Doctoral defense by Lara Keicher

The energetic year of the common noctule, Nyctalus noctule.

Abstract

All living organisms need energy to live and reproduce. Effective energy management strategies ensure survival and reproductive success, critically defining evolutionary fitness of a species. Thus, detailed knowledge about how animals budget energy across time is essential to understand how life histories are shaped in the context of energetic challenges. In this doctoral thesis I investigated energy management strategies of a temperate-zone bat species (Nyctalus noctula). More specifically, I aimed to understand how male and female bats balance their energy budget and adjust physiology and behavior over the course of the year, including reproductive phases.