Roosting ecology drives the evolution of diverse bat landing maneuvers.

ABSTRACT: Bats and birds are the only living vertebrates capable of powered flight. However, bats differ from birds in that their flight required the evolution of ascending landing maneuvers that achieve their iconic head-under-heels roosting posture. We examined the evolution of landing flight in bats and tested its association with the physical properties of roosts. Bats performed four maneuvers, each correlated with patterns of peak impact force, impulse, and roosting ecology, a critical aspect of bat biology. Our findings indicate that the common ancestor of bats performed simple, four-limbed landings, similar to extant gliding mammals, and that rotationally complex landings enhancing control over impact forces coevolved multiple times with shifts to stiff, horizontal roosts. These results sugge

SUBMITTER: Boerma DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11263957 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature