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Effect of artificial light on activity in frugivorous bats (Pteropodidae)

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Abstract

Artificial lighting at nights (ALAN) affects behaviour in many animals, especially nocturnal species. However, its effect on frugivorous bats remains less explored, especially in the family Pteropodidae. Since they rely predominantly on vision and light-based cues, ALAN at roost sites could have consequences on their behaviour, activity, and the ecosystem services they provide. In a semi-urban site in southern India, we compared the emergence-return activity of the cave-roosting Rousettus leschenaultii, between a roost in an undisturbed, naturally-lit agricultural well and an artificially-lit roost in a temple. We also compared emergence times between five colonies of the tree-roosting Pteropus giganteus (currently P. medius) that were exposed to different intensities of artificial light. Emergence-return flights at the naturally-lit R. leschenaultii roost occurred significantly earlier than at the artificially-lit roost. Peak flight activity across nights varied more in the naturally-lit than at the artificially-lit roost. Nightly flight durations (interval between peak emergence and peak return times) varied more in the naturally-lit roost, while mean flight durations were similar between these roosts. In P. giganteus, emergence was significantly earlier in the highly light-polluted roost than in the other roosts. These modified flight activities could have potential consequences on the physiology and ecology of fruit bats and requires further study. Moreover, the effect of ALAN on seed dispersal and pollination services provided by fruit bats in tropical landscapes remains to be understood.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for providing critical comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We thank the Thirupparankundram temple authorities for permission to work inside the temple; authorities of Madurai Kamaraj University for permission to access the Centre for Biodiversity and Forestry studies; shopkeepers and the police departments of Thirupparankundram and Valandur, Madurai for assistance during the study. We acknowledge Mr. Perumalsamy for permitting the use of his property for the study and the villagers of Venkatachalapuram (Theni) for their hospitality, field assistance and kindness.

Funding

This study received funding from the Swedish Research Council (2012–2212), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi, India.

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  1. Subbian Baskaran

    Present address: Department of Biotechnology, The Madura College, Madurai, 625011, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IISER TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695551, India

    Baheerathan Murugavel & Hema Somanathan

  2. Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, 625021, India

    Anbalagan Rathinakumar, Subbian Baskaran & Ganapathy Marimuthu

  3. Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden

    Almut Kelber

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  1. Baheerathan Murugavel
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  2. Anbalagan Rathinakumar
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  4. Ganapathy Marimuthu
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Contributions

BM, AR and SB were involved in data collection. GM, AK and HS designed and supervised the study. BM analysed data. BM and HS drafted the manuscript. GM, AK and HS edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Baheerathan Murugavel.

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Animals were not captured during this study. Hence an approval from an animal ethics committee was not required for this study.

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Murugavel, B., Rathinakumar, A., Baskaran, S. et al. Effect of artificial light on activity in frugivorous bats (Pteropodidae). J Ethol 41, 91–101 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-022-00771-0

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