Carollia perspicillata: A Small Bat with Tremendous Translational Potential for Studies of Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration

As the average human lifespan lengthens, the impact of neurodegenerative disease increases, both on the individual suffering neurodegeneration and on the community that supports those individuals. Studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration have relied heavily on observational studies of humans and experimental studies in animals, such as mice, in which aspects of brain structure and function can be manipulated to target mechanistic steps. An animal model whose brain is structurally closer to the human brain, that lives much longer than rodents, and whose husbandry is practical may be valuable for mechanistic studies that cannot readily be conducted in rodents. To demonstrate that the long-lived Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat, Carollia perspicillata, may fit this role, we used immunohistochemical labeling for NeuN and three calcium-binding proteins, calretinin, parvalbumin, and calbindin, to define hippocampal formation anatomy. Our findings demonstrate patterns of principal neuron organization that resemble primate and human hippocampal formation and patterns of calcium-binding protein distribution that help to define subregional boundaries. Importantly, we present evidence for a clear prosubiculum in the bat brain that resembles primate prosubiculum. Based on the similarities between bat and human hippocampal formation anatomy, we suggest that Carollia has unique advantages for the study of brain aging and neurodegeneration. A captive colony of Carollia allows age tracking, diet and environment control, pharmacological manipulation, and access to behavioral, physiological, anatomical, and molecular evaluation.

DIVERSIDADE DE MAMÍFEROS EM UM REMANESCENTE NO ENTORNO DE UMA NASCENTE EM BANDEIRANTES-PR

Introdução: Devido ao intenso processo de fragmentação de hábitats, principalmente aos que pertencem ao bioma Mata Atlântica, torna-se extremamente necessário o estudo da composição da fauna destes remanescentes, especialmente aos que abrigam nascentes, a fim de que haja um processo de conservação eficiente de toda a população. Pequenos remanescentes florestais são capazes de abrigar certas espécies de animais, e servir como “trampolins” no deslocamento entre áreas diferentes. Com isso, o objetivo deste estudo foi levantar a riqueza de espécies de mamíferos em um remanescente florestal de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, que possui 5,52 hectares, no entorno de uma nascente em Bandeirantes-PR, mais especificamente no campus Luiz Meneghel. Materiais e métodos: O registro dos dados ocorreu em uma frequência a cada 15 dias entre fevereiro e agosto de 2017 através de distintos métodos de acordo com o táxon a ser inventariado. A metodologia aplicada incluiu armadilhas de interceptação e queda (pitfalls), redes de neblina, parcelas de areia e registro fotográfico. Resultados: Foi elaborada uma lista de espécies encontradas para cada táxon, demonstrando a riqueza encontrada e abundância. Foram registradas 5 espécies de mamíferos, sendo: Oligoryzomys cf. nigripes, Necromys lasiurus, Didelphis albiventris, Gracilinanus microtarsus e Carollia perspicillata. Com exceção de G. microtarsus, as espécies encontradas são generalistas e possuem características de fragmentos pequenos e perturbados, como o analisado neste estudo. G. microtarsus mostra a importância de preservação do remanescente, já que o mesmo é predominantemente de floresta e presente no local. Dessa forma, tornam-se necessários mais estudos no fragmento, pois provavelmente a riqueza aumentaria com o aumento do esforço sazonal e espacial, como foi demonstrado pela curva de rarefação elaborada. Conclusão: Conclui-se que a proteção do remanescente é imensamente importante, já que abriga um afloramento de água, recurso que por si só é importante para espécies animais, além de abrigar outros recursos valiosos para a ocupação das mesmas. Assim, conclui-se também que o fragmento deva ser reflorestado com espécies nativas, conservado, e ainda, se possível, interligado com outros próximos, para que dessa forma a área seja capaz de abrigar outras espécies, aumentando tanto a riqueza quanto a diversidade dos mamíferos.

Male Carollia perspicillata bats call more than females in a distressful context

Distress calls are a vocalization type widespread across the animal kingdom, emitted when the animals are under duress, e.g. when captured by a predator. Here, we report on an observation we came across serendipitously while recording distress calls from the bat species Carollia perspicillata , i.e. the existence of sex difference in the distress calling behaviour of this species. We show that in C. perspicillata bats, males are more likely to produce distress vocalizations than females when hand-held. Male bats call more, their calls are louder, harsher (faster amplitude modulated) and cover lower carrier frequencies than female vocalizations. We discuss our results within a framework of potential hormonal, neurobiological and behavioural differences that could explain our findings, and open multiple paths to continue the study of sex-related differences in vocal behaviour in bats.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype O:1 infection in a captive Seba’s short tailed-fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata) colony in Switzerland

Background Between February and April 2016, a slight increase in mortality was observed in a colony consisting of 400 captive Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata). These animals cohabited with other nocturnal animal species in a dome of a private zoo in Switzerland. Results Gross and histological analysis of two (14.3%) out of the 13 animals submitted for necropsy within this period revealed a necrosuppurative pneumonia, hepatitis, splenitis, enterocolitis, and endometritis, with abundant intralesional colonies of Gram-negative rods. Yersinia (Y.) pseudotuberculosis serotype O:1 and biotype 1 belonging to the sequence type ST90 was isolated from the affected organs in both animals. Following this diagnosis, ¼ of the colony (99 animals) was culled and submitted for gross and histopathological analysis, and a bacterial culture selective for Yersinia spp. of lung, liver, and spleen was performed. From these 99 animals, one gravid female was tested and found to be positive for Y. pseudotuberculosis in the absence of clinical symptoms and histopathological lesions. PCR analysis of altogether three bacterial isolates for virulence factors revealed the presence of the ail gene, and one isolate was also positive for the virF and yadA plasmid genes. Conclusions These findings suggest that Carollia perspicillata are susceptible to lethal yersiniosis but do not represent a regular reservoir for Y. pseudotuberculosis. Culling of ¼ of the population was sufficient to limit the spread of this infection among the colony. Moreover, no infections were detected in cohabitant nocturnal animals and caretakers, indicating that the zoonotic risk in this case was low.

