Biology Research Works

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/13

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Author: search.filters.author.Adams, Danielle

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    Data for "Recurrent evolution of extreme longevity in bats"
    (2018) Adams, Danielle; Wilkinson, Gerald
    This dataset was used in a comparative analysis of longevity in bats. Bats live longer than similar-sized mammals, but the number of lineages that have independently evolved extreme longevity has not previously been determined. Here we reconstruct the evolution of size-corrected longevity on a recent phylogeny and find that at least four lineages of bats have lifespans more than four-fold those of similar-sized placental mammals with the ancestral bat projected to live 2.5 times as long. We then use an information theoretic approach to evaluate a series of phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models containing up to eight variables hypothesized to influence extrinsic mortality. The PLGS analyses reveal that body mass and hibernation predict longevity. Among hibernators, longevity is predicted by median latitude of the species range, while cave roosting and lack of sexual dimorphism predict longevity among nonhibernators. The importance of torpor in extending lifespan is further supported by the one lineage with extreme longevity that does not hibernate but does exhibit flexible thermoregulation, the common vampire bat. We propose a number of potential mechanisms that may enable bats to live so long, and suggest that the ability to tolerate a wide range of body temperatures could be particularly important for surviving viral or other pathogen infections.
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    Data for "Nonkin cooperation in bats"
    (2015-10-23) Wilkinson, Gerald S.; Bohn, Kirsten; Adams, Danielle
    Many bats are extremely social. In some cases, individuals remain together for years or even decades and engage in mutually beneficial behaviors among non-related individuals. Here we summarize ways in which unrelated bats cooperate while roosting, foraging, feeding or caring for offspring. For each situation, we ask if cooperation involves an investment, and if so, what mechanisms might ensure a return. While some cooperative outcomes are likely a byproduct of selfish behavior as they are in many other vertebrates, we explain how cooperative investments can occur in several situations and are particularly evident in food sharing among common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) and alloparental care by greater spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus hastatus). Fieldwork and experiments on vampire bats indicate that sharing blood with non-kin expands the number of possible donors beyond kin and promotes reciprocal help by strengthening long-term social bonds. Similarly, more than 25 years of recapture data and field observations of greater spear-nosed bats reveal multiple cooperative investments occurring within stable groups of non-kin. These studies illustrate how bats can serve as models for understanding how cooperation is regulated in social vertebrates.