ANI
18 Aug 2019, 20:07 GMT+10
Washington D.C. [USA], Aug 18 (ANI): Researchers with the help of miniaturized satellite-based tags have revealed that during drier periods desert bats must fly further and longer to fulfill their nightly needs.
Researchers used 1g GPS devices to reconstruct the movement of yellow-winged bats, one of two false vampire bats occurring in Africa and one of the few desert bats large enough to carry this innovative technology.
"GPS tags have seen up to now a limited use with insectivorous bats due to weight constraints and low success in data collection -- we achieved great results in tracking such a light species," said Irene Conenna, a PhD candidate at the University of Helsinki and the lead author of the study published in the journal -- Movement Ecology.
"Bats are some of the most successful desert mammals. Powered flight allows them to efficiently track scarce resources and their nocturnal lifestyle buffers them from the baking sun. However, they still struggle to find enough resources during the drier periods of the year," said Ricardo Rocha, one of the co-authors of the paper.
The study was conducted in Sibiloi National Park, Northern Kenya, along the shores of Lake Turkana, the world's largest desert lake. Researchers placed GPS loggers in 29 bats, 15 in the rainy season and 14 in the dry and, for one week.
Their whereabouts were recorded every 30 to 60 minutes every night. This revealed that during dry periods bats used larger home ranges and had extended activity periods, potentially to compensate for a shortage in food resources.
Wildlife tracking has revolutionised the study of animal movement and their behavior. Yet, tracking small, flying animals such as desert bats remained challenging. Now a new generation of miniaturised satellite-based tags is allowing unique insights into the life of these mysterious mammals.
Bats comprise roughly one-fifth of all mammal species and deserts are home to over 150 bat species. They display wide variation in morphology, foraging behavior, and habitat use, making them an excellent indicator group for assessing how species respond to changes in their habitats.
"The responses exhibited by bats offer important insights into the responses of other taxonomic groups. These new miniaturised satellite-based tags now allow us to better understand how increased aridity affects bats foraging efficiency, leading us one step forward to understanding limits in aridity tolerance and impacts of climate change," explained Conenna.
"Understanding how animals cope with seasonal changes is key to understand how they might react to the challenges in the horizon. New technological devices, such as miniaturised satellite-based loggers, go a long way to help us in this task," added Mar Cabeza, senior author of the study, University of Helsinki. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Madagascar Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Madagascar Sun.
More InformationThose who think the ICC is a great idea that just needs some reforms fail to grasp its fundamental problems ...
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Highlighting the need to bolster cooperation between new Delhi and Brussels in the areas of digital...
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the European Union joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans...
(Photo credit: John Reed-Imagn Images) Top-ranked Auburn has clinched a double bye in the upcoming Southeastern Conference tournament...
Protests have been organized in Pretoria against Rheinmetall over weapon sales to Israel and Ukraine A group of demonstrators braved...
New Delhi (India), February 28 (ANI): European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday referenced the ongoing unique celestial...
WARSAW, Poland: Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed over the weekend that Poland has been covering the cost of Ukraine's...
Israel sustained the West's support for its slaughter in Gaza for 15 months only through an intensive campaign of lies. It invented...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Pentagon announced this week that it will cut 5,400 jobs as part of President Donald Trump's plan to shrink the...
SACRAMENTO, California: California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging Congress to approve nearly US$40 billion in federal assistance to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A U.S. government scholarship program designed to help students from underserved and rural areas attend historically...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A proposed 10 percent U.S. tariff on oil imports could deal a US$10 billion annual blow to foreign producers, particularly...