Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness
Abstract Fluctuating asymmetry, the non-directional deviation from bilateral symmetry resulting from developmental instability, can indicate early-life environmental stress. While fluctuating asymmetry can affect individual survival and reproductive success, its effect on fitness differs between spe...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80130-w |
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| author | Tobias Süess Gerald Kerth |
| author_facet | Tobias Süess Gerald Kerth |
| author_sort | Tobias Süess |
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| description | Abstract Fluctuating asymmetry, the non-directional deviation from bilateral symmetry resulting from developmental instability, can indicate early-life environmental stress. While fluctuating asymmetry can affect individual survival and reproductive success, its effect on fitness differs between species. Here, we analyzed up to 27 years of mark-recapture data from 894 RFID tagged individuals of three forest-living bat species in southern Germany to investigate the degree of fluctuating asymmetry in forearm length. In Bechstein’s bats, Myotis bechsteinii, the species with the highest sample size, we furthermore investigated if fluctuating asymmetry has become more frequent over the study period, a time when juvenile bats have grown larger forearms in response to warmer summers. We also investigated whether fluctuating asymmetry affects individual lifespan and lifetime reproductive success in female Myotis bechsteinii. The degree of fluctuating asymmetry clearly exceeding the measurement error estimated on recaptured individuals was similar in all three species (1.8%). In female Myotis bechsteinii, the frequency of fluctuating asymmetry did not increase over the course of the study and even strong asymmetry had no effect on individual reproductive success and life expectancy. Our data suggest that fluctuating asymmetry is a poor predictor of fitness in the female Myotis bechsteinii studied, and is so far unaffected by the warming environment which is leading to larger individuals in our study population. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-3f780d7a1fab4b3b920de3204f537c4e2025-08-20T02:22:16ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-11-011411910.1038/s41598-024-80130-wLong-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitnessTobias Süess0Gerald Kerth1Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of GreifswaldApplied Zoology and Nature Conservation, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of GreifswaldAbstract Fluctuating asymmetry, the non-directional deviation from bilateral symmetry resulting from developmental instability, can indicate early-life environmental stress. While fluctuating asymmetry can affect individual survival and reproductive success, its effect on fitness differs between species. Here, we analyzed up to 27 years of mark-recapture data from 894 RFID tagged individuals of three forest-living bat species in southern Germany to investigate the degree of fluctuating asymmetry in forearm length. In Bechstein’s bats, Myotis bechsteinii, the species with the highest sample size, we furthermore investigated if fluctuating asymmetry has become more frequent over the study period, a time when juvenile bats have grown larger forearms in response to warmer summers. We also investigated whether fluctuating asymmetry affects individual lifespan and lifetime reproductive success in female Myotis bechsteinii. The degree of fluctuating asymmetry clearly exceeding the measurement error estimated on recaptured individuals was similar in all three species (1.8%). In female Myotis bechsteinii, the frequency of fluctuating asymmetry did not increase over the course of the study and even strong asymmetry had no effect on individual reproductive success and life expectancy. Our data suggest that fluctuating asymmetry is a poor predictor of fitness in the female Myotis bechsteinii studied, and is so far unaffected by the warming environment which is leading to larger individuals in our study population.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80130-wChiropteraClimate changeFluctuating asymmetryForearm lengthLong-term dataWoodland |
| spellingShingle | Tobias Süess Gerald Kerth Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness Scientific Reports Chiroptera Climate change Fluctuating asymmetry Forearm length Long-term data Woodland |
| title | Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| title_full | Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| title_fullStr | Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| title_short | Long-term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| title_sort | long term patterns of forearm asymmetry in females of three syntopic bat species and its effects on individual fitness |
| topic | Chiroptera Climate change Fluctuating asymmetry Forearm length Long-term data Woodland |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80130-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tobiassuess longtermpatternsofforearmasymmetryinfemalesofthreesyntopicbatspeciesanditseffectsonindividualfitness AT geraldkerth longtermpatternsofforearmasymmetryinfemalesofthreesyntopicbatspeciesanditseffectsonindividualfitness |