Distress call-induced gene expression in the brain of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx

Individuals in distress emit audible vocalizations to either warn or inform conspecifics. The Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx, emits distress calls soon after becoming entangled in mist nets, which appear to attract conspecifics. Phase I of these distress calls is longer and louder, and includes a secondary peak, compared to phase II. Activity-dependent expression of egr-1 was examined in free-ranging C. sphinx following the emissions and responses to a distress call. We found that the level of expression of egr-1 was higher in bats that emitted a distress call, in adults that responded, and in pups than in silent bats. Up-regulated cDNA was amplified to identify the target gene (TOE1) of the protein Egr-1. The observed expression pattern Toe1 was similar to that of egr-1. These findings suggest that the neuronal activity related to recognition of a distress call and an auditory feedback mechanism induces the expression of Egr-1. Co-expression of egr-1 with Toe1 may play a role in initial triggering of the genetic mechanism that could be involved in the consolidation or stabilization of distress call memories.     

Roosting patterns in a captive colony of short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx (Vahl)

Development of roosting patterns under a limited resource was studied in the short-nosed fruit bat C. sphinx in captivity. Spatial fidelity during the resting period (day time) and the individual male bat's presence/absence in the roost (occupancy index) were estimated during the active period (night time). Results show the presence of three groups on the basis of spatial fidelity. The first group was associated with the tent consisting of a harem male and seven females. The second group stayed near to the harem. The third group consisting of two males showed little occupancy index and no spatial fidelity. Female turnover between the first and second groups, and harem male replacement were observed. These findings of male groupings and female loyalty on the basis of "resource", suggest that resource defence polygyny is the primary mating strategy in C. sphinx.     

Delayed embryonic development in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx

The unusual feature of the breeding cycle of Cynopterus sphinx at Varanasi is the significant variation in gestation length of the two successive pregnancies of the year. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the prolongation of the first pregnancy in C. sphinx is due to delayed embryonic development. The first (winter) pregnancy commences in late October and lasts until late March and has a gestation period of about 150 days. The second (summer) pregnancy commences in April and lasts until the end of July or early August with a gestation period of about 125 days. Changes in the size and weight of uterine cornua during the two successive pregnancies suggest retarded embryonic growth during November and December. Histological analysis during the period of retarded embryonic development in November and December showed a slow gastrulation process. The process of amniogenesis was particularly slow. When the embryos attained the early primitive streak stage, their developmental rate suddenly increased considerably. During the summer pregnancy, on the other hand, the process of gastrulation was much faster and proceeded quickly. A comparison of the pattern of embryonic development for 4 consecutive years consistently showed retarded or delayed embryonic development during November and December. The time of parturition and post-partum oestrus showed only a limited variation from 1 year to another. This suggests that delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx may function to synchronize parturition among females. The period of delayed embryonic development in this species clearly coincides with the period of fat deposition. The significance of this correlation warrants further investigation.     

Wing morphology and flight development in the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx

Postnatal changes in wing morphology, flight development and aerodynamics were studied in captive free-flying short-nosed fruit bats, Cynopterus sphinx. Pups were reluctant to move until 25 days of age and started fluttering at the mean age of 40 days. The wingspan and wing area increased linearly until 45 days of age by which time the young bats exhibited clumsy flight with gentle turns. At birth, C. sphinx had less-developed handwings compared to armwings; however, the handwing developed faster than the armwing during the postnatal period. Young bats achieved sustained flight at 55 days of age. Wing loading decreased linearly until 35 days of age and thereafter increased to a maximum of 12.82 Nm(-2) at 125 days of age. The logistic equation fitted the postnatal changes in wingspan and wing area better than the Gompertz and von Bertalanffy equations. The predicted minimum power speed (V(mp)) and maximum range speed (V(mr)) decreased until the onset of flight and thereafter the V(mp) and V(mr) increased linearly and approached 96.2% and 96.4%, respectively, of the speed of postpartum females at the age of 125 days. The requirement of minimum flight power (P(mp)) and maximum range power (P(mr)) increased until 85 days of age and thereafter stabilised. The minimum theoretical radius of banked turn (r(min)) decreased until 35 days of age and thereafter increased linearly and attained 86.5% of the r(min) of postpartum females at the age of 125 days.     

