JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Biotropica. ABSTRACTMist netting bats at 1 1 sites in the vicinity of Akumal, Mexico between 7 and 19 January 1991 produced 363 bats representing 20 species. A comparison of captures revealed significant differences in species diversity (Hs) between disturbed and undisturbed sites (as reflected by deforestation). Species in the subfamily Phyllostominae (family Phyllostomidae) were captured significantly more often at forested than deforested sites and thus appeared to be useful indicators of habitat disruption. The low intensity echolocation calls of phyllostomid bats make it unfeasible to monitor their distribution and abundance with bat detectors.
We propose that the ancestors of bats were small, nocturnal, sylvatic gliders that used echolocation for general orientation. Their echolocation calls were short, low intensity, broadband clicks, which translated into a very short operational range. In the lineage that gave rise to bats, a switch to stronger, tonal signals permitted the use of echolocation to detect, track, and assess flying insects in subcanopy settings. We propose that these animals hunted from perches and used echolocation to detect, track, and assess flying insects, which they attacked while gliding. In this way, the perfection of echolocation for hunting preceded the appearance of flapping flight, which marked the emergence of bats. Flapping flight had appeared by the Eocene when at least eight families are known from the fossil record. Stronger signals and adaptations to minimize self-deafening were central to the perfection of echolocation for locating flying prey. Echolocation constituted a key innovation that permitted the evolution and radiation of bats. At the same time, however, its short effective range imposed a major constraint on the size of bats. This constraint is associated with flight speed and the very small time intervals from detection of, and contact with a flying target. Gleaning and high duty cycle echolocation are two derived approaches to hunting prey in cluttered situations, places where echoes from background and other objects arrive before or at the same time as echoes from prey. Both had appeared by the Eocene.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. American Society of Mammalogists is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Mammalogy.ABSTRACT.-I used radiotelemetry to study habitat use and foraging activity of 27 Myotis myotis from a nursery colony in Bavaria (West Germany) from May to August 1987 and June to August 1988. Adults spent most of the night flying in individual but nonexclusive areas and showed high specificity for forested habitats. Pregnant females had the longest foraging times. On cold and rainy nights, foraging time was reduced and bats of both sexes and all reproductive classes often used alternate day roosts. Radio-tagged juveniles progressively increased time and distance away from the nursery roost and foraged independently from their mothers. Carabid beetles were the most abundant prey (sampled on 12 nights), but their availability was not affected by weather.Wing morphology and design of echolocation calls (Aldridge and Rautenbach, 1987; Neuweiler, 1984; Norberg and Rayner, 1987) have been used to explain foraging behavior and habitat use of bats. By radiotracking, Fenton and Rautenbach (1986) showed striking differences in patterns of habitat use for three species of African insectivorous bats that differed in wing morphology and designs of echolocation calls.Myotis myotis (body mass ca. 25 g) feeds mainly on Carabidae (Coleoptera) and other flightless arthropods (Ackerman, 1984; Bauerova, 1978; Gebhard and Hirschi, 1985; Stutz, 1985), suggesting that it takes prey from surfaces. Its echolocation calls, short (2-4 ms long), broadband calls sweeping from 120 to 25 kHz, are presumed to confer some resistance to clutter (Habersetzer and Vogler, 1983). Wing morphology (aspect ratio = 6.3, wing loading = 11.2 N/m2) places M. myotis among species in group 2 (Aldridge and Rautenbach, 1987), those relatively fast and maneuverable, capable of foraging either in open areas or in forest but not within dense vegetation, and with the potential for either hunting from perches or in continuous flight (Fenton, 1990). Because of its elusive behavior, observations of M. myotis outside the roost have been limited to within a few meters of the colony (Gebhard and Ott, 1985); thus, the question of how this species forages remains unanswered. Like many other bats, female M. myotis give birth to single young annually, and invest considerable amounts of energy in production of young (Kunz, 1987). Whether the mother is involved in development of the foraging behavior of its young is unknown. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to document the foraging behavior of M. myotis and its development in juveniles. The nursery colony of Myotis myotis that I studied was located in the attic ...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.