Paulo Estefano D Bobrowiec, Valéria da Cunha Tavares
The life cycles of bats are constrained by availability of resources such as food and shelter. Disruptions limiting otherwise naturally regulated access to these resources ultimately affect the fitness of bat populations and may eventually lead to local extinctions. We sampled bats before and after an Amazonian mega-dam water filling and retrieved data on their reproductive phenology, testing if and how sex ratio, seasonal abundance, and reproductive patterns respond to impacts of the newly operating hydroelectric dam. We analyzed data from 3,298 bat captures of 49 species. Females outnumbered males, previously and after the dam implementation, and we observed seasonal variations in the abundance of bats, which was lower after the implementation of the dam for most species. All species had at least 1 reproductive peak of pregnancy and/or lactation beginning at a variable time across seasons. Most species and functional ensembles were reproductively bimodal, with exceptions being the polymodal Artibeus obscurus and unimodal Phylostomus elongatus. Operations of the hydroelectric dam affected the abundance of both sexes equally, and effects were stronger in the rainy season, altering the timing of reproduction for females, delaying and shortening pregnancy and lactation. These changes expressed in female reproductive activity may be related to the shortfall of resources because of loss of irreplaceable vegetation caused by the dam filling. As we cannot predict the roles of variation of reproductive patterns observed after the filling in the long run we reinforce the importance of long-term, continuous monitoring and management to safeguard the reestablishment of reproductive patterns of females in order to repopulate and keep bat populations healthy in remaining areas along following dam construction.
{"title":"Hydroelectric dam impacts shorten and delay the reproductive periods of female leaf-nosed bats in Western Amazonia","authors":"Paulo Estefano D Bobrowiec, Valéria da Cunha Tavares","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae043","url":null,"abstract":"The life cycles of bats are constrained by availability of resources such as food and shelter. Disruptions limiting otherwise naturally regulated access to these resources ultimately affect the fitness of bat populations and may eventually lead to local extinctions. We sampled bats before and after an Amazonian mega-dam water filling and retrieved data on their reproductive phenology, testing if and how sex ratio, seasonal abundance, and reproductive patterns respond to impacts of the newly operating hydroelectric dam. We analyzed data from 3,298 bat captures of 49 species. Females outnumbered males, previously and after the dam implementation, and we observed seasonal variations in the abundance of bats, which was lower after the implementation of the dam for most species. All species had at least 1 reproductive peak of pregnancy and/or lactation beginning at a variable time across seasons. Most species and functional ensembles were reproductively bimodal, with exceptions being the polymodal Artibeus obscurus and unimodal Phylostomus elongatus. Operations of the hydroelectric dam affected the abundance of both sexes equally, and effects were stronger in the rainy season, altering the timing of reproduction for females, delaying and shortening pregnancy and lactation. These changes expressed in female reproductive activity may be related to the shortfall of resources because of loss of irreplaceable vegetation caused by the dam filling. As we cannot predict the roles of variation of reproductive patterns observed after the filling in the long run we reinforce the importance of long-term, continuous monitoring and management to safeguard the reestablishment of reproductive patterns of females in order to repopulate and keep bat populations healthy in remaining areas along following dam construction.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"119 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140839941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Ramos-H., Ganesh Marín, Daniela Cafaggi, Cárol Sierra-Durán, Aarón Romero-Ruíz, Rodrigo A Medellín
Although Mexico holds the southernmost hibernating bats in North America, information on winter behavior and hibernacula microclimate use of temperate Mexican bats is limited. We studied hibernating bats at high altitudes (>1,000 m a.s.l.) in northern and central Mexico during 5 consecutive winters. Our aims were to document and describe the hibernacula, winter behavior (such as abundance and roost pattern), and microclimates (estimated as adjacent substrate temperature) of cave-hibernating bats in Mexico. We found 78 hibernacula and 6,089 torpid bats of 10 vespertilionid species, increasing by over 50% the number of cave-hibernating bat species and quadrupling the number of hibernacula for Mexico. Hibernacula were at altitudes between 1,049 and 3,633 m a.s.l., located in 3 mountain ranges, mainly in oak and conifer forests. Myotis velifer was the most common species, followed by Corynorhinus townsendii and C. mexicanus. We recorded the adjacent substrate temperatures from 9 species totaling 1,106 torpid bats and found differences in microclimate use among the 3 most common species. In general, abundance of torpid bats in our region of study was similar to those in the western United States, with aggregations of tens to a few hundred individuals per cave, and was lower than in the eastern United States where a cave may hold thousands of individuals. Knowledge of bat hibernation is crucial for developing conservation and management strategies on current conditions while accommodating environmental changes and other threats such as emerging diseases.
{"title":"Hibernacula of bats in Mexico, the southernmost records of hibernation in North America","authors":"Daniel Ramos-H., Ganesh Marín, Daniela Cafaggi, Cárol Sierra-Durán, Aarón Romero-Ruíz, Rodrigo A Medellín","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae027","url":null,"abstract":"Although Mexico holds the southernmost hibernating bats in North America, information on winter behavior and hibernacula microclimate use of temperate Mexican bats is limited. We studied hibernating bats at high altitudes (>1,000 m a.s.l.) in northern and central Mexico during 5 consecutive winters. Our aims were to document and describe the hibernacula, winter behavior (such as abundance and roost pattern), and microclimates (estimated as adjacent substrate temperature) of cave-hibernating bats in Mexico. We found 78 hibernacula and 6,089 torpid bats of 10 vespertilionid species, increasing by over 50% the number of cave-hibernating bat species and quadrupling the number of hibernacula for Mexico. Hibernacula were at altitudes between 1,049 and 3,633 m a.s.l., located in 3 mountain ranges, mainly in oak and conifer forests. Myotis velifer was the most common species, followed by Corynorhinus townsendii and C. mexicanus. We recorded the adjacent substrate temperatures from 9 species totaling 1,106 torpid bats and found differences in microclimate use among the 3 most common species. In general, abundance of torpid bats in our region of study was similar to those in the western United States, with aggregations of tens to a few hundred individuals per cave, and was lower than in the eastern United States where a cave may hold thousands of individuals. Knowledge of bat hibernation is crucial for developing conservation and management strategies on current conditions while accommodating environmental changes and other threats such as emerging diseases.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140839934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Baltazar González, Natalia Ferro-Muñoz, Cristian Calvache-Sánchez, Danny Rojas, Gabriel M Martin
The genus Caenolestes is the most species-rich of the marsupial order Paucituberculata. Two species inhabit Colombia (and also occur in Ecuador) with a discontinuous distribution that has not been accounted for in previous studies—Caenolestes fuliginosus known from the Central and Eastern Andes, and C. convelatus restricted to the Western Andes. Here, we present new and noteworthy records of Caenolestes from the Western Andes at the distributional gap of C. convelatus, and outside the known range of C. fuliginosus. We present detailed comparisons using discrete and continuous diagnostic morphological characters, with type material and additional specimens collected nearby, to assess the identity of the new specimens. We performed statistical analyses at species and subspecies levels, and used a principal components analysis to explore the ordination of the new specimens in morphological space. We found that although these specimens are from the Western Andes, they present traits similar to C. fuliginosus and show great overlap with the morphospace of that species. The new records did not differ statistically with C. fuliginosus or any of its subspecies, but they differed in 20 craniodental measurements from C. convelatus. We also report differences at subspecies level within and between species. Based on these observations, we identified these records as C. fuliginosus, expanding its known distribution to the midportion of the Western Andes, across de Cauca valley. We discuss the biogeography of these 2 species in light of the new data and the context of high Andean habitats, especially regarding the contrasting biogeographical patterns found in other taxa in the Northern Andes. Finally, we discuss the need for a new and exhaustive review of the systematics and biogeography of the genus.
