Olivia M. Münzer, Hanquan Li, Brian A. Schaetz, A. Kurta
{"title":"Selection of Maternity Roosts by Evening Bats (Nycticeius humeralis) in a Riparian Forest at the Northern Edge of Their Range","authors":"Olivia M. Münzer, Hanquan Li, Brian A. Schaetz, A. Kurta","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.005","url":null,"abstract":"Flexibility in resource selection by a species at the edge of its geographic distribution is a key factor in determining the chance of successful range expansion. The evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) is a medium-sized vespertilionid that is widely distributed over a span of 17 degrees of latitude, from the Gulf of Mexico northward to the Great Lakes in North America. In the core of their range, evening bats prefer mature and commonly available trees that are located close to water sources as maternity roosts. However, data are lacking on roost selection by this wide-ranging species in the periphery of its distribution. In this study, we examined roost selection of the evening bat at the northern edge of its continental range. We radio tracked 44 evening bats in Michigan, United States, and identified 33 maternity trees. We collected variables at individual tree, plot, and landscape scales and compared roost and randomly selected trees. Although evening bats preferred roosting in Fraxinus (ash), we found that the evening bat was a generalist in its choice of roost genera, as long as the tree receives sufficient solar exposure, which is presumably important at the cool, northern edge of its range. At the landscape level, evening bats favored roosts surrounded by a less dense canopy, which would provide easy access for a flying bat and allow considerable solar radiation to strike the tree for additional warmth. We also found that evening bats preferred forest sections with more forest-farmland edges. We suspected that evening bats at the northern edge of their range show less preference in roost selection than evening bats in the core of their range. This flexibility in roost selection could allow the evening bat to expand further north if summers become warmer and other tree-roosting species decline due to white-nose syndrome, thus providing competitive release.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49169230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Acoustic Lures Increase the Effectiveness of Catching Rare and Endangered Forest-Edge and Forest-Interior Bats","authors":"Ian Davidson-Watts, C. O'donnell","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.011","url":null,"abstract":"Acoustic lures, using a range of bat social, feeding and distress calls, are being used increasingly to improve capture rates in surveys and ecological studies of bats globally. However, much information on their effectiveness is anecdotal. We tested the effectiveness of the Sussex Autobat acoustic lure system using a standard Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii) social call for catching two rare and endangered New Zealand bat species, the long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) and lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) during lactation and post-lactation periods. The long-tailed bat forages primarily along forest edges, whereas the lesser short-tailed bat forages largely within cluttered forest interiors. Harp traps were set in paired locations over 18 nights in each of the late-lactation and post-lactation periods with an equal treatment/control (lure/no lure) sampling design. Sixty-four long-tailed bats and 97 lesser short-tailed bats were captured, with 100% of long-tailed bats and 93% of short-tailed bats being caught while using acoustic lures. Lesser short-tailed bats were caught more frequently than long-tailed bats, perhaps reflecting the greater abundance of lesser short-tailed bats. Captures were biased towards juveniles and males in both species, regardless of sampling period. Capture rates using lures were about 100 times higher than catch-rates from ‘expert-placed’ traps. Further research is needed to determine (a) if calls of New Zealand bat species (or other calls) can be used to increase capture rates further, and (b) if capture rates of female bats can be improved.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42131732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Owen, Gloria González de Weston, M. Torres, M. B. Barreto Cáceres
{"title":"Abiotic Drivers of Bat Community Diversity in a Savanna Mosaic across the Tropical/Subtropical Transition of South America","authors":"R. Owen, Gloria González de Weston, M. Torres, M. B. Barreto Cáceres","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.004","url":null,"abstract":"Paraguay lies in an area of transition between the tropics and subtropics, and encompasses the interface of six South American ecoregions. Because of its central location within the climatic and biotic schema of the South American continent, Paraguay is ideal for exploring a variety of biogeographic and ecological questions. Several studies have evaluated the taxonomic, biogeographic and migratory status of the 59 species of bats currently recognized in Paraguay, and other studies have evaluated aspects of population genetics and community ecology of frugivorous bats in eastern Paraguayan forests. However, no study has evaluated the environmental factors influencing bat community structure within the mosaic of savanna ecoregions which extend over a majority of the Paraguayan territory. Based on conservative selection