Turing's menagerie:Talking lions, virtual bats, electric sheep and analogical peacocks: Common ground and common interest are necessary components of engagement

This theoretical paper attempts to define some of the key components and challenges required to create embodied conversational agents that can be genuinely interesting conversational partners. Wittgenstein's argument concerning talking lions emphasizes the importance of having a shared common ground as a basis for conversational interactions. Virtual bats suggests that-for some people at least-it is important that there be a feeling of authenticity concerning a subjectively experiencing entity that can convey what it is like to be that entity. Electric sheep reminds us of the importance of empathy in human conversational interaction and that we should provide a full communicative repertoire of both verbal and non-verbal components if we are to create genuinely engaging interactions. Also we may be making the task more difficult rather than easy if we leave out non-verbal aspects of communication. Finally, analogical peacocks highlights the importance of between minds alignment and establishes a longer term goal of being interesting, creative, and humorous if an embodied conversational agent is to be truly an engaging conversational partner. Some potential directions and solutions to addressing these issues are suggested.

Wind Farm Facilities in Germany Kill Noctule Bats from Near and Far

Over recent years, it became widely accepted that alternative, renewable energy may come at some risk for wildlife, for example, when wind turbines cause large numbers of bat fatalities. To better assess likely populations effects of wind turbine related wildlife fatalities, we studied the geographical origin of the most common bat species found dead below German wind turbines, the noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula). We measured stable isotope ratios of non-exchangeable hydrogen in fur keratin to separate migrants from local individuals, used a linear mixed-effects model to identify temporal, spatial and biological factors explaining the variance in measured stable isotope ratios and determined the geographical breeding provenance of killed migrants using isoscape origin models. We found that 72% of noctule bat casualties (n = 136) were of local origin, while 28% were long-distance migrants. These findings highlight that bat fatalities at German wind turbines may affect both local and distant populations. Our results indicated a sex and age-specific vulnerability of bats towards lethal accidents at turbines, i.e. a relatively high proportion of killed females were recorded among migratory individuals, whereas more juveniles than adults were recorded among killed bats of local origin. Migratory noctule bats were found to originate from distant populations in the Northeastern parts of Europe. The large catchment areas of German wind turbines and high vulnerability of female and juvenile noctule bats call for immediate action to reduce the negative cross-boundary effects of bat fatalities at wind turbines on local and distant populations. Further, our study highlights the importance of implementing effective mitigation measures and developing species and scale-specific conservation approaches on both national and international levels to protect source populations of bats. The efficacy of local compensatory measures appears doubtful, at least for migrant noctule bats, considering the large geographical catchment areas of German wind turbines for this species.

Bat-plant pollination interactions in southern Thailand

The overwhelming majority of flowering plant species depend on animals for pollination, and such pollinators are important for the reproductive success of many economically and environmentally important plant species. Yet pollinators in the Old World tropics are relatively understudied, particularly paleotropical nectarivorous bats (Pteropodidae), and much is unknown about their interactions with night-blooming plant species. To better understand these bat-plant pollination interactions, I conducted fieldwork in southern Thailand for a total of 20 months, spread across three years. I examined the foraging times of pteropodid bat species (Chapter 1), and found that strictly nectarivorous species foraged earlier, and for a shorter duration, than primarily frugivorous species. I also studied year-long foraging patterns of pteropodid bats to determine how different species track floral resources across seasons (Chapter 2). Larger species capable of flying long distances switched diets seasonally to forage on the most abundant floral species, while smaller species foraged throughout the year on nearby plant species that were low-rewarding but highly reliable. To determine which pteropodid species are potentially important pollinators, I quantified the frequency and effectiveness of their visits to six common bat-pollinated plant taxa for an entire year (Chapter 3). The three strictly nectarivorous species were responsible for almost all pollination, but pollinator importance of each bat species varied across plant species. I further examined the long-term reliability of these pollinators (Chapter 4), and found that pollinator importance values were consistent across the three study years. Lastly, I explored mechanisms that reduce interspecific pollen transfer among bat-pollinated plants, despite having shared pollinators. Using a flight cage experiment, I demonstrated that these plant species deposit pollen on different areas of the bat’s body (mechanical partitioning), resulting in greater pollen transfer between conspecific flowers than heterospecific flowers (Chapter 5). Additionally, while I observed ecological and phenological overlap among flowering plant species, pollinators exhibited high floral constancy within a night, resulting in strong ethological separation (Chapter 6). Collectively, these findings illustrate the importance of understudied Old World bat pollinators within a mixed agricultural-forest system, and their strong, interdependent interactions with bat-pollinated plant species within a night, across seasons, and across years.

