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=== Communal Roosting in Insects ===
=== Communal Roosting in Insects ===
Communal roosting has also been well documented among insects, particularly butterflies. The passion-vine butterfly (''[[Heliconius erato|Heliconius erato)]]'' is known to form large nocturnal roosts. It is believed that these roosts deter potential predators due to the fact that predators infrequently attack large roosts.<ref>Finkbeiner, Susan D., Adriana D. Briscoe, and Robert D. Reed. “The benefit of being a social butterfly: communal roosting deters predation.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: ''Biological Sciences'' 279.1739 (2012): 2769–2776.</ref> Communal roosting has also been observed in south peruvian tiger beetles of the genus [[Beetle|''Coleoptera'' and ''Cicindelidae'']]. These species of tiger beetle have been observed to form communal roosts comprising anywhere from 2-9 individuals at night and disbanding during the day. It is hypothesized that these beetles roost high in the treetops in order to avoid ground-based predators.<ref>Pearson, David L., and Joseph J. Anderson. "Perching heights and nocturnal communal roosts of some tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in southeastern Peru." ''Biotropica'' (1985): 126-129.</ref>


=== Communal Roosting in Mammals ===
=== Communal Roosting in Mammals ===

Revision as of 00:56, 16 October 2015

Communal roosting is practiced by birds, bats and some insects when large flocks or colonies roost together usually in trees with several hundred on each.[1][2]

Several communal roosting trees can be located within densely populated cities nowadays where common birds like house sparrows and starlings etc. can be seen roosting in large numbers.

Some benefits as a result of communal roosting are reduced predation risk, increased breading interactions and reduced cost in territory defence.[3]

The Evolution of Communal Roosting

The Information Center Hypothesis (ICH)

The Two Strategies Hypothesis

The Two Strategies Hypothesis was put forth by Patrick Weatherhead in 1983 as an alternative to the then popular Information Center Hypothesis. The Two Strategies Hypothesis proposes that instead of joining roosts due to increased foraging capabilities, different individuals within a communal roost participate in the roost for different reasons. This hypothesis explains that older more experienced foragers remain within a communal roost due to the fact that they are considered dominant, and therefore able to obtain the safest roosts, with the less dominant and unsuccessful foragers acting as a buffer to predation. This is similar to the selfish herd theory, which states that individuals within herds will utilize conspecifics to avoid predation. The younger individuals will remain with the roost as they still gain some safety from predation through the dilution factor, as well as the ability to learn from the more experienced foragers.[4] A study of roosting rooks (Corvus frugilegus) supports this hypothesis, showing that within rook communal roosts there exists an inherent hierarchy, with the most dominant occupying the roosts highest in the tree, and thus safer from terrestrial predators.[5]

The Recruitment Center Hypothesis (RCH)

Potential Benefits of Communal Roosting

Potential Costs of Communal Roosting

Examples of Communal Roosts in Extant Species

Communal Roosting in Birds

Communal roosting has been observed in numerous avian species.  Acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) are known to form communal roosts during the winter months, sharing their body heat and decreasing the thermoregulatory demands on all individuals in the roost.[6] The tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) is known to form communal roosts and exhibits high roost fidelity and it is believed that high conspecific attraction leads to the forming of communal roosts.[7] Red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) roost in either a main roost or a sub roost. Main roosts are used constantly, whereas the sub roosts are used irregularly by individuals lacking both a mate and territory. These sub roosts are believed to help improve the ability of non-breeding choughs to find a mate and increase their territory.[8] Interspecies roosts have also been observed in nature. Great egrets (Ardea alba), little blue herons (Egretta caerulea), tricolored herons (Egretta tricolor), and the snowy egret (Egretta thula) are known to form large communal roosts in San Blas, Mexico. It has been shown that the snowy egret determines the general location of the roost due to the fact that the other three species rely on it for its abilities to find food sources. In these roosts there is often a hierarchical system, where the more dominant species (in this case the snowy egret) will typically occupy the more desirable higher perches.[9] Interspecies roosts have also been observed among other avian species.[10][11]

