Comparison of roosting behavior between two disparate landscapes by a Neotropical bat (Artibeus lituratus) in the Atlantic Forest of Paraguay.

1. Species should optimally modify behavior to local conditions, a concept we examined in bats. If landscapes differ, changes in roost use should manifest, influenced by habitat characteristics and conspecifics. We tested the relationship between bats and landscape, contrasting roosting behavior between contiguous forest and fragmented matrix. 2. Artibeus lituratus is a common bat in the Atlantic Forests of Paraguay. We collected day-roosting behavior data by following radio-telemetered bats, and compared observations between bat groups in the contiguous reserve and surrounding fragmented matrix. 3. Bats exhibited no difference between landscapes in the average number of roost trees used, frequency of roost switching, and area of roosting range. 4. Shared roosts were less available in the matrix landscape; on average matrix bats used shared roosts more often than contiguous landscape bats. However, the proportion of roost days shared were not different between landscapes. Roosting group sizes were found to differ, but not between landscapes. Instead, adult bats roosted in larger groups while pups were present. 5. Roost trees in the matrix landscape may provide less protection from predators. On average, we were less likely to visually confirm bats roosting in the contiguous landscape than those in the matrix. Bats in the contiguous landscape also roosted higher than those in the matrix, unless the roost tree was uncommonly short. Bats exhibited no difference in flushing frequency between landscapes. 6. Some of the behavioral differences observed could be heuristic and diagnostic when assessing the ecological condition of a landscape. Significance statement: Where species range across changing landscapes, evolutionary theory predicts their behaviors will adapt accordingly. When landscapes change by human activities, native biodiversity can be negatively affected. Wildlife that persists in human-modified landscapes are often subjected to increased environmental stressors, which emerge from those new environments. Stressors can manifest as altered behaviors, which are different from the behaviors of populations occurring in unmodified habitats. Researchers can then quantify behavioral differences to compare unmodified and modified habitats. We provide proof of concept, comparing roosting behaviors between two groups of the great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus). Behaviors differed between two landscapes in visual detection ease, roosting height, and proportion of roost trees shared. Such behaviors — when consistent — are potential indicators of declining ecological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]