Distribution, Abundance and Roosts of the Fruit Bat<i>Artibeus fraterculus</i>(Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

1.Roosting ecology has probably shaped several aspects of bat evolution. Although Phyllostomidae species are known to use more types of roosts than any other chiropteran lineage, foliage roosting is almost entirely restricted to the frugivorous members of the subfamily Stenodermatinae. There are relatively few studies on the roosting ecology of stenodermatines other than leaf tent users, and there have been few attempts to reconstruct the evolution of the peculiar foliage-roosting habits of these fruit bats. 2. Our aim was to reconstruct the evolution of foliage roosting in the Phyllostomidae phylogeny, and to test correlation hypotheses between roost types, pelage markings, and body size. 3. We performed ancestral character reconstructions using stochastic mappings on a molecular phylogeny of Phyllostomidae and reviewed literature records on roosts used by Stenodermatinae. Correlations between roosting habits and pelage patterns were calculated using phylogenetic logistic regressions. 4. Over 1200 records of roost use for 48 Stenodermatinae bat species were found in the literature. Most of the observations consisted of foliage roosting records; the second most common type of roost were caves and crevices, which was followed by holes in standing trees. 5. Our results support a single origin of foliage roosting in Phyllostomidae, which we interpreted as a synapomorphy uniting Rhinophyllinae with the Stenodermatinae. We estimated a minimum of two origins of tent roosting within Phyllostomidae, and our reconstruction suggests that it was basal in the Rhinophyllinae + Stenodermatinae clade. 6. Pelage markings of stenodermatines explained the type of roost, indicating that having white stripes or white spots contrasting with background pelage is related to foliage roosting. Species that use leaf tents are smaller than ones that do not, but group size does not appear to be correlated with tent use. 7. Further studies of foliage-roosting bat species that do not use leaf tents may shed light on the mode of evolution of this complex behavioural character.

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“…(); 84 Peters (); 85 Pinto et al. (); 86 Portella (); 87 Prone et al. (); 88 Reis and Peracchi (); 89 Rengifo et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roosting ecology of Stenodermatinae bats (Phyllostomidae): evolution of foliage roosting and correlated phenotypes

Garbino

Tavares

2018

Mammal Review

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“…Along with the disappearance of Phyllostominae species, the abrupt decline in A. fraterculus provided an indicator of the severity of disturbance in degraded sites. Previous studies report that A. fraterculus is one of the most common species along the Equatorial Pacific Coast, occurring in both primary and disturbed habitats [48][49][50] . According to Pinto et al 50 , A. fraterculus tolerates disturbance given its capacity to use a variety of structures as roosting sites and ability to sustain itself on exotic fruits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multifaceted approach to understanding bat community response to disturbance in a seasonally dry tropical forest

Valle

Griffith

Jara‐Guerrero

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Given widespread habitat degradation and loss, reliable indicators are needed that provide a comprehensive assessment of community response to anthropogenic disturbance. The family Phyllostomidae (Order Chiroptera) has frequently been the focus of research evaluating bats’ response to habitat disturbance in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs). However, few studies compare this family to the larger bat assemblage to assess its efficacy as a bioindicator. We compared community and species-specific attributes of understory phyllostomid and all understory bat species: (1) along a gradient of habitat disturbance within a human-modified SDTF landscape; and (2) between forest and riparian habitats within each disturbance level. We captured 290 individuals belonging to 13 species and 4 families. Phyllostomid species exhibited greater sensitivity to disturbance than the understory bat community as a whole based on richness and beta diversity. Both groups were more sensitive to disturbance in forest than riparian habitat, but phyllostomid species were more likely to be lost from highly disturbed forest habitat. The two dominant species declined in abundance with disturbance but variation in body condition was species-specific. These results suggest that Phyllostomidae are more effective indicators of human disturbance in SDTF than the understory bat community as a whole and evaluation of bats’ response to disturbance is best accomplished with a multifaceted approach.

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“…In particular, A . fraterculus in Loja province are resilient to human disruption of the environment, live in large aggregations, and use man-made structures as roosts [ 56 , 57 ]. Further studies are required to determine the ecological variables (i.e., triatomine vectors) associated with the high prevalence of T .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bats, Trypanosomes, and Triatomines in Ecuador: New Insights into the Diversity, Transmission, and Origins of Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas Disease

et al. 2015

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The generalist parasite Trypanosoma cruzi has two phylogenetic lineages associated almost exclusively with bats—Trypanosoma cruzi Tcbat and the subspecies T. c. marinkellei. We present new information on the genetic variation, geographic distribution, host associations, and potential vectors of these lineages. We conducted field surveys of bats and triatomines in southern Ecuador, a country endemic for Chagas disease, and screened for trypanosomes by microscopy and PCR. We identified parasites at species and genotype levels through phylogenetic approaches based on 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and cytochrome b (cytb) genes and conducted a comparison of nucleotide diversity of the cytb gene. We document for the first time T. cruzi Tcbat and T. c. marinkellei in Ecuador, expanding their distribution in South America to the western side of the Andes. In addition, we found the triatomines Cavernicola pilosa and Triatoma dispar sharing shelters with bats. The comparisons of nucleotide diversity revealed a higher diversity for T. c. marinkellei than any of the T. c. cruzi genotypes associated with Chagas disease. Findings from this study increased both the number of host species and known geographical ranges of both parasites and suggest potential vectors for these two trypanosomes associated with bats in rural areas of southern Ecuador. The higher nucleotide diversity of T. c. marinkellei supports a long evolutionary relationship between T. cruzi and bats, implying that bats are the original hosts of this important parasite.

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Distribution, Abundance and Roosts of the Fruit BatArtibeus fraterculus(Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Roosting ecology of Stenodermatinae bats (Phyllostomidae): evolution of foliage roosting and correlated phenotypes

Roosting ecology of Stenodermatinae bats (Phyllostomidae): evolution of foliage roosting and correlated phenotypes

A multifaceted approach to understanding bat community response to disturbance in a seasonally dry tropical forest

Bats, Trypanosomes, and Triatomines in Ecuador: New Insights into the Diversity, Transmission, and Origins of Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas Disease

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