The opportunistic bats: Microchiropteran-elephant commensalism across the seasons

In Africa, insectivorous birds have been shown to have higher foraging rate and capture success when in the presence of herbivores, particularly elephants. As elephants also forage past sunset, it is possible that microchiropterans take advantage of the disturbances elephants cause while foraging. This foraging flushes insects out into the open for predation. However, this potential ecological interaction has received little attention in past studies. This study examined the effect that elephants have on Microchiroptera activity and compared our findings to previous studies conducted during the dry season. In order to assess bat activity, we located foraging elephants and recorded bat calls around them. The bats recorded were mostly open-air bats and a few clutter-edge bats. Too few clutter bats were found to perform statistical analysis. Studies during the wet season show no significant difference in bat activity in the presence or absence of elephants. However, during the dry season, there is significantly more clutter and clutter-edge bat activity in the presence of elephants than in the control recordings. In addition, there is a higher level of clutter and clutter-edge bat activity, in the presence of elephants, during the dry season than in the wet season. Microchiropteran-elephant commensal relationships are seasonal and increase during the dry season, when prey species are not as accessible. Bats are often considered important indicators of environmental stability, and research like this can provide information on the health of the ecosystem. Furthermore, studying their interactions with elephants can help in the ongoing controversy regarding elephants and the potential stress and instability they cause in the environment. In addition, as bird-elephant commensalism is well-understood as an important ecological interaction, it is possible that bat-elephant commensalism is equally important among nocturnal organisms.