Morphological specialization influences nectar extraction efficiency of sympatric nectar-feeding bats

Gonzalez-Terrazas, Tania P.; Medellín, Rodrigo A.; Knörnschild, Mirjam; Tschapka, Marco

doi:10.1242/jeb.068494

Cited by 32 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Bat species were classified by diet following—(a) insectivorous: insects and arthropods constitute >80% of diet, (b) piscivorous: fish represent >50% of diet, (c) carnivorous: terrestrial vertebrate prey consumed in >60% diet, (d) nectarivorous: nectar and pollen consumed regularly and species has sensory and behavioral specializations to extract nectar from a flower corolla, (e) frugivorous: diet is >70% fruit material, (f) omnivorous: fruit, nectar, and >15% insects consumed or fruit, nectar, insects, and >20% terrestrial vertebrates in natural diet, and (g) sangivourous: diet is >99% blood. Categorizations and cutoffs were based on dietary data and behavioral observations from the literature …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Categorizations and cutoffs were based on dietary data and behavioral observations from the literature. [67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76] Ontogenetic specimens were limited by availability of material (Table S2). Embryonic and fetal specimens were dissected from ethanol-preserved females, and five phyllostomid species were selected for analysis based on the range of available embryonic ages (Figure 1): M. waterhousii (insectivore), C. perspicillata (omnivore, Piper preference), A. jamaicensis (frugivore generalist, preference for Ficus), G. soricina (nectarivore), and D. rotundus (sanguivore).…”

Section: Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Camacho

Heyde

Bhullar

et al. 2019

Developmental Dynamics

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Background The neotropical leaf‐nosed bats (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) are an ecologically diverse group of mammals with distinctive morphological adaptations associated with specialized modes of feeding. The dramatic skull shape changes between related species result from changes in the craniofacial development process, which brings into focus the nature of the underlying evolutionary developmental processes. Results In this study, we use three‐dimensional geometric morphometrics to describe, quantify, and compare morphological modifications unfolding during evolution and development of phyllostomid bats. We examine how changes in development of the cranium may contribute to the evolution of the bat craniofacial skeleton. Comparisons of ontogenetic trajectories to evolutionary trajectories reveal two separate evolutionary developmental growth processes contributing to modifications in skull morphogenesis: acceleration and hypermorphosis. Conclusion These findings are consistent with a role for peramorphosis, a form of heterochrony, in the evolution of bat dietary specialists.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Camacho

Heyde

Bhullar

et al. 2019

Developmental Dynamics

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“…On the basis of morphology alone, one would expect Brachyphylla to feed from different species of plants (Gonzalez‐Terrazas et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Indeed, Gonzalez‐Terrazas et al . () noted larger differences in nectar extraction efficiencies among Glossophaga soricina, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and Musonycteris harrisoni, primarily when nectar was only present at deeper levels, mimicking longer corolla tube lengths. An alternative explanation to account for the association between phylogeny and diet in this group of species may be shared physiological traits, with similar diet choices being related to overcoming a nutritional deficiency in some micronutrient present in only a certain variety of flower nectar or avoiding a toxic compound.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Morphology, Diet and Flower‐visiting by Phyllostomid Bats in Cuba

2014

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Pollinator morphology can play an important role in structuring plant-pollinator relationships and a pollinator's morphology may be associated with aspects of its diet. We examined the relationship between morphology and the partitioning of flower-based food resources for five species of flower-visiting Cuban bats: Artibeus jamaicensis, Brachyphylla nana, Erophylla sezekorni, Monophyllus redmani and Phyllonycteris poeyi. We analyzed cranial traits and body size to assess differences among species with respect to morphological specializations. We also collected dietary data from guano and used acoustic monitoring to assess bat activity at flowers. We found evidence that bats partition floral resources, but we found no direct evidence that plants were limiting resources for the bats. Morphological similarity among bat species did not predict dietary overlap. Rather it was associated with phylogenic relationships among some species. Species with different morphological specialization for flower-visiting consumed resources and visited food plants at different frequencies.Abstract in Spanish is available in the online version of this article.

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Morphological specialization to nectarivory in Phyllostomus discolor (Wagner, 1843) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

Quinche

Santana

Rico‐Guevara

2022

The Anatomical Record

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Dedicated nectarivory is a derived feeding habit that requires specialized cranial and soft‐tissue morphologies to extract nectar from flowers. Nectarivory has evolved many times in terrestrial vertebrates, and in four bat families (Pteropodidae, Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Mystacinidae). Within phyllostomids, specializations to nectarivory have been well documented in two subfamilies, Glossophaginae and Lonchophyllinae. However, nectarivory has also evolved independently in the genus Phyllostomus (subfamily Phyllostominae). Since Phyllostomus species have an omnivorous diet with a high consumption of nectar, they can be used to explore the basic morphological modifications linked to evolving a nectarivorous habit. Here, we focused on describing and comparing the morphological features potentially associated with nectarivory in Phyllostomus discolor. We present the first detailed tongue and palate morphological descriptions for P. discolor and perform skull morphometric analysis including 10 species. We found hair‐like papillae on the tongue of P. discolor, a convergent feature with Glossophaginae and nectarivorous Pteropodids; these papillae likely confer an advantage when feeding on nectar. P. discolor does not show skull morphological features characteristic of nectarivorous bats, such as a long and narrow snout. We pose that the consumption of a variety of food, such as hard insects and fruits, and the large size of P. discolor relative to specialized nectarivores may create trade‐offs against morphological specialization of the skull towards nectarivory. In contrast, a long and mobile tongue with hair‐like papillae may be an evolutionary solution for nectar extraction that does not have a major impact on this species' ability to feed on other resources.

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Morphological specialization influences nectar extraction efficiency of sympatric nectar-feeding bats

Cited by 32 publications

References 27 publications

Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Morphology, Diet and Flower‐visiting by Phyllostomid Bats in Cuba

Morphological specialization to nectarivory in Phyllostomus discolor (Wagner, 1843) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

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