Ecological and Evolutionary Characteristics of Anthropogenic Roosting Ability in Bats of the World

Abstract

Although the global conversion of wildlife habitat to built environments often has negative impacts on biodiversity, some wildlife have the ability to cope by living in human-made structures. However, the determinants of this adaptation on a global scale are not well understood and may signify species with unique conservation needs at the human-wildlife interface. Here, we identify the trait profile associated with anthropogenic roosting in bats globally and characterize the evolution of this phenotype using an original dataset of roosting behavior developed across 1,279 extant species. Trait-based analyses showed that anthropogenic roosting is predictable across bats and is associated with habitat generalism, small geographic ranges, small body size, temperate zone distributions, and insectivory. We identified moderate phylogenetic signal in this complex phenotype, which has undergone both gains and losses across bat evolution and for which speciation rates are lower compared to natural roosting bats.