Caenolestes属是有袋目中物种最丰富的。有两个物种栖息在哥伦比亚(厄瓜多尔也有分布),它们的分布不连续,以前的研究没有考虑到这一点--Caenolestes fuliginosus产于安第斯山脉中部和东部,C. convelatus仅限于安第斯山脉西部。在这里,我们展示了来自西安第斯山脉的新的值得注意的 Caenolestes 记录,这些记录位于 C. convelatus 的分布间隙,并且在 C. fuliginosus 的已知分布范围之外。我们利用离散和连续的形态学诊断特征,与模式材料和在附近采集的其他标本进行了详细比较,以评估新标本的身份。我们在种和亚种水平上进行了统计分析,并使用主成分分析来探讨新标本在形态空间中的排序。我们发现,虽然这些标本来自西安第斯山脉,但它们的特征与 C. fuliginosus 相似,并与该物种的形态空间有很大重叠。在统计上,这些新记录与富里基诺索斯或其任何亚种都没有差异,但它们在 20 项颅齿测量上与康维拉图斯存在差异。我们还报告了种内和种间亚种水平的差异。基于这些观察结果,我们将这些记录确定为 C. fuliginosus,从而将其已知分布范围扩大到西安第斯山脉中段,横跨考卡山谷。我们根据新的数据和安第斯高纬度栖息地的背景,讨论了这两个物种的生物地理学,特别是关于在北安第斯山脉的其他分类群中发现的截然不同的生物地理学模式。最后,我们讨论了对该属的系统学和生物地理学进行新的、详尽回顾的必要性。
{"title":"Mind the gap: new records of Caenolestes in the Western Andes of Colombia challenge its current biogeographic patterns","authors":"Baltazar González, Natalia Ferro-Muñoz, Cristian Calvache-Sánchez, Danny Rojas, Gabriel M Martin","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae035","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Caenolestes is the most species-rich of the marsupial order Paucituberculata. Two species inhabit Colombia (and also occur in Ecuador) with a discontinuous distribution that has not been accounted for in previous studies—Caenolestes fuliginosus known from the Central and Eastern Andes, and C. convelatus restricted to the Western Andes. Here, we present new and noteworthy records of Caenolestes from the Western Andes at the distributional gap of C. convelatus, and outside the known range of C. fuliginosus. We present detailed comparisons using discrete and continuous diagnostic morphological characters, with type material and additional specimens collected nearby, to assess the identity of the new specimens. We performed statistical analyses at species and subspecies levels, and used a principal components analysis to explore the ordination of the new specimens in morphological space. We found that although these specimens are from the Western Andes, they present traits similar to C. fuliginosus and show great overlap with the morphospace of that species. The new records did not differ statistically with C. fuliginosus or any of its subspecies, but they differed in 20 craniodental measurements from C. convelatus. We also report differences at subspecies level within and between species. Based on these observations, we identified these records as C. fuliginosus, expanding its known distribution to the midportion of the Western Andes, across de Cauca valley. We discuss the biogeography of these 2 species in light of the new data and the context of high Andean habitats, especially regarding the contrasting biogeographical patterns found in other taxa in the Northern Andes. Finally, we discuss the need for a new and exhaustive review of the systematics and biogeography of the genus.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140839860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
North American bat populations have experienced precipitous declines since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS). Evidence that bats have responded to WNS by altering their winter habitat selection has been used to manipulate underground environments and improve winter survival. However, such management practices must be based on local data, which do not exist for all regions. Our goal was to identify determinants of winter habitat use for 3 bat species with varying susceptibility to WNS. To do so, we conducted 188 surveys of 129 potential hibernacula over 3 winters. We found that the range of winter temperatures and presence of water were important for the Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus), species that are highly susceptible to WNS. Counts of both species were greater in sites with a narrow (<5 °C) temperature range and where streams or water bodies >25 m2 were present. In addition, we found larger groups of Little Brown Myotis in abandoned railroad tunnels than in caves. Winter counts of these species increased over time at 3 railroad tunnels that were surveyed for 3 consecutive winters, whereas populations were extirpated from historically important caves and mines. Counts of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus), which are less susceptible to WNS, were also greater in hibernacula with water bodies. However, average winter temperature also helped predict counts of Big Brown Bats. This species had a curvilinear response to temperature, with most bats found at hibernacula with average winter temperatures of 4 to 6 °C, and fewer bats observed at warmer and colder conditions. These data show that focusing solely on historically important hibernacula may fail to achieve conservation goals for the Little Brown Myotis and Tricolored Bat in our region, and suggest that anthropogenic structures can provide habitat for remnant populations of imperiled bat species.
