Counteracting forces of introgressive hybridization and interspecific competition shape the morphological traits of cryptic Iberian Eptesicus bats

Abstract

Cryptic species that coexist in sympatry are likely to simultaneously experience strong competition and hybridization. The first phenomenon would lead to character displacement, whereas the second can potentially promote morphological similarity through adaptive introgression. The main goal of this work was to investigate the effect of introgressive hybridization on the morphology of cryptic Iberian Eptesicus bats when facing counteracting evolutionary forces from interspecific competition. We found substantial overlap both in dentition and in wing morphology traits, though mainly in individuals in sympatry. The presence of hybrids contributes to a fifth of this overlap, with hybrids showing traits with intermediate morphometry. Thus, introgressive hybridization may contribute to species adaptation to trophic and ecological space responding directly to the macro-habitats characteristics of the sympatric zone and to local prey availability. On the other hand, fur shade tended to be browner and brighter in hybrids than parental species. Colour differences could result from partitioning of resources as an adaptation to environmental factors such as roost and microhabitats. We argue that a balance between adaptive introgression and niche partitioning shapes species interactions with the environment through affecting morphological traits under selection.

Changing with the times: Seasonal environmental gradients unveil dynamic bat assemblages and vulnerability

“…Bats were identified based on a morphological identification guide (Dietz & von Helversen, 2004 ). The two cryptic species Eptesicus serotinus and E. isabellinus (Ibáñez et al, 2006 ; Santos et al, 2014 ) were distinguished whenever possible based on dentition measurement (CM3 > 8.4 mm = E. serotinus ; CM3 < 8.4 mm = E. serotinus/isabellinus complex) according to Horta et al ( 2022 ). When this was not possible, these individuals were registered as a sister species complex in which the occurrence of hybrids is possible (Centeno‐Cuadros et al, 2019 ; Horta et al, 2022 ).…”