CONCLUSIONS
In summary, our study demonstrated that the emergence and return times
of V. sinensis were affected by light intensity, reproductive
status, and predation risk in a relatively complex pattern, indicating
that the decisions concerning emergence and return of V. sinensishad a high degree of plasticity. Therefore,
our study investigated the effects
of real predators on activity rhythms of bats, and the results
challenged the traditional view that high predation risk leads to the
later emergence and earlier return. Our results also highlighted that
higher energy demands during lactation period in bats may be more
important than predation risk in the variation in activity rhythms. A
limitation of this study is that it is difficult to determine howV. sinensis make decisions of emergence and return based on the
intrinsic and extrinsic factors according to our present data. Further
studies will need to determine the causal links between activity rhythms
of bats and their impact factors.