A Triple-Isotope Approach to Predict the Breeding Origins of European Bats

Despite a commitment by the European Union to protect its migratory bat populations, conservation efforts are hindered by a poor understanding of bat migratory strategies and connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds. Traditional methods like mark-recapture are ineffective to study broad-scale bat migratory patterns. Stable hydrogen isotopes (delta D) have been proven useful in establishing spatial migratory connectivity of animal populations. Before applying this tool, the method was calibrated using bat samples of known origin. Here we established the potential of delta D as a robust geographical tracer of breeding origins of European bats by measuring delta D in hair of five sedentary bat species from 45 locations throughout Europe. The delta D of bat hair strongly correlated with well-established spatial isotopic patterns in mean annual precipitation in Europe, and therefore was highly correlated with latitude. We calculated a linear mixed-effects model, with species as random effect, linking delta D of bat hair to precipitation delta D of the areas of hair growth. This model can be used to predict breeding origins of European migrating bats. We used delta C-13 and delta N-15 to discriminate among potential origins of bats, and found that these isotopes can be used as variables to further refine origin predictions. A triple-isotope approach could thereby pinpoint populations or subpopulations that have distinct origins. Our results further corroborated stable isotope analysis as a powerful method to delineate animal migrations in Europe.

Rabies and Bats in South Carolina

This sheet tells about rabies in bats, how to prevent rabies and dealing with exposure to rabies.

Frugivorous flies (Diptera: Tephritidae, Lonchaeidae) associated with fruit production on Ilha de Santana, Brazilian Amazon.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo identificar as espécies de moscas frugívoras (Tephritidae e Lonchaeidae), seus hospedeiros e parasitoides na Ilha de Santana, Estado do Amapá, Amazônia brasileira. Adicionalmente, objetivou estudar a exploração hospedeira por Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock. Foram realizadas coletas de frutos de diversas espécies vegetais, a cada 30 dias, no período de janeiro a julho de 2015. Foram coletadas 149 amostras de frutos (3.142 frutos, 76,3 Kg), pertencentes a 20 espécies vegetais (9 nativas e 11 introduzidas) de 13 famílias botânicas. Houve infestação por moscas frugívoras em 86 amostras (11 espécies de 8 famílias botânicas). Foram obtidos espécimes de cinco espécies de Tephritidae, quatro de Lonchaeidae e três de parasitoides Braconidae. As espécies de moscas frugívoras mais importantes na Ilha de Santana são: B. carambolae, devido sua expressão quarentenária; e Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) e Anastrepha striata Schiner, pelo fato de infestarem espécies vegetais de importância socioeconômica local. Os hospedeiros Averrhoa carambola (Oxalidaceae), Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae), Malpighia emarginata (Malpighiaceae) e Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae) são responsáveis pela manutenção da população de B. carambolae.

Auxin And Physical Constraint Exerted By The Perianth Promote Androgynophore Bending In Passiflora Mucronata L. (passifloraceae).

The androgynophore column, a distinctive floral feature in passion flowers, is strongly crooked or bent in many Passiflora species pollinated by bats. This is a floral feature that facilitates the adaptation to bat pollination. Crooking or bending of plant organs are generally caused by environmental stimulus (e.g. mechanical barriers) and might involve the differential distribution of auxin. Our aim was to study the role of the perianth organs and the effect of auxin in bending of the androgynophore of the bat-pollinated species Passiflora mucronata. Morpho-anatomical characterisation of the androgynophore, including measurements of curvature angles and cell sizes both at the dorsal (convex) and ventral (concave) sides of the androgynophore, was performed on control flowers, flowers from which perianth organs were partially removed and flowers treated either with auxin (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; 2,4-D) or with an inhibitor of auxin polar transport (naphthylphthalamic acid; NPA). Asymmetric growth of the androgynophore column, leading to bending, occurs at a late stage of flower development. Removing the physical constraint exerted by perianth organs or treatment with NPA significantly reduced androgynophore bending. Additionally, the androgynophores of plants treated with 2,4-D were more curved when compared to controls. There was a larger cellular expansion at the dorsal side of the androgynophores of plants treated with 2,4-D and in both sides of the androgynophores of plants treated with NPA. This study suggests that the physical constraint exerted by perianth and auxin redistribution promotes androgynophore bending in P. mucronata and might be related to the evolution of chiropterophily in the genus Passiflora.

Dispersão de sementes de Vismia cayennensis (Jacq.) Pers. (Guttiferae) por morcegos na região de Manaus, Amazonas

We studied the feeding behavior of bats and their role in the seed dispersal of Vismia cayennensis in Manaus region, Amazonas State, northern Brazil. The characteristics of the plant and its fruits fit the chiropterocory syndrome. Five species of phyllostomid bats fed on Vismia fruits: Sturnira lilium, Sturnira tildae, Artibeus concolor, Carollia perspicillata and Rhinophylla pumilio. Apparently there is a relationship between flock foraging behavior and fruit availability in early night. The feeding behavior was similar for all bat species, varying with the presentation mode of the fruits. Seed germination tests and the distributional patterns of the plants indicate that bats are the dispersers of V. cayennensis.