Isotopic discrimination and indications for turnover in hair and wing membranes of the temperate bat Nyctalus noctula

Roswag, Anna; Becker, Nina I.; Encarnação, Jorge A.

doi:10.1007/s10344-015-0944-2

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Afterward, we killed each individual with an overdose of ketamine and took samples of liver, muscle (pectoral muscle), and skin (wing membrane) for C and N stable isotope analyses. Based on data from birds, small mammals, and an insectivorous bat species, we assumed that isotopic composition of liver represents that of the resources incorporated from a few days to two weeks, that of muscle from two weeks to a month, and that of skin from one to three months (Hobson & Clark, ; Roswag, Becker & Encarnação, ; Tieszen, Boutton, Tesdahl & Slade, ). Thus, isotopic values of liver, muscle, and skin samples allowed us to identify differences in the isotopic niches during the end (liver), the last‐half (muscle), and all the season (skin) for each sampling site.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species

Muñoz‐Lazo¹,

Franco‐Trecu

Naya

et al. 2019

Biotropica

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Habitat fragmentation could alter ecological traits including species trophic habits.Here, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios to establish differences in isotopic niche width and food resource use between forest fragments and the continuous forest for the phyllostomid frugivorous bat Artibeus lituratus. Using mist nests, we captured bats from two forest fragments and two sites in continuous forest, and sampled from each individual captured three body tissues with contrasting turnover rates (skin, muscle, and liver). Samples were collected between February and March (austral summer) and between August and September (austral winter). In addition, in each sampling site and season we collected potential food resources (fruits and insects) consumed by our A. lituratus. Our findings indicate that A. lituratus had a predominantly omnivorous diet, with high consumption of insects during summer in forest fragments. The increasing consumption of insects in these fragments seems to have led to a wider isotopic niche, in relation to the continuous forest. Because A. lituratus is typically a seed disperser, changes in trophic habits in the forest fragments from frugivory to insectivory may diminish their role in forest regeneration.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material. K E Y W O R D SBrazilian Atlantic Forest, feeding habits, forest regeneration, phyllostomid bat, stable isotope analysis

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species

Muñoz‐Lazo¹,

Franco‐Trecu

Naya

et al. 2019

Biotropica

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“…Hair and wing membrane samples of adult M. alcathoe and M. brandtii differed significantly in their stable isotope signature. Hair samples always reflect the diet of the animal during hair growth, while wing membranes reflect the diet of the animal during the past few weeks prior to sampling (Roswag et al, ; Voigt et al, ). Therefore, the significant differences found between hair and wing membrane samples of M. alcathoe and M. brandtii suggested that both species changed their diet in the presampling weeks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to this, wing membranes are metabolically active and change their stable isotope signature continuously (Hobson, ). They reflect the stable isotope signature of the diet/foraging habitat during the last few weeks prior to sampling (Roswag, Becker, & Encarnação, ; Voigt, Matt, Michener, & Kunz, ). Hair samples were taken from the dorsal fur, and wing membrane samples were collected from the plagiopatagium using a biopsy punch.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teasing apart cryptic species groups: Nutritional ecology and its implications for species‐specific conservation of the Myotis mystacinus group

et al. 2018

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The increasing loss of biodiversity and the need to delay the sixth mass extinction on earth resulted in several international conventions aiming at protecting threatened species. Protection improves with increasing knowledge of the biology and ecology of these species. However, species numbers rapidly increase with the ongoing description of cryptic species, resulting in a lack of ecological knowledge for each of these species. We studied the nutritional ecology of three cryptic bat species of the Myotis mystacinus group using stable isotope analysis and molecular fecal analysis. Inter-and intraspecific variations were compared by calculating the isotopic and dietary niches for each species. We hypothesized (a) that all three species are generalists, but (b) that M. mystacinus and Myotis brandtii are more similar to each other than to Myotis alcathoe. Third we assumed that the occupied niches are intraspecifically more similar than interspecifically. We could show that the members of the M. mystacinus group differ in their nutritional ecology. Our data suggest that M. alcathoe is the most specialized species of the group, occupying a more distinct ecological niche compared to the other two species. Interestingly, the dietary and isotopic niche overlap was higher interspecifically than intraspecifically. Furthermore, considering our findings and those from other studies we illustrate implications for the conservation of these cryptic species. K E Y W O R D S ecological niche, insectivorous bats, molecular diet analysis, δ 13 C, δ 15 N

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“…Frog muscle tissue turns over roughly 60-80 days (Cloyed et al 2015), Hawaiian bird feather molt takes about 90-120 days (Freed and Cann 2012), and bat wing membrane tissue turnover is about 50 days (Roswag et al 2015). Because the turnover rates for all these tissues are within 2-6 months, we felt that all samples collected for isotope analyses reflected the resource base for that year and should be comparable.…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these studies take considerable time and resources to conduct, particularly for species that are hard to rear in the laboratory, and may not ultimately reflect diet discrimination in natural systems. Because we did not determine trophic (Roswag et al 2015).…”

Section: Isotope Discrimination Correctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different prey resources suggest little competition between non-native frogs and insectivorous birds despite isotopic niche overlap

Smith

Beard

Shiels³

2016

Biol Invasions

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Non-native amphibians often compete with native amphibians in their introduced range, but their competitive effects on other vertebrates are less well known. The Puerto Rican coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) has colonized the island of Hawaii, and has been hypothesized to compete with insectivorous birds and bats. To address if the coqui could compete with these vertebrates, we used stable isotope analyses to compare the trophic position and isotopic niche overlap between the coqui, three insectivorous bird species, and the Hawaiian hoary bat. Coquis shared similar trophic position to Hawaii amakihi, Japanese white-eye, and red-billed leiothrix. Coquis were about 3 % less enriched in d 15 N than the Hawaiian hoary bat, suggesting the bats feed at a higher trophic level than coquis. Analyses of potential diet sources between coquis and each of the three bird species indicate that there was more dietary overlap between bird species than any of the birds and the coqui. Results suggest that Acari, Amphipoda, and Blattodea made up[90% of coqui diet, while Araneae made up only 2% of coqui diet, but approximately 25% of amakihi and white-eye diet. The three bird species shared similar proportions of Lepidoptera larvae, which were *25% of their diet. Results suggest that coquis share few food resources with insectivorous birds, but occupy a similar trophic position, which could indicate weak competition. However, resource competition may not be the only way coquis impact insectivorous birds, and future research should examine whether coqui invasions are associated with changes in bird abundance.

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Isotopic discrimination and indications for turnover in hair and wing membranes of the temperate bat Nyctalus noctula

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species

Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species

Teasing apart cryptic species groups: Nutritional ecology and its implications for species‐specific conservation of the Myotis mystacinus group

Different prey resources suggest little competition between non-native frogs and insectivorous birds despite isotopic niche overlap

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