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Starik N, Göttert T, Zeller U. Spatial Behavior and Habitat Use of Two Sympatric Bat Species. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11123460. [PMID: 34944237 PMCID: PMC8697949 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Few studies refer to ecological differences of genetically close and morphologically almost identical insectivorous bat species. However, this information is indispensable for effective and sustainable nature conservation strategies. This study aims at investigating differences in the spatial ecology of the long-eared bat species Plecotus auritus and Plecotus austriacus in a typical cultural landscape of Brandenburg, where the two species occur sympatrically. The reconstruction of the prey spectrum revealed that P. auritus and P. austriacus strongly overlapped in their diet. Our results suggest that resource partitioning is based on using different foraging habitats. While radio-tracked females of P. auritus were strongly associated with woodland patches resulting in small-scale activity areas of only few square kilometers, activity areas of P. austriacus encompassed a large-scale matrix of grassland habitats in the magnitude of a small town. Based on these results, we identify priority conservation needs for the two species to ensure that these differences in the spatial behavior and habitat use can be adequately taken into account for future nature conservation efforts. Abstract Movement behavior and habitat use of the long-eared bat species Plecotus auritus and Plecotus austriacus were studied in the Havelland region in Brandenburg (Germany). Data collection included mist-netting, radiotelemetry, reconstruction of prey items, and monitoring of roosting sites. Body measurements confirm a high degree of phenotypic similarity between the two species. Total activity areas (100% Minimum Convex Polygons, MCPS) of Plecotus austriacus (2828.3 ± 1269.43 ha) were up to five-fold larger compared to Plecotus auritus (544.54 ± 295.89 ha). The activity areas of Plecotus austriacus contained up to 11 distinct core areas, and their mean total size (149.7 ± 0.07 ha) was approximately three-fold larger compared to core areas of Plecotus auritus (49.2 ± 25.6 ha). The mean distance between consecutive fixes per night was 12.72 ± 3.7 km for Plecotus austriacus and 4.23 ± 2.8 km for Plecotus auritus. While Plecotus austriacus was located most frequently over pastures (>40%) and meadows (>20%), P. auritus was located mostly within deciduous (>50%) and mixed forests (>30%) in close vicinity to its roosts. Roost site monitoring indicates that the activity of P. austriacus is delayed relative to P. auritus in spring and declined earlier in autumn. These phenological differences are probably related to the species’ respective diets. Levins’ measure of trophic niche breadth suggests that the prey spectrum for P. auritus is more diverse during spring (B = 2.86) and autumn (B = 2.82) compared to P. austriacus (spring: B = 1.7; autumn: B = 2.1). Our results give reason to consider these interspecific ecological variations and species-specific requirements of P. auritus and P. austriacus to develop adapted and improved conservation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Starik
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-(0)30-2093 46923
| | - Thomas Göttert
- Research Center [Sustainability–Transformation–Transfer], Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Schicklerstr. 5, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany;
| | - Ulrich Zeller
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany;
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Andriollo T, Michaux JR, Ruedi M. Food for everyone: Differential feeding habits of cryptic bat species inferred from DNA metabarcoding. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4584-4600. [PMID: 34245618 PMCID: PMC8518853 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ecological theory postulates that niches of co‐occurring species must differ along some ecological dimensions in order to allow their stable coexistence. Yet, many biological systems challenge this competitive exclusion principle. Insectivorous bats from the Northern Hemisphere typically form local assemblages of multiple species sharing highly similar functional traits and pertaining to identical feeding guilds. Although their trophic niche can be accessed with unprecedented details using genetic identification of prey, the underlying mechanisms of resource partitioning remain vastly unexplored. Here, we studied the differential diet of three closely‐related bat species of the genus Plecotus in sympatry and throughout their entire breeding season using DNA metabarcoding. Even at such a small geographic scale, we identified strong seasonal and spatial variation of their diet composition at both intra‐ and interspecific levels. Indeed, while the different bats fed on a distinct array of prey during spring, they showed higher trophic niche overlap during summer and fall, when all three species switched their hunting behaviour to feed on few temporarily abundant moths. By recovering 19 ecological traits for over 600 prey species, we further inferred that each bat species used different feeding grounds and hunting techniques, suggesting that niche partitioning was primarily habitat‐driven. The two most‐closely related bat species exhibited very distinct foraging habitat preferences, while the third, more distantly‐related species was more generalist. These results highlight the need of temporally comprehensive samples to fully understand species coexistence, and that valuable information can be derived from the taxonomic identity of prey obtained by metabarcoding approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Andriollo
- Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology, Natural History Museum of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Section of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Johan R Michaux
- Laboratoire de Génétique de la Conservation, Université de Liège, Institut de Botanique B22, Liège, Belgium.,CIRAD, Agirs Unit, TA C- 22/E- Campus international de Baillarguet, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Manuel Ruedi
- Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology, Natural History Museum of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Ramanantsalama RV, Noroalintseheno Lalarivoniaina OS, Raselimanana AP, Goodman SM. Seasonal Variation in Diurnal Cave-Roosting Behavior of a Malagasy Fruit Bat (Rousettus madagascariensis, Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Acta Chiropterologica 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2019.21.1.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Riana V. Ramanantsalama
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d'Antananarivo, BP 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | | | - Achille P. Raselimanana
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d'Antananarivo, BP 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
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Juste J, Ruedi M, Puechmaille SJ, Salicini I, Ibáñez C. Two New Cryptic Bat Species within the Myotis nattereri Species Complex (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) from the Western Palaearctic. Acta Chiropterologica 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.2.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Juste
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Manuel Ruedi
- Natural History Museum of Geneva, P.O. Box, 6334, 1211 Genève 6, Switzerland
| | | | - Irene Salicini
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Andriollo T, Ashrafi S, Arlettaz R, Ruedi M. Porous barriers? Assessment of gene flow within and among sympatric long-eared bat species. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12841-12854. [PMID: 30619587 PMCID: PMC6309003 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Species are the basic units for measuring biodiversity and for comprehending biological interactions. Yet, their delineation is often contentious, especially in groups that are both diverse and phenotypically conservative. Three cryptic species of long-eared bats, Plecotus auritus, P. austriacus, and P. macrobullaris, co-occur over extensive areas of Western Europe. The latter is a fairly recent discovery, questioning the overall diversity of the entire Plecotus complex. Yet, high morphological and acoustic similarities compromise the reliable identification of long-eared bats in the field. We postulate that such extensive phenotypic overlap, along with the recurrent observation of morphologically intermediate individuals, may hide rampant interspecific hybridization. Based on a geographic sampling centered on areas of sympatry in the Alps and Corsica, we assessed the level of reproductive isolation of these three Plecotus species with mitochondrial and nuclear markers, looking at both inter- and intraspecific genetic population structuring. No sign of hybridization was detected between these three species that appear well separated biologically. Genetic structuring of populations, however, reflected different species-specific responses to environmental connectivity, that is, to the presence of orographic or sea barriers. While the Alpine range and the Ligurian Sea coincided with sharp genetic discontinuities in P. macrobullaris and P. austriacus, the more ubiquitous P. auritus showed no significant population structuration. There were clear phylogeographic discrepancies between microsatellite and mitochondrial markers at the intraspecific level, however, which challenges the reliance on simple barcoding approaches for the delineation of sound conservation units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Andriollo
- Department of Mammalogy and OrnithologyNatural History Museum of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Section of Biology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Sohrab Ashrafi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural ResourcesUniversity of TehranKarajIran
| | - Raphaël Arlettaz
- Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Manuel Ruedi
- Department of Mammalogy and OrnithologyNatural History Museum of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
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Affiliation(s)
- Antton Alberdi
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade, Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Alberdi A, Garin I, Aizpurua O, Aihartza J. Review on the Geographic and Elevational Distribution of the Mountain Long-Eared Bat Plecotus Macrobullaris, Completed by Utilising a Specific Mist-Netting Technique. Acta Chiropterologica 2013. [DOI: 10.3161/150811013x679071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Razgour O, Clare EL, Zeale MRK, Hanmer J, Schnell IB, Rasmussen M, Gilbert TP, Jones G. High-throughput sequencing offers insight into mechanisms of resource partitioning in cryptic bat species. Ecol Evol 2012; 1:556-70. [PMID: 22393522 PMCID: PMC3287336 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sympatric cryptic species, characterized by low morphological differentiation, pose a challenge to understanding the role of interspecific competition in structuring ecological communities. We used traditional (morphological) and novel molecular methods of diet analysis to study the diet of two cryptic bat species that are sympatric in southern England (Plecotus austriacus and P. auritus) (Fig. 1). Using Roche FLX 454 (Roche, Basel, CH) high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and uniquely tagged generic arthropod primers, we identified 142 