{"title":"Preference for hibernacula microclimates varies among 3 bat species susceptible to white-nose syndrome","authors":"Levi E Johnson, Joseph S Johnson","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae039","url":null,"abstract":"North American bat populations have experienced precipitous declines since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS). Evidence that bats have responded to WNS by altering their winter habitat selection has been used to manipulate underground environments and improve winter survival. However, such management practices must be based on local data, which do not exist for all regions. Our goal was to identify determinants of winter habitat use for 3 bat species with varying susceptibility to WNS. To do so, we conducted 188 surveys of 129 potential hibernacula over 3 winters. We found that the range of winter temperatures and presence of water were important for the Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus), species that are highly susceptible to WNS. Counts of both species were greater in sites with a narrow (&lt;5 °C) temperature range and where streams or water bodies &gt;25 m2 were present. In addition, we found larger groups of Little Brown Myotis in abandoned railroad tunnels than in caves. Winter counts of these species increased over time at 3 railroad tunnels that were surveyed for 3 consecutive winters, whereas populations were extirpated from historically important caves and mines. Counts of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus), which are less susceptible to WNS, were also greater in hibernacula with water bodies. However, average winter temperature also helped predict counts of Big Brown Bats. This species had a curvilinear response to temperature, with most bats found at hibernacula with average winter temperatures of 4 to 6 °C, and fewer bats observed at warmer and colder conditions. These data show that focusing solely on historically important hibernacula may fail to achieve conservation goals for the Little Brown Myotis and Tricolored Bat in our region, and suggest that anthropogenic structures can provide habitat for remnant populations of imperiled bat species.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140840000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel E Sanchez, Austin L Dikeman, Jacque A Lyman, Jennifer Zahratka, Viacheslav Fofanov, Faith M Walker, Carol L Chambers
The New Mexico Jumping Mouse (Zapus luteus) is a federally endangered granivore active for only 3 to 5 months annually. Knowledge of diet can help guide habitat recovery and yet despite calls for restoration of its riparian habitat, the diet of Z. luteus remains largely unknown. To date, only 8 plant species have been described in the diet—whereas insectivory, mycophagy, and dietary shifts have only been hypothesized. In the late summer, Z. luteus rapidly accumulates fat for a 9-month hibernation and restoration may fail if seasonal variation in the diet is overlooked. We used DNA metabarcoding on fecal DNA (n = 165) to resolve dietary taxa within multiple trophic levels of the diet and investigate monthly patterns of consumption. Seldom studied in metabarcoding frameworks, we also investigated exogenous contamination in Sherman live-capture traps. Potential contamination among feces, pelage, and trap surfaces was detectable but low (median = 0% to 2%), with fecal communities distinct from exogenous sources. The diet of Z. luteus was varied and most frequently (frequency of occurrence) of graminoids, forbs, lepidopterans, dipterids, and false-truffles. For plant foods, dietary diversity increased throughout their season of activity, shifting from sedges and woody vegetation in the early season (June to July) to forbs and grasses in the late season (August to September). Insect consumption was consistently detected throughout the season, whereas mycophagy was more frequently detected in August, when hypogeous fungi are typically more abundant. The breadth of dietary taxa suggests plasticity in resource use, potentially accommodating diverse patterns of seed availability throughout their active period. Shifts in plant consumption may reflect a dietary adaptation to the phenological patterns of their plant communities, a synchrony that might benefit both pre- and post-hibernation survival. Our work substantially improves our understanding of the diet of Z. luteus (241 dietary taxa) and will be useful for guiding habitat recovery. It also offers scalable methods to further investigate the diet under disturbance contexts (e.g., grazing, wildfire, drought).