犬蝠对小果野芭蕉的取食及种子传播

2004年9月到12月,在西双版纳热带植物园沟谷雨林内,通过详细的野外观察和雾网实验以及种子的定时收集方法,对犬蝠(Cynopterussphinx)取食小果野芭蕉(Musaacuminata)的行为及规律进行了研究。发现在夜晚24:00以前,犬蝠取食小果野芭蕉有明显的2个活动高峰,分别发生在20:30和22:30左右,这一结果与雾网采样结果较为一致。在研究期间的雨季(9-10月)和干季(11-12月),犬蝠平均被捕获量为2.2±0.3只/d、1.4±0.3只/d,二者之间没有显著的差异;同时这两个季节收集的种子团数量分别为9.0±1.1个/d和7.2±1.4个/d,也没有显著差异。犬蝠对小果野芭蕉种子的传播受生境影响较为显著,各样地间种子传播的结果大不相同;地点和季节对犬蝠传播种子也不存在交互影响。犬蝠对小果野芭蕉种子的传播距离为50-200m,是小果野芭蕉有效的种子传播者     

Annual reproductive synchronization in ovary and pineal gland function of female short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx

We studied the annual correlation of ovarian activity and pineal gland in relation with seasonal variation and gestation of a tropical zone short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx. Female bats showed bimodal polyestry (February/March and September/October) in their reproductive cycle. Plasma estradiol concentration ran parallel with ovarian activity and had an inverse relation with pineal mass and peripheral melatonin concentration. Due to the delayed embryonic development in the uterus (October-March) of female bats, interestingly, the uterine activity did not show a parallel relation with ovarian activity and estradiol level. Further, compared with normal non-pregnant females, melatonin level was high during gestation and delayed embryonic development phase. This suggests that the reproductive synchrony and annual variation in ovarian activity of this nocturnal flying mammal differ from other common tropical mammals. The delayed embryonic development in bats might be an adaptive strategy for the unfavorable conditions of the seasons and might be regulated by high peripheral estradiol and melatonin concentration.     

Luteal cell steroidogenesis in relation to delayed embryonic development in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat,Cynopterus sphinx

The primary aim of this study was to determine the possible cause of slow or delayed embryonic development in Cynopterus sphinx by investigating morphological and steroidogenic changes in the corpus luteum (CL) and circulating hormone concentrations during two pregnancies of a year. This species showed delayed post-implantational embryonic development during gastrulation of the first pregnancy. Morphological features of the CL showed normal luteinization during both pregnancies. The CL did not change significantly in luteal cell size during the delay period of the first pregnancy as compared with the second pregnancy. The circulating progesterone and 17β-estradiol concentrations were significantly lower during the period of delayed embryonic development as compared with the same stage of embryonic development during the second pregnancy. We also showed a marked decline in the activity of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, P450 side chain cleavage enzyme, and steroidogenic acute regulatory peptide in the CL during the delay period. This may cause low circulating progesterone and estradiol synthesis and consequently delay embryonic development. What causes the decrease in steroidogenic factors in the CL during the period of delayed development in C. sphinx is under investigation.     

Promiscuous mating in the harem-roosting fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx

Observations on mating behaviours and strategies guide our understanding of mating systems and variance in reproductive success. However, the presence of cryptic strategies often results in situations where social mating system is not reflective of genetic mating system. We present such a study of the genetic mating system of a harem-forming bat Cynopterus sphinx where harems may not be true indicators of male reproductive success. This temporal study using data from six seasons on paternity reveals that social harem assemblages do not play a role in the mating system, and variance in male reproductive success is lower than expected assuming polygynous mating. Further, simulations reveal that the genetic mating system is statistically indistinguishable from promiscuity. Our results are in contrast to an earlier study that demonstrated high variance in male reproductive success. Although an outcome of behavioural mating patterns, standardized variance in male reproductive success (I(m)) affects the opportunity for sexual selection. To gain a better understanding of the evolutionary implications of promiscuity for mammals in general, we compared our estimates of I(m) and total opportunity for sexual selection (I(m) /I(f), where I(f) is standardized variance in female reproductive success) with those of other known promiscuous species. We observed a broad range of I(m) /I(f) values across known promiscuous species, indicating our poor understanding of the evolutionary implications of promiscuous mating.     

