Do social networks of female northern long-eared bats vary with reproductive period and age? |
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Authors: | Krista J Patriquin Marty L Leonard Hugh G Broders Colin J Garroway |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 4J1;(2) Department of Biology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 3C3;(3) Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9J 7B8 |
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Abstract: | Social structure, which is a function of the patterns of interactions among individuals, is particularly variable in fission–fusion
societies. The underlying factors that drive this variation are poorly understood. Female northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) live in fission–fusion societies where females form preferred associations within groups that vary daily in size and composition
as individuals switch roosts. The goal of our study was to test the predictions that preferred associations and social networks
of female northern long-eared bats vary with reproductive period and age. We also tested the prediction that preferred relationships
persist across years despite movements from summer roosts to winter hibernacula. Network analyses revealed that during gestation,
females roosted in smaller groups where they roosted more regularly with fewer individuals than during lactation. This variation
may reflect different social strategies to mediate higher energetic costs during lactation. Females of all ages roosted more
often with younger individuals, which in turn had more direct and indirect associations than all other age classes. Younger
individuals may play a role in maintaining connections between individuals, perhaps as a result of younger individuals being
more exploratory. Temporal analyses suggested that relationships can persist for years as some pairs roosted together for
multiple summers. We suggest that the dynamic nature of fission–fusion societies is associated with individual strategies
to increase fitness relative to individual characteristics, in this case reproductive condition and age. |
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