criteria, six bat communities from the Cerrado, Humid Chaco and Dry Chaco were evaluated in this study. Climatic data included a suite of temperature and precipitation parameters for each site. Latitude and longitude were also included as factors potentially predicting bat community parameters. Gini-Simpson diversity indices were calculated for each site, separately for species diversity, taxonomic diversity and trophic diversity. Environmental variables were evaluated for their associations with each of the three diversity indices. Significant differences were found among the six sites based on each of the three diversity indices. In general, precipitation variables are more influential than temperature variables in determining bat community diversity levels in Paraguayan savanna ecosystems. Species diversity can best be predicted with a linear combination of mean annual precipitation and mean precipitation of the driest month. Taxonomic diversity is best predicted using mean annual precipitation alone. In contrast, best prediction of trophic diversity is with mean precipitation of driest month. Species and taxonomic diversity patterns were generally concordant for the Cerrado and Humid Chaco communities, whereas trophic diversity was inconsistent among the Humid Chaco communities. An analysis of variance combining the three diversity indices, showed three non-significantly different groups of communities: (1) the two Dry Chaco communities; (2) a Dry Chaco and a Humid Chaco community; and (3) the Cerrado and three Humid Chaco localities. These results should be considered in bat conservation management strategies, which should incorporate benchmarks not only of species diversity, but also of taxonomic and trophic diversity. Paraguay se encuentra en un área de transición entre los trópicos y subtrópicos, abarcando una interfaz de seis ecorregiones sudamericanas. Por su ubicación central a nivel climático y biótico del continente sudamericano, es ideal para presentar diferentes preguntas biogeográficas y ecológicas. Varios estudios han evaluado el estado taxonómico, biogeográfico y migratorio de las 59 especies de murciélagos actualme","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46013028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Volleth, F. Mayer, K. Heller, S. Müller, J. Fahr
{"title":"Karyotype Comparison of Five African Vespertilionini Species with Comments on Phylogenetic Relationships and Proposal of a New Subtribe","authors":"M. Volleth, F. Mayer, K. Heller, S. Müller, J. Fahr","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.002","url":null,"abstract":"Phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation in African Vespertilionini have been a long-standing subject of debate and are still controversial, although recent molecular analyses have shed light onto some of these issues. In this study we employed a comparative cytogenetics approach for the delineation of chromosomal homology and for the detection of shared chromosomal characters, which were then used to support proposed phylogenetic relationships. Here, we present karyotype analyses of five African Vespertilionini, Laephotis kirinyaga (2n = 32), Neoromicia guineensis (2n = 26), Pseudoromicia brunnea (2n = 36), Nycticeinops happoldorum (2n = 24), and Nycticeinops schlieffenii (2n = 34), which were complemented by mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis for species classification of all our specimens. Our cytogenetic analyses revealed that three derived Robertsonian fusion chromosomes, 7/11, 8/9, and 10/12, characterize the karyotypes of four African Vespertilionini genera, i.e. Laephotis, Neoromicia, Afronycteris, and Pseudoromicia, for which we propose to constitute a new subtribe, Laephotina. A rare chromosomal rearrangement, an X-autosome translocation, was found in the studied N. guineensis female. The genus Nycticeinops is characterized by a high intrageneric karyotype diversity. In only two of all four analyzed species, i.e. N. happoldorum and N. crassulus, a common chromosomal feature, the fusion product 1/13 was detected. Further, for the recently described East African serotine, L. kirinyaga, we present the second record for West Africa. The cytochrome b sequence of our N. guineensis specimen from Ivory Coast showed 4% divergence to that of its closest relative, N. somalica from Kenya.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44250361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing Age Related Cranial Characteristics and Morphometrics of the Egyptian Rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus) from Central Africa","authors":"Tlaishego T. Nkoana, T. Kearney, W. Markotter","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.010","url":null,"abstract":"This study assessed and related quantitative age determination methods based on cranial bone fusion and dental development to linear morphometrics in Rousettus aegyptiacus. Five growth development stages were identified based on cranial suture fusion and degree of second molar tooth eruption. Expressing these growth development stages in measurement size showed a linear growth pattern, with little overlap between smaller (stages 1, 2, and 3) and larger (stages 4 and 5) individuals. Total skull length (TSL), mastoid breadth (MB) and forearm length (FAL) had the highest influence on variation along the first and second principal components, accounting for 93% of variation. Advanced size was confirmed to relate to aging owing to development of cranial suture fusions and dental development. The smallest and largest individuals were significantly (P < 0.05) separated by measurements of TSL, MB and FAL. Meanwhile, some intermediate sized individuals overlapped despite being in different stages of cranial suture development. Species specific reliability in morphological approaches to age determination can be achieved by establishing a baseline reference, which may be directly related to the quantitative cementum growth assessment method.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70025894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Volleth, K. Heller, C. Tidemann, H. Yong, M. Göpfert, S. Müller
