Anti-predator behavioral responses of neotropical bats in the presence of artificial light

In this study, we conducted an experiment to assess the effect of artificial light and simulated acoustic predators on the behavior of two distinct bat trophic guilds: insectivorous and frugivorous. Our findings suggest that while insectivorous bats did not exhibit any behavioral changes in response to either stimulus, frugivorous bats increased their vocalizations and number of passes. These results lend support to the predation risk hypothesis in frugivorous bats but do not corroborate this hypothesis in insectivorous bats. The data for the experiments conducted are included in each file.