Asymmetry compensation in a small vampire bat population in a cave: a case study in Brazil

By

Ueti, Amanda
Pompeu, Paulo
Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2015

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

15

Pages

57-67

Subjects

Asymmetry , Caves , compensation , Natural selection

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.15.4807

 

Abstract

Normally, the wings are assumed to be symmetrical, since radical departure from symmetry is known to hinder flight. The objective of the present paper was to investigate the symmetry of the wing structure in a population of common vampire bats, Desmodus rotundus. The bones of both wings were measured, and the area of each wing was calculated. Asymmetry was found, with males having a larger number of asymmetric bone structures than females. Moreover, both directional asymmetry and antisymmetry were identified for the males, whereas for the females only fluctuating asymmetry was found. However, although asymmetry does occur, it is generally compensated for by complementary changes in the structures of the other wing. We believe that by keeping the wing area symmetrical, potential aerodynamic problems may be minimized.