Discrimination of small sugar concentration differences helps the nectar-feeding bat <i>Leptonycteris yerbabuenae</i> cover energetic demands

Walter, Michael H.; Verdong, Aaron; Olmos, Vanessa; Weiss, Christina C.; Vial, Lisa-Ruth; Putra, Ahilan; Müller, Jan; Tschapka, Marco; Schnitzler, Hans‐Ulrich

doi:10.1242/jeb.215053

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…More surveys of P. medius feeding behavior and the fruits they consume at different times of the year would be necessary to assess this hypothesis [ 127 ]. Complementary experiments could be performed to evaluate whether pteropodid bats perceive small differences in sugar concentration and modify their feeding behavior in response to varying energy demands [ 128 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats

McKee

Islam

Luby

et al. 2021

Viruses

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Nipah virus is a bat-borne paramyxovirus that produces yearly outbreaks of fatal encephalitis in Bangladesh. Understanding the ecological conditions that lead to spillover from bats to humans can assist in designing effective interventions. To investigate the current and historical processes that drive Nipah spillover in Bangladesh, we analyzed the relationship among spillover events and climatic conditions, the spatial distribution and size of Pteropus medius roosts, and patterns of land-use change in Bangladesh over the last 300 years. We found that 53% of annual variation in winter spillovers is explained by winter temperature, which may affect bat behavior, physiology, and human risk behaviors. We infer from changes in forest cover that a progressive shift in bat roosting behavior occurred over hundreds of years, producing the current system where a majority of P. medius populations are small (median of 150 bats), occupy roost sites for 10 years or more, live in areas of high human population density, and opportunistically feed on cultivated food resources—conditions that promote viral spillover. Without interventions, continuing anthropogenic pressure on bat populations similar to what has occurred in Bangladesh could result in more regular spillovers of other bat viruses, including Hendra and Ebola viruses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats

McKee

Islam

Luby

et al. 2021

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More surveys of P. medius feeding behavior and the fruits they consume at different times of the year would be necessary to assess this hypothesis [122]. Complementary experiments could be performed to evaluate whether pteropodid bats perceive small differences in sugar concentration and modify their feeding behavior in response to varying energy demands [123].…”

Section: Seasonality Of Date Palm Sap Consumption and Spilloversmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of Nipah virus in Bangladesh: a nexus of land use change and opportunistic feeding behavior in bats

McKee

Islam

Luby

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Nipah virus is a bat-borne paramyxovirus that produces yearly outbreaks of fatal encephalitis in Bangladesh. Understanding the ecological conditions that lead to spillover from bats to humans can assist in designing effective interventions. To investigate the current and historical processes that drive Nipah spillover in Bangladesh, we analyzed the relationship between spillover events and climatic conditions, the spatial distribution and size of Pteropus medius roosts, and patterns of land use change in Bangladesh over the last 300 years. We found that 53% of annual variation in winter spillovers is explained by winter temperature, which may affect bat behavior, physiology, and human risk behaviors. We infer from changes in forest cover that a progressive shift in bat roosting behavior occurred over hundreds of years, producing the current system where a majority of P. medius populations are small (median of 150 bats), occupy roost sites for 10 years or more, live in areas of high human population density, and opportunistically feed on cultivated food resources - conditions that promote viral spillover. Without interventions, continuing anthropogenic pressure on bat populations similar to what has occurred in Bangladesh could result in more regular spillovers of other bat viruses, including Hendra and Ebola viruses.

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A negative association between nectar standing crop and pollen transfer suggests nectar functions as a manipulator of pollinating bats

et al. 2022

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Background and Aims Nectar standing crop has a fundamental role in controlling pollinator movements between flowers and individuals within a population. In bat pollination systems, plants take advantage of the cognitive abilities of nectarivorous bats, which integrate complex perceptions of quality and spatial distribution of resources. Here, we propose that associations between standing crop and pollen transfer help to reveal the role of nectar as a manipulator of pollinator behavior. Methods We used Harpochilus neesianus Ness (Acanthaceae), a bat-pollinated shrub from Brazilian Caatinga, as a model system to assess nectar removal effects and standing crop, respectively, over the night and to test associations between the amount of nectar available to pollinators, and pollen import and export. Key Results Harpochilus neesianus showed a continuous nectar secretion throughout the flower lifespan. Flowers subjected to successive nectar removals produced less nectar than flowers sampled just once, and showed, despite a higher sugar concentration, a lower absolute amount of sugar. Under these conditions, bats may realize that nectar production is decreasing after repeated visits at the same flower and could be manipulated to avoid such already pollinated flowers with little nectar, thus increasing the probability of visits to flowers with a high amount of nectar, and a still high pollen availability on anthers and low pollen deposition on stigmas. We found that during most of the anthesis, nectar standing crop volume was positively correlated with the number of pollen grains remaining in the anthers, and negatively with the number of pollen grains deposited on the stigma. Conclusions We conclude that nectar secretion patterns can function as a manipulator of pollinating bats in Harpochilus neesianus. We propose that the assessment of variability in nectar secretion in response to removal, and the correlation between nectar standing crop and relative pollen transfer throughout anthesis should be considered in order to understand the role of nectar in the manipulation of pollinators.

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Discrimination of small sugar concentration differences helps the nectar-feeding bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae cover energetic demands

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats

The Ecology of Nipah Virus in Bangladesh: A Nexus of Land-Use Change and Opportunistic Feeding Behavior in Bats

The ecology of Nipah virus in Bangladesh: a nexus of land use change and opportunistic feeding behavior in bats

A negative association between nectar standing crop and pollen transfer suggests nectar functions as a manipulator of pollinating bats

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