Ethanol ingestion affects flight performance and echolocation in Egyptian fruit bats.
Ethanol, a potential toxin for vertebrates, is present in all fleshy fruits and its content increases as the fruit ripens. Previously, we found that the marginal value of food for Egyptian fruit bats, Rousettus aegyptiacus, decreases when its ethanol content exceeds 1%. Therefore, we hypothesized that, if ingested, food containing >1% ethanol is toxic to these bats, probably causing inebriation that will affect flight and echolocation skills. We tested this hypothesis by flying Egyptian fruit bats in an indoor corridor and found that after ingesting ethanol-rich food bats flew significantly slower than when fed ethanol-free food. Also, the ingestion of ethanol significantly affected several variables of the bats' echolocation calls and behavior. We concluded that ethanol can be toxic to fruit bats; not only does it reduce the marginal value of food, but it also has negative physiological effects on their ability to fly competently and on their calling ability.
Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel. fasbos@gmail.com
Francisco
F
Sánchez
Mariana
M
Melcón
Carmi
C
Korine
Berry
B
Pinshow
D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002685:Chiroptera; D004032:Diet; D004455:Echolocation / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D005426:Flight, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol