Landing manoeuvres predict roost-site preferences in bats

Data set and R scripts for the manuscript: <br> Landing manoeuvres predict roost-site preferences in bats. Journal of Experimental Biology <br> Gloriana Chaverri, Marcelo Araya-Salas, Jose Pablo Barrantes, Tere Uribe-Etxebarria, Marcela Peña-Acuña, Angie Liz Varela, Joxerra Aihartza <br> Abstract Roosts are vital for the survival of many species, and how individuals choose one site over another is affected by various factors. In bats, for example, species may use stiff roosts such as caves or compliant ones such as leaves; each type requires not only specific morphological adaptations but also different landing manoeuvres. Selecting a suitable roost within those broad categories may increase landing performance, reducing accidents and decreasing exposure time to predators. We address whether bats select specific roost sites based on the availability of a suitable landing surface, which could increase landing performance. Our study focuses on Spix’s disc-winged bats (<em>Thyroptera tricolor</em>), a species known to roost within developing tubular leaves. Since previous studies show that this species relies on the leaves’ apex for safe landing and rapid post-landing settlement, we predict that bats will prefer to roost in tubular structures with a longer apex and that landing will be consistently more effective on those leaves. Field observations showed that <em>T. tricolor </em>predominantly used two species for roosting, <em>Heliconia imbricata</em> and <em>Calathea lutea</em>, but they preferred roosting in the former. The main difference between these two plant species was the length of the leaf’s apex (longer in <em>H. imbricata</em>). Experiments in a flight cage also show that bats use more consistent approach and landing tactics when accessing leaves with a longer apex. Our results suggest that biomechanics may strongly influence resource selection, especially when complex manoeuvres are needed to acquire those resources. <br> Preprint: https://www.authorea.com/users/471894/articles/563110-landing-manoeuvres-predict-roost-site-preferences-in-bats?commit=f72ceb37c10f3cf14ac2e8ef460aa5aac3aa2e0e

本数据集与对应论文配套的R脚本：<br> 论文：《着陆机动行为可预测蝙蝠的栖息位点偏好》，刊载于《实验生物学杂志》<br> 作者：Gloriana Chaverri、Marcelo Araya-Salas、Jose Pablo Barrantes、Tere Uribe-Etxebarria、Marcela Peña-Acuña、Angie Liz Varela、Joxerra Aihartza<br> 摘要 栖息位点是诸多物种生存的关键保障，个体对栖息位点的选择受多重因素共同影响。以蝙蝠为例，其栖息环境可分为洞穴这类硬质栖息场所，以及叶片这类柔性栖息场所两类；每类栖息环境不仅需要匹配特定的形态适应特征，还对应差异化的着陆机动模式。在宽泛的栖息类别中筛选合适的位点，能够提升着陆表现，降低事故发生率并缩短暴露于捕食者的时长。本研究旨在探讨蝙蝠是否会基于适宜着陆表面的可获得性来选择特定栖息位点，以此提升着陆性能。<br> 本研究聚焦于斯氏盘翼蝠（*Thyroptera tricolor*），该物种以在发育中的管状叶片内栖息而闻名。既往研究表明，该物种依赖叶片尖端实现安全着陆与着陆后快速定居，因此我们提出预测：蝙蝠更偏好栖息于具有更长尖端的管状结构中，且在这类叶片上的着陆行为会更具一致性。<br> 野外观察结果显示，*T. tricolor* 主要以两种植物作为栖息宿主：*Heliconia imbricata* 与 *Calathea lutea*，但它们更倾向于栖息于前者。这两种植物的核心差异在于叶片尖端的长度（*H. imbricata* 的叶片尖端更长）。<br> 飞行笼实验同样证实，当蝙蝠接触具有更长尖端的叶片时，其接近与着陆策略会更具一致性。<br> 本研究结果表明，生物力学可能会对资源选择产生强烈影响，尤其是在获取资源需要复杂机动行为的场景下。<br> 预印本：https://www.authorea.com/users/471894/articles/563110-landing-manoeuvres-predict-roost-site-preferences-in-bats?commit=f72ceb37c10f3cf14ac2e8ef460aa5aac3aa2e0e