Foraging ecology and behaviour of Queensland Tube Nosed fruit bats (Nyctimene robinsoni) 

Anita Freudmann, MSc

Key aspects of the foraging ecology and behaviour of Queensland or Eastern tube-nosed fruit bats (Nyctimene robinsoni) are studied in lowland tropical rain forest and disturbed areas. Habitat and resource use will be investigated by identifying home ranges, roosts and feeding sites. The project will furthermore address aspects of social behaviour and communication, and explore the role of olfaction as a key determinant of foraging behaviour.

By increasing information on their foraging movements and visited food plants, this study will elucidate their role in the provision of ecosystem services (such as seed dispersal and pollination), and substantially contribute to the currently limited knowledge on this species listed as vulnerable at the southern end of its distribution range. 

Link to Researchgate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anita_Freudmann

Publications

Freudmann A., Mollik P., Tschapka M. & Schulze C.H. (2015) Impacts of oil palm agriculture on phyllostomid bat assemblages. Biodiversity and Conservation 24(14), 3583-3599. DOI 10.1007/s10531-015-1021-6. Link to article

Schulze C.H., Freudmann A., Friesenbichler K. et al. (2013) Biodiversität von Landschaftselementen im biologischen Korridor und den Randbereichen des Regenwaldes. In: Albert R., Huber W., Pamperl S., Wanek W., Weber A., Weissenhofer A (Eds) 20 Jahre Tropenstation La Gamba, Costa Rica. Verein zur Förderung der Tropenstation La Gamba, Wien. pp 92-95.

Preininger D., Böckle M. , Freudmann A., Starnberger I., Sztatecsny M., Hödl W. (2013): Multimodal signaling in the Small Torrent Frog (Micrixalus saxicola) in a complex acoustic environment. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Volume 67, Issue 9, 1449-1456. DOI 10.1007/s00265-013-1489-6 Link to article

Sztatecsny M., Preininger D., Freudmann A., Loretto M., Maier F., Hödl W. (2012): Don’t get the blues: conspicuous nuptial colouration of male moor frogs (Rana arvalis) supports visual mate recognition in large breeding aggregations. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology: 66(12), 1587–1593. DOI 10.1007/s00265-012-1412-6. Link to article