{"title":"Forbs, graminoids, and lepidopterans: breadth and seasonal variation in the diet of the New Mexico jumping mouse (Zapus luteus)","authors":"Daniel E Sanchez, Austin L Dikeman, Jacque A Lyman, Jennifer Zahratka, Viacheslav Fofanov, Faith M Walker, Carol L Chambers","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae026","url":null,"abstract":"The New Mexico Jumping Mouse (Zapus luteus) is a federally endangered granivore active for only 3 to 5 months annually. Knowledge of diet can help guide habitat recovery and yet despite calls for restoration of its riparian habitat, the diet of Z. luteus remains largely unknown. To date, only 8 plant species have been described in the diet—whereas insectivory, mycophagy, and dietary shifts have only been hypothesized. In the late summer, Z. luteus rapidly accumulates fat for a 9-month hibernation and restoration may fail if seasonal variation in the diet is overlooked. We used DNA metabarcoding on fecal DNA (n = 165) to resolve dietary taxa within multiple trophic levels of the diet and investigate monthly patterns of consumption. Seldom studied in metabarcoding frameworks, we also investigated exogenous contamination in Sherman live-capture traps. Potential contamination among feces, pelage, and trap surfaces was detectable but low (median = 0% to 2%), with fecal communities distinct from exogenous sources. The diet of Z. luteus was varied and most frequently (frequency of occurrence) of graminoids, forbs, lepidopterans, dipterids, and false-truffles. For plant foods, dietary diversity increased throughout their season of activity, shifting from sedges and woody vegetation in the early season (June to July) to forbs and grasses in the late season (August to September). Insect consumption was consistently detected throughout the season, whereas mycophagy was more frequently detected in August, when hypogeous fungi are typically more abundant. The breadth of dietary taxa suggests plasticity in resource use, potentially accommodating diverse patterns of seed availability throughout their active period. Shifts in plant consumption may reflect a dietary adaptation to the phenological patterns of their plant communities, a synchrony that might benefit both pre- and post-hibernation survival. Our work substantially improves our understanding of the diet of Z. luteus (241 dietary taxa) and will be useful for guiding habitat recovery. It also offers scalable methods to further investigate the diet under disturbance contexts (e.g., grazing, wildfire, drought).","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"119 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140624839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Habitat specialists have been largely overlooked in old-growth pinyon–juniper woodlands, despite specialists exhibiting heightened sensitivity to anthropogenic habitat loss. Furthermore, small mammal relationships within pinyon–juniper woodlands have most commonly been investigated via species abundance or habitat use, rather than habitat selection, thereby providing limited management metrics. We used the Oscura Mountains Colorado Chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis) as a model organism to evaluate whether old-growth conditions drive resource selection by small mammals associated with pinyon–juniper woodlands. The goal of our study was to determine resources important to the chipmunk to inform management decisions. We evaluated microhabitat selection by testing a priori predictions based on natural history characteristics of the chipmunk and the woodlands. We grouped predictions into habitat characteristics affiliated with or not affiliated with old growth. We tested predictions under a multistage modeling framework using generalized linear mixed models with a binomial response variable of use versus availability. Probability of selection by chipmunks increased with increasing mean juniper diameter and increasing variation of pinyon diameter and decreased with increased distance to rocky escape terrain and increased mean percent grass cover. Our findings support the classification of the Oscura Mountains Colorado chipmunk as an old-growth pinyon–juniper specialist, as the chipmunk displayed disproportionate preference for old-growth microhabitat conditions. We recommend management policies that conserve old-growth multiage stands of pinyons and junipers. Old-growth conditions near outcroppings, escarpments, and large boulders are of particular conservation concern. Further, thinning resulting in increased grass cover may be detrimental to this old-growth pinyon–juniper specialist.