The frugivorous bat Carollia perspicillata dynamically changes echolocation parameters in response to acoustic playback

ABSTRACTAnimals extract behaviorally relevant signals from ‘noisy’ environments. Echolocation behavior provides a rich system testbed for investigating signal extraction. When echolocating in acoustically enriched environments, bats show many adaptations that are believed to facilitate signal extraction. Most studies to date focused on describing adaptations in insectivorous bats while frugivorous bats have rarely been tested. Here, we characterize how the frugivorous bat Carollia perspicillata adapts its echolocation behavior in response to acoustic playback. Since bats not only adapt their echolocation calls in response to acoustic interference but also with respect to target distances, we swung bats on a pendulum to control for distance-dependent call changes. Forward swings evoked consistent echolocation behavior similar to approach flights. By comparing the echolocation behavior recorded in the presence and absence of acoustic playback, we could precisely define the influence of the acoustic context on the bats' vocal behavior. Our results show that C. perspicillata decrease the terminal peak frequencies of their calls when echolocating in the presence of acoustic playback. When considering the results at an individual level, it became clear that each bat dynamically adjusts different echolocation parameters across and even within experimental days. Utilizing such dynamics, bats create unique echolocation streams that could facilitate signal extraction in noisy environments.

Ectoparasitic flies (Diptera: Streblidae) on bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from a Private Natural Heritage Reserve in southeastern Brazil

Due to the small number of records of Streblidae on bats, despite extensive study on these mammals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, a survey was carried out in an area of the Atlantic Forest. The present study was carried out at Bom Retiro Farm Natural Heritage Private Reserve. We captured 401 bats of 17 species, 13 genera, and four families; bat flies infested 221 bats of only four species. Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) has the highest fly diversity, with seven fly species: Trichobius joblingi (Wenzel, 1966) (n = 23), Megistopoda proxima (Séguy, 1926) (n = 15), Strebla guajiro (García & Casal, 1965) (n = 15), Aspidoptera falcata (Wenzel, 1976) (n = 6) Paratrichobius longicrus (Miranda Ribeiro, 1907) (n = 8), Paraeuctenodes similis (Wenzel 1976) (n = 3), and Trichobius anducei (Guerrero, 1998) (n = 1). Two species infested Platyrrhinus lineatus (É. Geoffroy, 1810): Aspidoptera falcata (n = 1) and Anastrebla caudiferae (Wenzel, 1996) (n = 1). Paradyschiria parvula (Falcoz, 1931) (n = 11) infested Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and M. proxima (n = 12) and Trichobius uniformis (Curran, 1935) (n = 1) infested Sturnira lilium (É. Geoffroy, 1842). Sturnira lilium has the highest infestation rate, with ten out of 46 captured individuals parasitized, followed by Carollia perspicillata, with 33 out of 164 captured parasitized, and by P. lineatus with only two parasitized individuals out of ten. Among 97 streblid flies captured, M. proxima was the most abundant (27.83%), followed by T. joblingi (23.71%), and S. guajiro (15.46%). All remaining bat fly species represented 33%. Paradichyria parvula has the first record for Rio de Janeiro State.

Differences in body mass among the frugivorous bats Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) from an urban and a peri-urban area of Cúcuta, Colombia

We report differences in body mass of two species of fruit bats, Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata, from two fragments of tropical dry forest (TDF) located in urban and peri-urban areas of the city of Cúcuta, Colombia. From January to September 2018 bat sampling was carried out using mist nets to captured and weigh individuals in the field. The analysis was based only on adults who were not in a reproductive state. We found that both males and females of each species had a higher body mass in the peri-urban area than in the urban area. This highlights the importance of testing subsequent hypotheses to explain the body mass variations reported in this note in response to effects related to diet, diseases, and changes in land use, among others.

Social facilitation in short-tailed fruit bats, Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus)

Group-living animals can potentially enhance their foraging performance and efficiency by obtaining information from others. Using PIT-tag data to study foraging behaviour in individual bats, we tested short-tailed fruit bats, Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus), for evidence of local enhancement or social facilitation. To discriminate between these phenomena, we manipulated the presence of conspecifics while individuals searched for food. We quantified the time to find food and the order and sex of bats accessing the food, and any consistent associations between bats. Presence of conspecifics decreased the time needed to find food. We found no evidence that pairs of individuals consistently fed together; however, bats of the same sex tended to feed closer in time with one another. The same individuals consistently accessed the food first, and males found food more quickly than females. Our results provide evidence of social facilitation, with bats finding food more quickly in a group than alone.