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Mejia P, Urbieta GL, Xavier BDS, Castro IJD, DE Toledo JJ, Graciolli G, Viana Dias LA, Carvalho WD. Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat-bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs. Integr Zool 2024; 19:400-416. [PMID: 37553290 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Bats are the second-most diverse group of mammals in the world, and bat flies are their main parasites. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding these antagonistic interactions, especially since diverse factors such as seasonality and host sex can affect their network structures. Here, we explore the influence of such factors by comparing species richness and composition of bat flies on host bats, as well as specialization and modularity of bat-bat fly interaction networks between seasons and adult host sexes. We captured bats and collected their ectoparasitic flies at 10 sampling sites in the savannahs of Amapá State, northeastern region of the Brazilian Amazon. Despite female bats being more parasitized and recording greater bat fly species richness in the wet season, neither relationship was statistically significant. The pooled network could be divided into 15 compartments with 54 links, and all subnetworks comprised >12 compartments. The total number of links ranged from 27 to 48 (for the dry and wet seasons, respectively), and female and male subnetworks had 44 and 41 links, respectively. Connectance values were very low for the pooled network and for all subnetworks. Our results revealed higher bat fly species richness and abundance in the wet season, whereas specialization and modularity were higher in the dry season. Moreover, the subnetwork for female bats displayed higher specialization and modularity than the male subnetwork. Therefore, both seasonality and host sex contribute in different ways to bat-bat fly network structure. Future studies should consider these factors when evaluating bat-bat fly interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Mejia
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá AP, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Lima Urbieta
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá AP, Brazil
| | - Bruna da Silva Xavier
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Isaí Jorge de Castro
- Laboratório de Mamíferos, Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA), Macapá AP, Brazil
| | - José Júlio DE Toledo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá AP, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Graciolli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Laboratório de Sistemática, Ecologia e Evolução (LSEE), Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, MT, Brazil
| | - Lucio André Viana Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá AP, Brazil
| | - William Douglas Carvalho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá AP, Brazil
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Ramírez-Martínez MM, Tlapaya-Romero L. Association of bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) and bats: Richness and host specificity in Western Mexico. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 21:160-167. [PMID: 37252655 PMCID: PMC10209120 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
As part of a widespread ecological study on the ectoparasites of bats in Western Mexico, we report new information on the specificity, and distribution of bat flies in a geographical transition zone between the neartic and neotropical zones. Fifteen (15) species of bats representing three families (Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae) were collected in 10 locations throughout western Mexico. A total of 276 bat flies, representing 6 genera and 25 species, were identified four species of the bat flies are new records for the region indicating an expansion of the distribution for Trichobius corynorhini (Cockerll, 1910), T. hoffmannae (Guerrero & Morales-Malacara, 1996), T. intermedius (Peterson & Hürka, 1974) and Nycterophilia natali (Wenzel, 1966). These records update the species richness of streblids to 40 species in the state of Jalisco, representing 65.6% of the total number of 61 species of streblids recorded in Mexico. The interaction network showed a high degree of specialization of the bat flies towards their hosts (H2' = 0.92). Similarly, the specificity indices showed that there is a high ecological specificity (SI) with an average of 92%. of all the bat flies was associated with their primary hosts, while the average value of specificity of the phylogenetic trees (STD) of the six streblid species that presented more than one host was 1.7%, indicating a high specificity. The results of this study provide relevant information on bat-parasite associations and highlight the need for further research to obtain information on the geographic distribution of streblids and their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Magdalena Ramírez-Martínez
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud y Ecología Humana, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Liliana Tlapaya-Romero
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud y Ecología Humana, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico
- Programa de Doctorado en Biosistemática, Ecología y Manejo de Recursos Naturales (BEMARENA), Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Autlan, Jalisco, Mexico
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Bat-parasite interaction networks in urban green areas in northeastern Brazil. Parasitology 2023; 150:262-268. [PMID: 36529860 PMCID: PMC10090594 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022001718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Interaction networks can provide detailed information regarding ecological systems, helping us understand how communities are organized and species are connected. The goals of this study were to identify the pattern of interaction between bats and ectoparasites in urban green areas of Grande Aracaju, Sergipe, and calculate connectance, specialization, nesting, modularity and centrality metrics. Bats were captured using 10 mist nets inside and on the edges of the fragments, and the collected ectoparasites were stored in 70% alcohol. All analyses were performed using R software. The interaction network consisted of 10 species of bats and 13 ectoparasites. Connectivity was considered low (0.12). The specialization indices for ectoparasites ranged from 0.50 to 1.00, and the value obtained for the network was 0.96, which is high. The observed nesting metric was low (wNODF = 1.47), whereas the modularity was high (wQ = 0.74), indicating that the studied network had a modular topology. All centrality metrics had low values. The observed modularity may have been caused by the evolutionary history of the bats and ectoparasites involved and the high specificity index of the interactions. The low centrality values may be associated with low connectivity and a high degree of specialization. This study provides relevant information on bat–parasite interactions in an urban environment, highlighting the need for further studies to improve our understanding of host–parasite interaction networks.