Communal Roosting in Insects

Communal roosting has also been well documented among insects, particularly butterflies. The passion-vine butterfly (Heliconius erato) is known to form large nocturnal roosts. It is believed that these roosts deter potential predators due to the fact that predators infrequently attack large roosts.[12] Communal roosting has also been observed in south peruvian tiger beetles of the genus Coleoptera and Cicindelidae. These species of tiger beetle have been observed to form communal roosts comprising anywhere from 2-9 individuals at night and disbanding during the day. It is hypothesized that these beetles roost high in the treetops in order to avoid ground-based predators.[13]

Communal Roosting in Mammals

While there are few observations of communal roosting mammals, the trait has been seen in several species of bats. The little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) is known to participate in communal roosts of up to 37 during cold nights in order to decrease thermoregulatory demands, with the roost disbanding at daybreak.[14] Several other species of bats, including the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) have also been observed to roost in maternal colonies in order to reduce the thermoregulatory demands on both the lactating mothers and juveniles.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Barclay, Robert MR. "Night roosting behavior of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus." Journal of Mammalogy 63.3 (1982): 464-474.
  2. ^ Klug, Brandon J., and Robert MR Barclay. "Thermoregulation during reproduction in the solitary, foliage-roosting hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)." Journal of Mammalogy 94.2 (2013): 477-487.
  3. ^ Agosta, Salvatore J. "Habitat use, diet and roost selection by the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) in North America: a case for conserving an abundant species." Mammal Review 32.3 (2002): 179-198.
  4. ^ Weatherhead, Patrick (February 1983). "Two Principal Strategies in Avian Communal Roosts". The American Naturalist: pp. 237-247. Retrieved October 15, 2015. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ Swingland, Ian R. (August 1977). "The social and spatial organization of winter communal roosting in Rooks (Corvus frugilegus)". Journal of Zoology: pp. 509-528. Retrieved October 15, 2015. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ Plessis, Ma du., Morné A., Wesley W. Weathers, and Walter D. Koenig. “Energetic benefits of communal roosting by acorn woodpeckers during the nonbreeding season.” Condor (1994): 631–637.
  7. ^ Laughlin, A. J., D. R. Sheldon, D. W. Winkler, and C. M. Taylor. "Behavioral Drivers of Communal Roosting in a Songbird: A Combined Theoretical and Empirical Approach." Behavioral Ecology 25.4 (2014): 734-43. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
  8. ^ Blanco, Guillermo and Jose L. Tella. “Temporal, spatial and social segregation of red-billed choose between two types of communal roost: a role for mating and territory acquisition.” The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour 57 (1999): 1219-1227.
  9. ^ Burger, J., et al. "Intraspecific and interspecific interactions at a mixed species roost of ciconiiformes in San Blas, Mexico."Biology of Behaviour" (1977): 309-327.
  10. ^ Burger, Joanna. "A model for the evolution of mixed-species colonies of Ciconiiformes." Quarterly Review of Biology (1981): 143-167.
  11. ^ Munn, Charles A., and John W. Terborgh. "Multi-species territoriality in Neotropical foraging flocks." Condor (1979): 338-347.
  12. ^ Finkbeiner, Susan D., Adriana D. Briscoe, and Robert D. Reed. “The benefit of being a social butterfly: communal roosting deters predation.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 279.1739 (2012): 2769–2776.
  13. ^ Pearson, David L., and Joseph J. Anderson. "Perching heights and nocturnal communal roosts of some tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in southeastern Peru." Biotropica (1985): 126-129.
  14. ^ Barclay, Robert MR. "Night roosting behavior of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus." Journal of Mammalogy 63.3 (1982): 464-474.
  15. ^ Klug, Brandon J., and Robert MR Barclay. "Thermoregulation during reproduction in the solitary, foliage-roosting hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)." Journal of Mammalogy 94.2 (2013): 477-487.
  16. ^ Agosta, Salvatore J. "Habitat use, diet and roost selection by the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) in North America: a case for conserving an abundant species." Mammal Review 32.3 (2002): 179-198.

Notes


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