02261nas a2200229 4500008004100000245009200041210006900133260001600202520158200218653000901800653001301809653001701822653003001839100001601869700001201885700002001897700001501917700002001932700001401952700001601966856004901982 2018 eng d00aSocial vocalizations of big-footed myotis (Myotis macrodactylus) during foraging0 aSocial vocalizations of bigfooted myotis iMyotis macrodactylusi  cFeb-12-20203 a

Acoustic signals play a crucial role in transmitting information and maintaining social stability in gregarious animals, especially in echolocating bats which rely primarily on biological sonar for navigating in the dark. In the context of foraging without relying on tactile, visual, or olfactory cues, acoustic signals convey information not only on food, but also on ownership and defense of resources. However, studies on such information remain fragmentary. In the present study, we aim to document the social vocal repertoire of Myotis macrodactylus at natural foraging sites. Multiple acoustic analyses and spectrographic classification revealed a rich foraging vocal repertoire comprising 6 simple syllables and 2 composites. Discriminant function analyses associated with a subset‐validation procedure provided an optimal method to spectrographically classify all recorded sounds into different syllable types. Multidimensional scaling of median values of multiple parameters further confirmed notable differences among these syllables in a three‐dimensional space. In addition, Euclidean distance analysis showed that there were some spectral similarities between specific social vocal syllables and feeding buzzes, which implied a potential jamming role. Altogether, the data indicate that bats at foraging sites under natural conditions used variant social vocalizations with different functions in addition to echolocation calls, providing supporting evidence for further work on the function and vocal mechanisms of acoustic communication in mammals.

10abats10aforaging10aSocial calls10aSpectro-temporal features1 aGuo, Dongge1 aLuo, Bo1 aZhang, Kangkang1 aLIU, Muxun1 aMetzner, Walter1 aLiu, Ying1 aFeng, Jiang uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/1749-4877.1236702313nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001300041245008800054210006900142260001600211300001400227490000800241520150900249653002701758653000901785653003701794653001301831653001601844100001201860700001601872700001601888700001601904700001901920700001401939700001601953856006601969 2017 eng d a0003347200aSocial calls honestly signal female competitive ability in Asian particoloured bats0 aSocial calls honestly signal female competitive ability in Asian cJan-05-2017 a101 - 1080 v1273 a

Why a variety of social animals vocalize during agonistic foraging interactions remains obscure. One possibility is that these signals advertise the signaller's competitive ability, playing a role in the defence of food resources, yet there is limited evidence in support of this idea. Here, we used adult female Asian particoloured bats, Vespertilio sinensis, to test whether individual variation in competitive ability when foraging can be explained by social calls. Using synchronized infrared video and audio recording, we monitored bat social vocalizations, dominance rank and weight gain in triads under controlled food conditions. Additionally, subsequent playbacks, consisting of experimental stimuli, echolocation pulses and silence, were presented to feeding bats in a laboratory. Analyses showed that females uttered low-frequency social calls composed of one to five syllable types during feeding competition. The rates of social vocalizations increased with reduced food availability. Interestingly, dominance score and weight gain correlated weakly with body size, but positively with call rate and associated parameters. Playback of social calls inhibited the visits of bats to the focal food dish compared to playback of silence and echolocation pulses. The amount of food consumed was greatly reduced in the presence of experimental stimuli versus controls. Collectively, these results highlight that acoustic signals serve as an honest indicator of bat competitive ability.

10aaggressive interaction10abats10acompetitive ability echolocation10aforaging10asocial call1 aLuo, Bo1 aLu, Guanjun1 aChen, Kelly1 aGuo, Dongge1 aHuang, Xiaobin1 aLiu, Ying1 aFeng, Jiang uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347217300842