Altered flower/fruit clusters of the kitul palm used as roosts by the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae)

The short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) creates bell-shaped cavities in flower/fruit clusters of the kitul palm (Caryota urens) by chewing and severing flower and fruit strings. These cavities (stem tents) in which the bats roost are usually about one metre deep and 30 cm in diameter. We observed groups of bats roosting in fully-formed stem tents during the daytime, and the construction and subsequent occupancy of newly formed tent cavities. Stem tents are similar in principle to leaf tents except, instead of being formed when bats chew veins and the surrounding tissues of leaves, stem tents are formed in C. urens when bats completely cut several of the central flower/fruit strings. Flower/fruit strings are mostly severed when they are in an immature stage, at times when they are thin and widely spaced. Once these strings thicken and become heavily-laden with mature fruits, bats cannot penetrate the cluster to sever them. Our observations suggest that a single male enters an immature flower or fruit cluster either from below or the sides and severs the central strings along the peduncle. In early phases of stem-tent construction, C. sphinx severs flower/fruit strings at a rate of about one or two per day, and cluster alteration may continue upwards to two months. Only one immature flower/fruit cluster on a C. urens tree is available for alteration by bats at any given time. That this bat does not roost in the fruit/flower cluster during the day, when a tent is under construction, and the accumulation of chewed flower and fruit strings beneath such a cluster in the morning, suggests that tent construction by C. sphinx is a night-time activity.     

In situ feeding tactics of short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) on mango fruits: evidence of extractive foraging in a flying mammal

We report a sequence of behaviors exhibited by the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx while feeding on fruits of Mangifera indica. They peel off the outer skin to form a feeding area of about 3–6 cm diameter. Such food preparatory behaviors were more pronounced on larger mangoes. Bats competed among themselves to feed on the mangoes that had such feeding areas exposed. Individuals that spent a considerable amount of time on food preparatory behaviors actively secured the fruits. Altogether, these behaviors indicate that Cynopterus bats might have learnt, over evolutionary time, and developed behaviors that facilitate efficient processing and feeding of fruits such as mangoes. It appears that actions exhibited by C. sphinx in peeling off the outer skin of mangoes exemplify “extractive foraging”, a behavior that is prominently known in large-brained mammals. Thus, our findings will have implications on the distribution and evolution of extractive foraging and “technical intelligence” among mammalian lineages.     

Isolation and identification of gastrointestinal microbiota from the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus brachyotis brachyotis

Studies on the microbial ecology of gut microbiota in bats are limited and such information is necessary in determining the ecological significance of these hosts. Short-nosed fruit bats (Cynopterus brachyotis brachyotis) are good candidates for microbiota studies given their close association with humans in urban areas. Thus, this study explores the gut microbiota of this species from Peninsular Malaysia by means of biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis. The estimation of viable bacteria present in the stomach and intestine of C. b. brachyotis ranged from 3.06 × 10¹⁰ to 1.36 × 10¹⁵ CFU/ml for stomach fluid and 1.92 × 10¹⁰ to 6.10 × 10¹⁵ CFU/ml for intestinal fluid. A total of 34 isolates from the stomach and intestine of seven C. b. brachyotis were retrieved. A total of 16 species of bacteria from eight genera (Bacillus, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudomonas and Serratia) were identified, Enterobacteriaceae being the most prevalent, contributing 12 out of 16 species isolated. Most isolates from the Family Enterobacteriaceae have been reported as pathogens to humans and wildlife. With the possibility of human wildlife transmission, the findings of this study focus on the importance of bats as reservoirs of potential bacterial pathogens.     

Evidence of increased endometrial vascular permeability at the time of implantation in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cyanopterus sphinx

Early embryonic development and implantation were studied in tropical short-nosed fruit bat Cyanopterus sphinx. We report preimplantation development and embryo implantation. Different stages of cleavage were observed in embryo by direct microscopic examination of fresh embryos after retrieving them either from the oviduct or the uterus at different days, up to the day of implantation. Generally, the embryos enter the uterus at the 8-cell stage. Embryonic development continued without any delay and blastocyst were formed showing attachment to the uterine epithelium at the mesometrial side of the uterus. A distinct blue band was formed in the uterus. The site of blastocyst attachment was visualized as a blue band following intravenous injection of pontamine blue. Implantation occurred 9+/-0.7 days after mating. This study reports that bat embryonic development can be studied like other laboratory animals and that this bat shows blue dye reaction, indicating the site and exact time of implantation. This blue dye reaction can be used to accurately find post-implantational delay. We prove conclusively that this species of tropical bat does not have any type of embryonic diapause.     

A hypothetical index of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function.

