Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Evidence of female preference for odour of distant over local males in a bat with female dispersal

Data files

Jan 13, 2021 version files 77.05 KB

Abstract

Geographic variation of sexual selected male traits is common in animals. Female choice also varies geographically and several studies found female preference for local males, which is assumed to lead to local adaptation and therefore increases fitness. As females are the non-dispersing sex in most mammalian taxa, this preference for local males might be explained by learning of male characteristics. Studies on preference of females in female-dispersing species are lacking so far. To find out whether such females would also show preferences for local males, we conducted a study on greater sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), a species where females disperse and males stay in their natal colony. Male greater sac-winged bats possess a wing pouch that is filled with odoriferous secretion and fanned towards females during courtship display. In a combination of chemical analysis and behavioural preference tests, we analysed whether the composition of wing sac secretion varies between two geographically distinct populations (300 km), and whether females show a preference for local or distant male scent. Using gas-chromatography, we found significant differences in the composition of the wing-sac odours between the two geographic distinct populations. In addition, the behavioural preference experiments revealed that females of both populations preferred scent of geographically distant males over local males. The wing-sac odour might thus be used to guarantee optimal outbreeding when dispersing to a new colony. This is – to our knowledge – the first study on odour preference of females of a species with female-biased dispersal.