The diet of bats from Southeastern Brazil: the relation to echolocation and foraging behaviour

Fenton, M. Brock; Whitaker, John O.; Vonhof, Maarten J.; Waterman, Jane M.; Pedro, Wagner André; Aguiar, Ludmilla M. S.; Baumgarten, Júlio; Bouchard, Sylvie; Faria, Deborah; Portfors, Christine V.; Rautenbach, Naas I.L; Scully, William Mr; Zortéa, Marlon

doi:10.1590/s0101-81751999000400017

Cited by 27 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…Based on literature (Bonaccorso 1979;Kalko et al 1996;Fenton et al 1999), bats were assigned as aerial insectivores (AI), carnivores (CA), frugivores (FR), gleaning insectivores (GI), nectarivores (NE), omnivores (OM) and sanguinivores (SA). Birds were classified according to literature (Stotz et al 1996;Sick 1997) and own knowledge into guilds described by Greenberg et al (1997) according to foraging strata (canopy, ground and understory) and main dietary category (omnivores, nectarivores, insectivores, granivores and frugivores).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat and Bird Assemblages from Forests and Shade Cacao Plantations in Two Contrasting Landscapes in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

et al. 2006

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In the core region of Brazilian cocoa production, shade cacao plantations (so-called cabrucas) are important components of regional landscapes, constituting potential habitat for a vast array of the regional biota. This research focuses on the ability of cabrucas to harbor bird and bat species in two nearby districts -Una and Ilhe´us -with contrasting landscapes. At Una, cabrucas represent less than 6% of the land and are surrounded by large tracts of forest, whereas at Ilhe´us these shade plantations are the landscape's dominant feature. Bird and bat communities were richer in cabrucas located in Una compared to nearby forest, while cabrucas from the Ilhe´us landscape were significantly poorer in species than nearby forest fragments. However, bird assemblages in cabrucas were characterized by the loss of understory specialists and the increase of more open area and generalist species, whereas forest dwellers still comprised most of the bat species reported in cabrucas. Species richness and composition differed between the two landscapes. Forest fragments and cabrucas from Ilhe´us harbored fewer forest-dwelling species than similar habitats in Una. Our study shows that cabrucas support high species richness of birds and bats from the native assemblages but are no surrogates for intact forests, since the presence and representativeness of some forest species apparently depends on the existence of nearby forests. A landscape dominated by cabrucas with a minor portion of native forest is unlikely to ensure longterm conservation of many target species, particularly those of major conservation concern.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat and Bird Assemblages from Forests and Shade Cacao Plantations in Two Contrasting Landscapes in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

et al. 2006

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“…In this situation, narrowband signals are well suited for prey detection . Interestingly, calls of low bandwidth have also been found in two Neotropical Leuconoë species that are suggested to be mainly aerial-feeding and hence not trawling bats (M. riparius and M. ruber : Fenton et al 1999; data summarized in Table 1). …”

Section: Comparison Within the Genus Myotismentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Species identification in the field was achieved by visual observation and sound analyses. With the exception of M. riparius (see Fenton et al 1999), which is very rare on BCI, M. nigricans is the only small bat on BCI broadcasting downward-frequency-modulated signals with terminal frequencies between 48-55 kHz. Many mist-netting nights over the past years and the capture of bats from roosts exclusively revealed M. nigricans and never M. riparius in the area where the recordings were made (Kalko et al 1996).…”

Section: Animals and Species Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Echolocation behavior and signal plasticity in the Neotropical bat Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) (Vespertilionidae): a convergent case with European species of Pipistrellus ?