{"title":"Karyotype Evolution in Vespertilionoidea: Centromere Repositioning and Inversions in Molossidae (Chiroptera, Mammalia)","authors":"M. Volleth, K. Heller, C. Tidemann, H. Yong, M. Göpfert, S. Müller","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2023.25.1.001","url":null,"abstract":"Detailed karyotype analysis including fluorescence in-situ hybridization with chromosome-specific and sub-regional probes revealed novel cytogenetic signatures for elucidating phylogenetic relationships in Vespertilionoidea. Two shared derived Robertsonian fusions characterize all members of this superfamily. Further, the majority of Molossidae species show karyotypes with 48 chromosomes, including six of seven species studied here, namely Ozimops petersi, Mormopterus jugularis, Tadarida teniotis, Mops mops, Molossus molossus and M. pretiosus. A shared derived feature of all molossid taxa studied is a variant homolog to Myotis myotis chromosome MMY22. Despite their overall similarity in karyotype composition with one large and three medium-sized bi-armed as well as 19 acrocentric to subtelocentric autosomal pairs, our detailed analysis revealed small differences which shed new light onto molossid phylogenetic relationships. Because of the retention of several ancestral chromosomal characters, O. petersi and M. jugularis represent early offshoots of the molossid tree. A unique derived paracentric inversion in the MMY6 homolog unites all other molossids studied so far. The next species to branch off is T. tadarida, followed by a group composed of M. mops and all studied New World taxa, united by a further derived inversion in the MMY5 homolog. In the light of our findings, we recommend to elevate the subspecies M. t. griseiventer to species rank, because the specimen from Venezuela with a 2n = 42 karyotype differed clearly from the nominate subspecies Molossops t. temminckii with 2n = 48. Further, karyotypes of Miniopterus and Natalus were studied. In the 2n = 46 chromosomal complement of the family Miniopteridae a large number of autapomorphic characters were found. Based on the observation of a common derived condition of the MMY22 homolog, we assume that long-winged bats (Miniopteridae) are closer related to vespertilionids than to molossids. Finally, karyotype comparison in Natalus revealed two autapomorphic characters in the 2n = 36 chromosomal complement.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45407365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Riana V. Ramanantsalama, O. S. N. Lalarivoniaina, A. P. Raselimanana, S. Goodman
{"title":"Influence of Environmental Parameters on the Breeding of an Endemic Malagasy Fruit Bat, Rousettus madagascariensis (Pteropodidae)","authors":"Riana V. Ramanantsalama, O. S. N. Lalarivoniaina, A. P. Raselimanana, S. Goodman","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.004","url":null,"abstract":"The breeding biology of bats is in part regulated by environmental parameters, which in certain cases result in considerable intraspecific variation in reproduction periods. Few details are available on the reproductive behavior of Malagasy bats and this study focuses on parameters related to the mating and parturition periods in the endemic frugivorous and cave-roosting Rousettus madagascariensis (Pteropodidae). The birth period was estimated based on observations of mating behavior and presence of neonates in video recordings made at Ankarana (northern Madagascar) during different seasonal periods in 2017 and 2018. Based on animals captured in the same cave between 2014 and 2022, we also estimated the age of neonates in order to evaluate annual variation in parturition periodicity. Based on video recordings, mating was mainly observed (ordered based on highest frequency) in September, July, and January. This behavior, which generally took place during the dry season, was negatively correlated with temperature and rainfall, and had a low positive correlation with cave relative humidity. With most mating taking place between July and September, one parturition period occurs just before or during the wet season (between December and February), the period of highest fruit abundance in Ankarana. For cases of mating in January, excluding the possibility of sperm storage or delayed implantation, another parturition would occur in mid-April, a time of low fruit availability; however, no neonate was filmed or trapped in April and video recording data indicated that neonates were present between July and September, suggesting a parturition taking place from July to September. Parturition periods show some annual variation and appear to be mainly regulated by climatic aspects including rainfall and principally temperature; however, this variation was less pronounced as compared to other non-Malagasy pteropodid species. Further research on Malagasy fruit bats should focus on possible sperm storage or delayed embryonic development and, if found, associated correlations with environmental parameters.