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CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Seasonal Fattening Among Bat Populations Globally: Storing Energy for Survival in a Changing World
Ecology letters, Vol.28(6), e70155
2025
PMID: 40552391
Abstract
Seasonality is a fundamental challenge for life on Earth and energy storage prior to colder and drier periods by fattening is a common strategy for survival. Fattening should reflect a trade-off between an expected seasonal energy deficit and the costs of increased body mass, which are particularly important to flying endotherms. We examined body mass change (ΔM), a proxy of fat storage, among bat populations over low productivity periods with global variation in yearly average and seasonality of local climates. We found that ΔM increased with decreasing mean annual surface temperature (MAST) but ΔM also increased at higher MAST with higher seasonality of rainfall. Seasonal use of body energy reserves by bats is predicted to be widespread in warm, seasonal climates at low latitudes but is poorly studied compared to cold temperate regions. In colder climates only, females lost less mass than males over winter, supporting the 'thrifty females' hypothesis, and ΔM has increased with year of study in warm climates, possibly linked to effects of global climate change on their energetics. Our quantitative synthesis highlights how intrinsic and environmental factors shape seasonal fattening in bats, and its global importance for survival in this diverse and widespread mammal group.
Details
- Title
- Seasonal Fattening Among Bat Populations Globally: Storing Energy for Survival in a Changing World
- Authors/Creators
- Nicholas Wu - Western Sydney UniversityTomas Villada-Cadavid - Western Sydney UniversityJustin A. Welbergen - Western Sydney UniversityChristopher Turbill - Western Sydney University
- Publication Details
- Ecology letters, Vol.28(6), e70155
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991005788581107891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.1587 Chiroptera
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology