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Geographical and individual variation in echolocation calls of the intermediate leaf‐nosed bat, Hipposideros larvatus
Author(s) -
Jiang Tinglei,
Liu Rong,
Metzner Walter,
You Yuyan,
Li Shi,
Liu Sen,
Feng Jiang
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01785.x
Subject(s) - allopatric speciation , variation (astronomy) , sympatric speciation , human echolocation , biology , geography , ecology , demography , population , physics , neuroscience , sociology , astrophysics
The cause and significance of variation in echolocation call frequency within hipposiderid bats is not well understood despite an increasing number of allopatric and sympatric examples being documented. We examined variation patterns in the resting frequency (RF) of echolocation calls emitted by the intermediate leaf‐nosed bat, Hipposideros larvatus , on a broad geographical scale. Data mining technology and Kruskal–Wallis test both showed substantial variation with a longitudinal pattern in RF in H. larvatus among colonies, and this variation was associated with geographical distance and not body size. In addition, we found that a high degree of variability between individuals was hidden under the geographical variation. The results support an effect of random cultural drift, and challenge the prey detection hypothesis. Moreover, an acoustic difference among local island colonies may be indicative of a vocal dialect. We found that each colony of H. larvatus seems to maintain a ‘private bandwidth’, which could be used for colony identity and individual communication thus helping individuals and colonies to get a number of fitness benefits.