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44524091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Northern Yellow Bat Dasypterus intermedius Activity and Habitat Selection on an Atlantic Barrier Island","authors":"Santiago Perea, K. Morris, S. Castleberry","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.005","url":null,"abstract":"Knowledge and understanding of bat activity and habitat associations are important for effective conservation and management, especially in landscapes undergoing land use changes. Dasypterus intermedius (northern yellow bat), a broadly distributed species in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, is a species of conservation concern due to habitat loss. We examined the influence of landscape factors on D. intermedius activity on Little Saint Simons Island (LSSI), Georgia, USA, an Atlantic barrier island characterized by a limited human disturbance history. From April to October 2013, we recorded a total of 6,921 D. intermedius passes and 138 feeding buzzes among six land cover types across three biologically relevant seasons. We used GLMMs to model total and foraging activity using landscape variables and season as covariates. We found no significant differences in total activity among cover types, but observed a clear pattern of greater activity in cover types with low vegetation clutter. We observed significantly greater total activity later in the year after juveniles became volant and were able to forage on their own. Based on feeding buzzes, our results demonstrated greater foraging activity in maritime grasslands than in the oak and pine cover types. Distance to water, edge, and roosting habitat had little influence on total or foraging activity. Our results provide baseline information regarding D. intermedius habitat use from a relatively undisturbed coastal environment that can aid management decisions when considering bats in landscapes experiencing changes from development.","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46140857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Global Survey on Acoustic Bat Lures Highlights Ethical Concerns and the Need for Standardised Methods","authors":"Oliver E. Aylen, P. J. Bishop","doi":"10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.013","url":null,"abstract":"Acoustic bat lures are devices capable of playing high frequency sound. These stem from research showing the behavioural responses of bats to acoustic stimuli, and are used as bat-attractants, usually in an effort to catch bats. Through an online survey, we aimed to inform best practice by accumulating user experiences. We received 55 responses to the survey from 21 countries. Lures have been used across 34 countries, but predominantly in the United Kingdom, across the European Union, and throughout the USA during bat community-focused surveys. With growing research that lures may attract some species whilst deterring others, lures may be more appropriately used for species-specific focused projects, rather than broader, bat community-focused projects. Over half of survey respondents expressed ethical concerns surrounding the use of bat lures, stating that their use should be limited due to a lack of understanding of their effects, and that they may alter the behaviour of bats due to stress. We encourage practitioners to use lures with some caution, and test their utility so that over time we understand these potential concerns with more certainty. To this end, we also recommend guidelines be published for general ethical use, alongside standardised methods to deepen our future understanding of these devices and their effect on bat species globally. Los reclamos acústicos para murciélagos son dispositivos capaces de reproducir ultrasonidos, y que se utilizan en investigación científica debido a la respuesta comportamental de los murciélagos frente a estímulos acústicos. Los reclamos se utilizan como atrayentes de murciélagos, generalmente durante los muestreos en campo mediante capturas. Este trabajo resume las directrices y protocolos utilizados hasta la fecha con reclamos acústicos, obtenidos a través de un formulario online distribuido ampliamente en sectores científicos y de conservación de quirópteros, mediante el que recopilamos información sobre las experiencias de sus usuarios. Recibimos 55 respuestas correspondientes a investigadores de 21 países, quienes utilizaron los reclamos en un total de 34 países, aunque predominantemente en el Reino Unido, la Unión Europea y los Estados Unidos de América. Investigaciones recientes indican que los reclamos pueden atraer a algunas especies a la vez que disuadir a otras, por lo que, principalmente, deberían usarse para proyectos centrados en especies concretas en lugar de proyectos más amplios centrados en la composición de los ensamblajes. Más de la mitad de los participantes expresaron preocupaciones éticas, afirmando que el uso de reclamos debería limitarse debido a la falta de comprensión de sus efectos secundarios sobre los murciélagos y la alteración de su comportamiento. Alentamos a los usuarios a usar los reclamos con precaución y comprobar su eficacia para que, con el tiempo, entendamos mejor sus ventajas y limitaciones. Con este fin, también recomendamos que, junto con los resultados de lo","PeriodicalId":50904,"journal":{"name":"Acta Chiropterologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44653458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}