies showed that listening to vocalizations of other bats, both con-and heterospecifics, may help a recipient bat to find foraging patches and mating sites. However, we are still unaware of the degree to which migrating bats depend on con-or heterospecific vocalizations for identifying potential feeding or mating opportunities during nightly transit flights. Here, we investigated the vocal responses of Nathusius' pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, to simulated feeding and courtship aggregations at a coastal migration corridor. We presented migrating bats either feeding buzzes or courtship calls of their own or a heterospecific migratory species, the common noctule, Nyctalus noctula. We expected that during migratory transit flights, simulated feeding opportunities would be particularly attractive to bats, as well as simulated mating opportunities which may indicate suitable roosts for a stopover. However, we found that when compared to the natural silence of both pre-and post-playback phases, bats called indifferently during the playback of conspecific feeding sounds, whereas P. nathusii echolocation call activity increased during simulated feeding of N. noctula. In contrast, the call activity of P. nathusii decreased during the playback of conspecific courtship calls, while no response could be detected when heterospecific call types were broadcasted. Our results suggest that while on migratory transits, P. nathusii circumnavigate conspecific mating aggregations, possibly to save time or to reduce the risks associated with social interactions where aggression due to territoriality might be expected. This avoidance behavior could be a result of optimization strategies by P. nathusii when performing long-distance migratory flights, and it could also explain the lack of a response to simulated conspecific feeding. However, the observed increase of activity in response to simulated feeding of N. noctula, suggests that P. nathusii individuals may be eavesdropping on other aerial hawking insectivorous species during migration, especially if these occupy a slightly different foraging niche.},
  language  = {en}
}