prey Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) in the diet of the cryptic bats, 60% of which were assigned to a likely species or genus. The findings from the molecular study supported the results of microscopic analyses in showing that the diets of both species were dominated by lepidopterans. However, HTS provided a sufficiently high resolution of prey identification to determine fine-scale differences in resource use. Although both bat species appeared to have a generalist diet, eared-moths from the family Noctuidae were the main prey consumed. Interspecific niche overlap was greater than expected by chance (O(jk) = 0.72, P < 0.001) due to overlap in the consumption of the more common prey species. Yet, habitat associations of nongeneralist prey species found in the diets corresponded to those of their respective bat predator (grasslands for P. austriacus, and woodland for P. auritus). Overlap in common dietary resource use combined with differential specialist prey habitat associations suggests that habitat partitioning is the primary mechanism of coexistence. The performance of HTS is discussed in relation to previous methods of molecular and morphological diet analysis. By enabling species-level identification of dietary components, the application of DNA sequencing to diet analysis allows a more comprehensive comparison of the diet of sympatric cryptic species, and therefore can be an important tool for determining fine-scale mechanisms of coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orly Razgour
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Elizabeth L Clare
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Matt R K Zeale
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristol BS8 1UG, UK
| | - Julia Hanmer
- Bat Conservation TrustQuadrant House, 250 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5RD, UK
| | - Ida Bærholm Schnell
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Rasmussen
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas P Gilbert
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristol BS8 1UG, UK
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Alberdi A, Garin I, Aizpurua O, Aihartza J. The foraging ecology of the mountain long-eared bat Plecotus macrobullaris revealed with DNA mini-barcodes. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35692. [PMID: 22545129 PMCID: PMC3335802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular analysis of diet overcomes the considerable limitations of traditional techniques for identifying prey remains in bat faeces. We collected faeces from individual Mountain Long-eared Bats Plecotus macrobullaris trapped using mist nets during the summers of 2009 and 2010 in the Pyrenees. We analysed their diet using DNA mini-barcodes to identify prey species. In addition, we inferred some basic features of the bat's foraging ecology that had not yet been addressed. P. macrobullaris fed almost exclusively on moths (97.8%). As prey we detected one dipteran genus (Tipulidae) and 29 moth taxa: 28 were identified at species level (23 Noctuidae, 1 Crambidae, 1 Geometridae, 1 Pyralidae, 1 Sphingidae, 1 Tortricidae), and one at genus level (Rhyacia sp., Noctuidae). Known ecological information about the prey species allowed us to determine that bats had foraged at elevations between 1,500 and 2,500 m amsl (above mean sea level), mostly in subalpine meadows, followed by other open habitats such as orophilous grasslands and alpine meadows. No forest prey species were identified in the diet. As 96.4% of identified prey species were tympanate moths and no evidence of gleaning behaviour was revealed, we suggest P. macrobullaris probably forages by aerial hawking using faint echolocation pulses to avoid detection by hearing moths. As we could identify 87.8% of the analysed sequences (64.1% of the MOTUs, Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units) at species level, we conclude that DNA mini-barcodes are a very useful tool to analyse the diet of moth-specialist bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antton Alberdi
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena z.g., Leioa, The Basque Country
| | - Inazio Garin
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena z.g., Leioa, The Basque Country
| | - Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena z.g., Leioa, The Basque Country
| | - Joxerra Aihartza
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena z.g., Leioa, The Basque Country
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Rutishauser MD, Bontadina F, Braunisch V, Ashrafi S, Arlettaz R. The challenge posed by newly discovered cryptic species: disentangling the environmental niches of long-eared bats. DIVERS DISTRIB 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00904.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marianne D. Rutishauser
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Conservation Biology; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6; CH-3012; Bern; Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Raphaël Arlettaz
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Conservation Biology; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6; CH-3012; Bern; Switzerland
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Preatoni DG, Spada M, Wauters LA, Tosi G, Martinoli A. Habitat use in the Female Alpine Long-Eared Bat (Plecotus macrobullaris): Does Breeding Make the Difference? Acta Chiropterologica 2011. [DOI: 10.3161/150811011x624820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Ashrafi S, Beck A, Rutishauser M, Arlettaz R, Bontadina F. Trophic niche partitioning of cryptic species of long-eared bats in Switzerland: implications for conservation. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-011-0496-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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