Use of exclusive roosting ranges in disc-winged bats, Thyroptera tricolor

Abstract

Species displaying high levels of resource specialization frequently exhibit territorial behaviour to secure access to vital resources. Here we studied the roosting ranges of T. tricolor's social groups, a bat species known for its specialization in using developing tubular leaves as roosts. Our main goal was to examine the potential occurrence of territoriality by analysing the extent of overlap between roosting ranges and its association with the daily availability of tubular leaves. We also explored the possible correlation between group size, the size of roosting ranges and the abundance of tubular leaves within these ranges. Our findings revealed that social groups maintained exclusive roosting areas, with minimal overlap observed among neighbouring groups, particularly when the density of roosting sites was moderate. No significant relationship was observed between group size and roosting range size or the number of tubular leaves within these ranges. Based on our results, we confidently propose the existence of territorial behaviour in this species.