{"title":"Microhabitat selection by the Oscura Mountains Colorado Chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis): an old-growth pinyon–juniper woodland specialist","authors":"Clare N O’Connell, Jennifer K Frey","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae029","url":null,"abstract":"Habitat specialists have been largely overlooked in old-growth pinyon–juniper woodlands, despite specialists exhibiting heightened sensitivity to anthropogenic habitat loss. Furthermore, small mammal relationships within pinyon–juniper woodlands have most commonly been investigated via species abundance or habitat use, rather than habitat selection, thereby providing limited management metrics. We used the Oscura Mountains Colorado Chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis) as a model organism to evaluate whether old-growth conditions drive resource selection by small mammals associated with pinyon–juniper woodlands. The goal of our study was to determine resources important to the chipmunk to inform management decisions. We evaluated microhabitat selection by testing a priori predictions based on natural history characteristics of the chipmunk and the woodlands. We grouped predictions into habitat characteristics affiliated with or not affiliated with old growth. We tested predictions under a multistage modeling framework using generalized linear mixed models with a binomial response variable of use versus availability. Probability of selection by chipmunks increased with increasing mean juniper diameter and increasing variation of pinyon diameter and decreased with increased distance to rocky escape terrain and increased mean percent grass cover. Our findings support the classification of the Oscura Mountains Colorado chipmunk as an old-growth pinyon–juniper specialist, as the chipmunk displayed disproportionate preference for old-growth microhabitat conditions. We recommend management policies that conserve old-growth multiage stands of pinyons and junipers. Old-growth conditions near outcroppings, escarpments, and large boulders are of particular conservation concern. Further, thinning resulting in increased grass cover may be detrimental to this old-growth pinyon–juniper specialist.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140630620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frederik Van de Perre, Michael R Willig, Steven J Presley, Herwig Leirs, Erik Verheyen
Interspecific competition, environmental filtering, or spatial variation in productivity can contribute to positive or negative spatial covariance in the abundances of species across ensembles (i.e., groups of interacting species defined by geography, resource use, and taxonomy). In contrast, density compensation should give rise to a negative relationship between ecomorphological similarity and abundance of species within ensembles. We evaluated (1) whether positive or negative covariances characterized the pairwise relationships of 21 species of Congolese shrew, and (2) whether density compensation characterized the structure of each of 36 Congolese shrew ensembles, and did so based on the abundances or biomasses of species. In general, positive covariance is more common than negative covariance based on considerations of abundance or biomass, suggesting dominant roles for environmental filtering and productivity. Nonetheless, negative covariance is more common for ecomorphologically similar species, suggesting a dominant role for competition within functional groups. Effects of abundance or biomass compensation, via pairwise or diffuse competitive interactions, were detected less often than expected by chance, suggesting that interspecific competition is not the dominant mechanism structuring these ensembles. Effects of competition may be balanced by responses to variation in resource abundance among sites in a landscape or among niche spaces within sites. Future studies of compensatory effects should incorporate considerations of heterogeneity in the abundance and distribution of resources in ecological space to better isolate the effects of competition and resource abundance, which can have opposing effects on community structure.
{"title":"The structure of Congolese shrew ensembles: competition and spatial variation in resource abundance","authors":"Frederik Van de Perre, Michael R Willig, Steven J Presley, Herwig Leirs, Erik Verheyen","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae032","url":null,"abstract":"Interspecific competition, environmental filtering, or spatial variation in productivity can contribute to positive or negative spatial covariance in the abundances of species across ensembles (i.e., groups of interacting species defined by geography, resource use, and taxonomy). In contrast, density compensation should give rise to a negative relationship between ecomorphological similarity and abundance of species within ensembles. We evaluated (1) whether positive or negative covariances characterized the pairwise relationships of 21 species of Congolese shrew, and (2) whether density compensation characterized the structure of each of 36 Congolese shrew ensembles, and did so based on the abundances or biomasses of species. In general, positive covariance is more common than negative covariance based on considerations of abundance or biomass, suggesting dominant roles for environmental filtering and productivity. Nonetheless, negative covariance is more common for ecomorphologically similar species, suggesting a dominant role for competition within functional groups. Effects of abundance or biomass compensation, via pairwise or diffuse competitive interactions, were detected less often than expected by chance, suggesting that interspecific competition is not the dominant mechanism structuring these ensembles. Effects of competition may be balanced by responses to variation in resource abundance among sites in a landscape or among niche spaces within sites. Future studies of compensatory effects should incorporate considerations of heterogeneity in the abundance and distribution of resources in ecological space to better isolate the effects of competition and resource abundance, which can have opposing effects on community structure.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140608955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Angelina Gonçalves, Eva K Nóbrega, Hugo Rebelo, Vanessa A Mata, Ricardo Rocha
Understanding the trophic structure of species assemblages is crucial in order to comprehend how syntropic species coexist in space and time. Bats are the second most taxonomically diverse group of mammals and display a wide range of dietary strategies. Due to their ability to disperse over water, ca. 60% of all extant bat species occur on islands and for the most part their interspecific ecological interactions are poorly known. Using DNA metabarcoding, this study offers the first insights into the diet of Macaronesian bats by providing a holistic overview of prey consumed by all 3 bat species found on Madeira Island (Pipistrellus maderensis, Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and Plecotus austriacus) and investigating both interspecific (between P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus) and intraspecific (between female and male N. l. verrucosus) dietary differences. We identified a total of 110 species of arthropod prey in the diet of the 3 bat species, including multiple agriculture and forestry pest species, a human disease-relevant species, and numerous taxa not previously recorded on the island. Lepidoptera was the primary prey order for all 3 bat species. The diet composition of P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus differed significantly, with P. maderensis consuming more Diptera and multiple prey taxa not found in the diet of N. l. verucosus. Moreover, male N. l. verrucosus exhibited a broader niche breadth than females. This study is among the first to use DNA metabarcoding to evaluate the diet of insular bats and thus greatly advances knowledge regarding the trophic ecology and pest suppression services of these poorly-known mammals.