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Rivera CL, Padilla JF, Ospina Pérez EM, Urbano FM, Guarín DV, Mejía Fontecha IY, Ossa López PA, Rivera Páez FA, Ramírez-Chaves HE. Interaction Networks between Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and Ectoparasitic Flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) in the Colombian Orinoquia Region. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2023. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2022.24.2.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Camila López Rivera
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Juliana Florez Padilla
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Erika M. Ospina Pérez
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Freddy Méndez Urbano
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Daniela Velásquez Guarín
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Ingrith Y. Mejía Fontecha
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Paula A. Ossa López
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Fredy A. Rivera Páez
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
| | - Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves
- Grupo de Investigación GEBIOME, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, Apartado Aéreo 275, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
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Ectoparasitic flies of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in urban green areas of northeastern Brazil. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:117-126. [PMID: 36289082 PMCID: PMC9607744 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07703-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In urban and degraded areas, ectoparasite abundance can be affected by increasing human population density and habitat fragmentation. This study aimed to characterize the ectoparasitic fly community associated with bats in the urban green areas of Sergipe, Brazil. Campaigns were conducted monthly, for two consecutive nights, between September 2019 and February 2021. To capture the bats, ten mist nets were set up inside and at the edge of the habitat fragments. All ectoparasites found were removed from the bats and stored in 70% alcohol. The specificity index, parasitological rates, and level of parasite aggregation were calculated, and the influence of host sex and seasonality on parasitological rates were verified for the most parasitized bats. The collected ectoparasites corresponded to the families Nycteribiidae (S = 1; n = 26) and Streblidae (S = 13; n = 849), with Trichobius costalimai and Medistopoda aranea being the most abundant species. For some interactions, there was an influence of host sex on the prevalence rates, with the highest number of parasites being found on females, which can be explained by their greater susceptibility to parasitism owing to their long stay in roosts. The seasonality influenced the parasitological rates, and opposing patterns (from what was expected) were observed for some interactions; this influence may be due to the biological differences between parasite species. This study provides relevant data on this interaction, especially for urban areas in northeastern Brazil, expanding the number of studies in the State of Sergipe and promoting future studies.
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Scale of effect matters: Forest cover influences on tropical ant-plant ecological networks. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Alcantara DMC, Graciolli G, Toma R, Souza CS. Sex-biased parasitism, host mass and mutualistic bat flies: an antagonistic individual-based network of bat-bat fly interactions. Int J Parasitol 2021; 52:217-224. [PMID: 34863803 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Individual-based networks provide the building blocks for community-level networks. However, network studies of bats and their parasites have focused only on the species level. Intrapopulation variation may allow certain host individuals to play important roles in the dynamics of the parasites. Therefore, we evaluated how the variation in host sex, body size, ectoparasite abundance and co-occurrence configure individual-based networks of the lesser bulldog bat Noctilio albiventris and bat flies. We expected bat individuals with greater body mass and forearms acting as the core in the network. We also expected males to play a more important role in the network. We sampled a network of N. albiventris bat individuals and their bat flies to describe the structure of an antagonistic individual-based network. We aimed to identify the most relevant bat individuals in the network, focusing on the implications inherent to each of the following approaches: (i) core-periphery organization; (ii) modularity; (iii) species level metrics; and (iv) the main ecological driver of bat individual roles in the network, using niche-based predictors (body mass, forearm and sex). We showed that a network of N. albiventris individuals and their bat flies had low modularity containing a persistent nucleus of individuals and bat flies with well-established interactions. Male individuals with greater body mass played an important role in the network, while for females neither mass nor forearm length were important predictors of their role in the network. Finally, individuals with a high abundance of Paradyschiria parvula played a core role. These results provide an alternative perspective to understand the patterns and mechanisms of interspecific interactions between parasites on the host, as well as sex-biased parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Maximo Correa Alcantara
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Gustavo Graciolli
- Setor de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo Toma
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Camila Silveira Souza
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica Aplicada, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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