Predictors of dominance rank and agonistic interactions in captive Livingstone’s fruit bats

Author:

Richdon Sarah12ORCID,Price Eluned3,Wormell Dominic3,Jones Gareth1,McCabe Grainne2

Affiliation:

1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol , 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ , UK

2. Bristol Zoological Society , Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA , UK

3. Jersey Zoo , La Profonde Rue , Jersey, JE3 5BP , UK

Abstract

AbstractMale dominance hierarchies have been studied in many animals but rarely in bats (Chiroptera). The dominance rank of social animals may dictate access to resources and mates; therefore, it has important implications for an individual’s fitness and is crucial for successful captive management. Between January and December 2018, at both Bristol Zoo Gardens (Bristol, UK) and Jersey Zoo (Jersey, British Isles), we observed 19 male Livingstone’s fruit bats Pteropus livingstonii using focal follows for 345 h overall, noting the outcome of all agonistic interactions. We recorded instigators of interactions, along with winners and losers, and analyzed these data using the R-package “EloRating” to create Elo-rating temporal plots of dominance ranks. We used generalized linear mixed models and multiple linear regression to analyze interaction data and test hypotheses regarding predictors of dominance rank, frequency of agonistic interaction, and choice of interaction partner. Age was positively correlated with dominance rank up to around year 9, when an asymptote was attained. Highly ranked bats instigated the most agonistic interactions, and largely directed these interactions at bats with much lower rankings than themselves. Hierarchies were extremely stable throughout the data collection period at both sites. We conclude that Livingstone’s fruit bats have a stable linear dominance hierarchy, with high-ranking, typically older males instigating the most interactions with lowest ranking males to secure dominance rank. This study adds to the limited discourse on Pteropus social behaviors, indicating that some bat species may have social systems similar in complexity to some nonhuman primates.

Funder

Bristol Zoological Society

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Animal Science and Zoology

Cited by 1 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3