Siemers

Kalko

Schnitzler

2001

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

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We used both field and flight cage observations to investigate the echolocation and foraging behavior of the seldom studied, small, aerial insectivorous bat Myotis nigricans (Vespertilionidae) in Panama. In contrast to its temperate congeners, M. nigricans foraged extensively in open space and showed an echolocation behavior well adapted to this foraging habitat. It broadcast narrowband echolocation signals of 7 ms duration that enhance the chance of prey detection in open space. Because of rhythmical alternations of signal amplitude from signal to signal in our sound recordings of search signals in open space, we conclude that the bats scanned their environment with head movements, thereby enlarging their search volume. In edge-and-gap situations, and in the flight cage, M. nigricans introduced an initial broadband component to its search calls. In the field and in the flight cage, M. nigricans hawked for prey in aerial catches; gleaning was never observed. M. nigricans demonstrates call structures, such as narrow bandwidth and rather long signals adapted to foraging predominantly in open space. Moreover, call structure is highly plastic, allowing M. nigricans to forage in edge-and-gap situations also. These adaptations in call structure and plasticity have evolved convergently at least twice within the genus Myotis. Finally, M. nigricans echolocation and foraging behavior parallels that of the small, aerial, insectivorous pipistrelle bats (Vespertilionidae), which are not closely related to M. nigricans but forage in similar habitats.

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“…More recently, the ecological significance of bat vision, and its potential links to trait evolution, has become a major focus of attention (Danilovich & Yovel, 2019; Gutierrez, Castiglione, et al, 2018; Thiagavel et al., 2018), with the neotropical members of the bat superfamily Noctilionoidea (comprising five families and ~250 extant species) emerging as a model system for addressing how ecological opportunity relates to diversification (Dumont et al., 2012; Rojas, Warsi, & Dávalos, 2016). For ancestral noctilionoids, expansion into novel niches involved highly divergent echolocation and flight strategies linked to specialized insectivory (aerial feeding, gleaning and hovering) (Fenton et al., 1999; Gillam & Chaverri, 2012; Mancina, García‐Rivera, & Miller, 2012), while extant noctilionoids display remarkable ecological breadth, with diets ranging from fruit and nectar to arthropods, small vertebrates, and blood (Rojas, Ramos Pereira, Fonseca, & Dávalos, 2018; Rojas, Vale, Ferrero, & Navarro, 2011). Specifically, the Neotropical leaf‐nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) display the widest range of diets of all bat families, including the outstanding dietary novelty of the parallel evolution of diverse plant‐based diets encompassing nectar, pollen, soft fruit and figs (Rojas et al., 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging shifts and visual preadaptation in ecologically diverse bats

et al. 2020

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Changes in behaviour may initiate shifts to new adaptive zones, with physical adaptations for novel environments evolving later. While new mutations are commonly considered engines of adaptive change, sensory evolution enabling access to new resources might also arise from standing genetic diversity, and even gene loss. We examine the relative contribution of molecular adaptations, measured by positive and relaxed selection, acting on eye‐expressed genes associated with shifts to new adaptive zones in ecologically diverse bats from the superfamily Noctilionoidea. Collectively, noctilionoids display remarkable ecological breadth, from highly divergent echolocation to flight strategies linked to specialized insectivory, the parallel evolution of diverse plant‐based diets (e.g., nectar, pollen and fruit) from ancestral insectivory, and—unusually for echolocating bats—often have large, well‐developed eyes. We report contrasting levels of positive selection in genes associated with the development, maintenance and scope of visual function, tracing back to the origins of noctilionoids and Phyllostomidae (the bat family with most dietary diversity), instead of during shifts to novel diets. Generalized plant visiting was not associated with exceptional molecular adaptation, and exploration of these novel niches took place in an ancestral phyllostomid genetic background. In contrast, evidence for positive selection in vision genes was found at subsequent shifts to either nectarivory or frugivory. Thus, neotropical noctilionoids that use visual cues for identifying food and roosts, as well as for orientation, were effectively preadapted, with subsequent molecular adaptations in nectar‐feeding lineages and the subfamily Stenodermatinae of fig‐eating bats fine‐tuning pre‐existing visual adaptations for specialized purposes.

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The diet of bats from Southeastern Brazil: the relation to echolocation and foraging behaviour

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

Bat and Bird Assemblages from Forests and Shade Cacao Plantations in Two Contrasting Landscapes in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

Bat and Bird Assemblages from Forests and Shade Cacao Plantations in Two Contrasting Landscapes in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

Echolocation behavior and signal plasticity in the Neotropical bat Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821) (Vespertilionidae): a convergent case with European species of Pipistrellus ?

Foraging shifts and visual preadaptation in ecologically diverse bats

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