The short ACTH stimulation test (SST) is commonly used by clinicians to determine the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in cases of suspected adrenal insufficiency. Concern has arisen for under-diagnosis of central hypocortisolism using the standard dose (250 mcg) SST with the recent introduction of low-dose (1 mcg) SST as a potentially more sensitive test for central hypocortisolism. Amidst this uncertainty, I will present a novel index hypothesized to extend the sensitivity of the standard dose SST as an adjunctive diagnostic tool for any level of hypocortisolism.     

In vitro effects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) hormones on Schistosoma mansoni.

The effects of in vitro treatment of cercariae, schistosomula, and adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni with 4 hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones are described. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) had the strongest effect on viability. Cercariae were more susceptible to this hormone than schistosomula and adults. Mechanically transformed schistosomula showed 100% mortality (determined microscopically by progressive internal disorganization, development of lucent areas in the cytoplasm, and progressive loss of motility) after 48 hr, whereas physiologically induced schistosomula were more resistant, maintaining viability for up to 5 days of exposure. Males were considerably less sensitive than females to the lethal action of DHEA. When adult worms were paired, DHEA lethality was markedly reduced, with viability beginning to decrease only after 4 days in culture. Cortisol reduced the viability of each of the stages tested about equally. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) did not affect the viability of any stage. DHEA and cortisol significantly inhibited in vitro oviposition, whereas CRH and ACTH did not. DHEA and cortisol exerted their effects on schistosome viability and oviposition in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest possible new avenues for the control of schistosomiasis.     

Repeated stress alters the ability of nicotine to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Acute nicotine administration has been shown to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stimulate secretion of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone/cortisol and beta-endorphin (beta-END) in both rodents and humans, raising the possibility that activation of the HPA axis by nicotine may mediate some of the effects of nicotine. Since stress can increase the risk of drug use and abuse, we hypothesized that repeated stress would increase the ability of nicotine to stimulate the secretion of HPA hormones. To test our hypothesis, mice were exposed to repeated stress (swimming in 15 degrees C water for 3 min/day for 5 days) and killed 15 min after injection of saline or nicotine (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.). Repeated exposure to stress increased the ability of nicotine to stimulate plasma ACTH (p<0.05) and beta-END (p<0.05), but not corticosterone secretion. In contrast, repeated exposure to stress increased the post-saline injection levels of corticosterone (p<0.05), but not ACTH and beta-END. The present results suggest that chronic stress leads to an enhanced sensitivity of some components of the HPA axis to a subsequent nicotine challenge.     

Tent Construction by the Short-nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in Southern India

The short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) constructs shelters by severing stems of the curtain creeper, Vernonia scandens, and stems and leaves of the mast tree, Polyalthia longifolia, creating partially enclosed cavities (stem tents) in which to roost. Our observations indicate that the construction and maintenance of stem tents are primarily, if not exclusively, the behaviour of single males. A stem tent is formed in V. scandens when a single male C. sphinx severs up to 300 small- to medium-sized stems creating a partially flattened, bell-shaped cavity, and in P. longifolia when a male severs a few medium- to small-sized branches and many leaf petioles, creating an entry/exit portal and space in which to roost. A tent constructed in V. scandens is completed in approximately 30 d, whereas one in P. longifolia is completed in about 50 d. Stem-tent construction takes place mostly at night, but some stem chewing occurs in late afternoon. At night a stem tent is occupied by a single male, whereas females are usually absent. During the day the number of bats occupying completed tents is highly variable, ranging from two to 19 females (and their pups) and a single adult male. Tent construction is annually bimodal, which corresponds to a biannual breeding season. A dominant male sometimes deposits saliva on branches inside his tent cavity and actively defends this space from intrusions by other males. Both behaviours suggest forms of scent marking and territorial display. Our observations indicate that dominant males construct tents, recruit females and then defend the tents (and their female occupants) for the purpose of gaining reproductive access. The variance in harem group size indicates that some tent-making males are more successful than others in recruiting females.     

Transition of nonharem male to harem male status in the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx

The short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx is known to exhibit resource defence polygyny as its primary mating strategy. Tent construction by harem males to recruit females represents a heavy investment of time and effort, which is not done by nonharem males. The previously unobserved mode of harem formation by the solitary males was studied using mark-recapture and radio-telemetry. In our observation, the solitary males roosting near to harems started recruiting females by occupying the tent abandoned by the harems. This result suggests that the transition of nonharem male to harem male status possibly by a previously unobserved mode and the female recruitment is associated with resource (roost). It implies that the solitary males are actively involving in female recruitment and also presumably mating.