了解物种集合的营养结构对于理解综合物种如何在空间和时间上共存至关重要。蝙蝠是哺乳动物中第二大分类最多样化的类群,表现出多种多样的饮食策略。由于它们能够在水上散布,现存的蝙蝠物种中约有 60% 出现在岛屿上,而对于它们种间的生态相互作用,人们大多知之甚少。本研究利用 DNA 代谢编码首次对马卡罗内斯蝙蝠的饮食进行了深入研究,全面概述了在马德拉岛发现的所有 3 种蝙蝠(Pipistrellus maderensis、Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus 和 Plecotus austriacus)所捕食的猎物,并调查了种间(P. maderensis 和 N. l. verrucosus 之间)和种内(雌性和雄性 N. l. verrucosus 之间)的饮食差异。我们在这3种蝙蝠的食物中总共发现了110种节肢动物猎物,包括多种农业和林业害虫物种、一种与人类疾病相关的物种以及许多以前在岛上没有记录的分类群。鳞翅目是所有 3 种蝙蝠的主要猎物。P. maderensis 和 N. l. verrucosus 的食物组成有显著差异,P. maderensis 消耗更多的双翅目昆虫和 N. l. verucosus 食物中没有的多种猎物类群。此外,雄性N. l. verrucosus比雌性表现出更广泛的生态位宽度。这项研究是首次利用DNA代谢编码来评估海岛蝙蝠食性的研究之一,从而大大增进了人们对这些鲜为人知的哺乳动物的营养生态学和害虫抑制服务的了解。
{"title":"A metabarcoding assessment of the diet of the insectivorous bats of Madeira Island, Macaronesia","authors":"Angelina Gonçalves, Eva K Nóbrega, Hugo Rebelo, Vanessa A Mata, Ricardo Rocha","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae033","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the trophic structure of species assemblages is crucial in order to comprehend how syntropic species coexist in space and time. Bats are the second most taxonomically diverse group of mammals and display a wide range of dietary strategies. Due to their ability to disperse over water, ca. 60% of all extant bat species occur on islands and for the most part their interspecific ecological interactions are poorly known. Using DNA metabarcoding, this study offers the first insights into the diet of Macaronesian bats by providing a holistic overview of prey consumed by all 3 bat species found on Madeira Island (Pipistrellus maderensis, Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and Plecotus austriacus) and investigating both interspecific (between P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus) and intraspecific (between female and male N. l. verrucosus) dietary differences. We identified a total of 110 species of arthropod prey in the diet of the 3 bat species, including multiple agriculture and forestry pest species, a human disease-relevant species, and numerous taxa not previously recorded on the island. Lepidoptera was the primary prey order for all 3 bat species. The diet composition of P. maderensis and N. l. verrucosus differed significantly, with P. maderensis consuming more Diptera and multiple prey taxa not found in the diet of N. l. verucosus. Moreover, male N. l. verrucosus exhibited a broader niche breadth than females. This study is among the first to use DNA metabarcoding to evaluate the diet of insular bats and thus greatly advances knowledge regarding the trophic ecology and pest suppression services of these poorly-known mammals.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannon L Hilty, Andrea R Litt, Bryce A Maxell, Claire N Gower, Robert A Garrott, Lauri Hanauska-Brown
Shelter is one critical aspect of an animal’s habitat, providing refuge from predators and weather, protection for offspring, and aiding in physiological homeostasis. During the day, bats find shelter in roosts—spaces created under tree bark, in tree cavities, or between rocks—after spending the night searching for food. Finding a roost with a microclimate that enables bats to remain in their thermoneutral zone could reduce energetic demands or allow bats to allocate energy to other activities such as reproduction and fighting disease. We aimed to characterize the structural features and microclimate (i.e., temperature) of roosts used by male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during the summer and determine whether bats select certain characteristics disproportionally to what is available at different spatial scales. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, we radio-tracked 34 male M. lucifugus in Lodgepole Pine-dominated forests. We located at least 1 roost for 20 individuals (average = 2.85 roosts/bat, range = 1 to 6). Although snags were available, most of the roosts were in rock features (86% in rocks, 14% in trees or snags). Male M. lucifugus were more likely to select rock roosts with less canopy closure that were closer to water compared to available roosts on the landscape. They also selected roosts in rock features occurring within larger areas of rock cover that had wider entrances and access to crevices that faced the sky; these roosts also had warmer microclimates relative to other locations available on the landscape. Crevices that allow the bat to bask in the sun and change locations within a roost, minimizing energy needed for active thermoregulation, could be very beneficial for individuals recovering from diseases such as white-nose syndrome. Our work indicates that rock features provide habitat for male M. lucifugus during summer; other studies have shown that bats roost in these features during autumn and winter, further supporting their importance. By protecting these important rock structures, managers can help bats meet their habitat needs throughout the year.
{"title":"Characterizing diurnal roosts of male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during summer","authors":"Shannon L Hilty, Andrea R Litt, Bryce A Maxell, Claire N Gower, Robert A Garrott, Lauri Hanauska-Brown","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae022","url":null,"abstract":"Shelter is one critical aspect of an animal’s habitat, providing refuge from predators and weather, protection for offspring, and aiding in physiological homeostasis. During the day, bats find shelter in roosts—spaces created under tree bark, in tree cavities, or between rocks—after spending the night searching for food. Finding a roost with a microclimate that enables bats to remain in their thermoneutral zone could reduce energetic demands or allow bats to allocate energy to other activities such as reproduction and fighting disease. We aimed to characterize the structural features and microclimate (i.e., temperature) of roosts used by male Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) during the summer and determine whether bats select certain characteristics disproportionally to what is available at different spatial scales. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, we radio-tracked 34 male M. lucifugus in Lodgepole Pine-dominated forests. We located at least 1 roost for 20 individuals (average = 2.85 roosts/bat, range = 1 to 6). Although snags were available, most of the roosts were in rock features (86% in rocks, 14% in trees or snags). Male M. lucifugus were more likely to select rock roosts with less canopy closure that were closer to water compared to available roosts on the landscape. They also selected roosts in rock features occurring within larger areas of rock cover that had wider entrances and access to crevices that faced the sky; these roosts also had warmer microclimates relative to other locations available on the landscape. Crevices that allow the bat to bask in the sun and change locations within a roost, minimizing energy needed for active thermoregulation, could be very beneficial for individuals recovering from diseases such as white-nose syndrome. Our work indicates that rock features provide habitat for male M. lucifugus during summer; other studies have shown that bats roost in these features during autumn and winter, further supporting their importance. By protecting these important rock structures, managers can help bats meet their habitat needs throughout the year.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shane D I Seheult, Raj Panchal, Alex V Borisenko, Patrick J Bennett, Paul A Faure
Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)—a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder—as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We assessed long-term readability and postimplantation effects of p-Chips injected subcutaneously above the second metacarpal (wing; n = 30) and the tibia (leg; n = 13 in both locations). Following implantation (Day 0), p-Chips were scanned with a hand-held ID reader (wand) on postimplantation days (PIDs) 1, 8, 15, 22, 32, 60, 74, 81, 88, 95, and over 1 year later (PID 464). For each trial, we recorded: (1) animal handling time; (2) scan time; (3) number of wand flashes; (4) p-Chip visibility; and (5) overall condition of the bat. Average scan times for p-Chips implanted in both the wing and leg increased over the duration of the study; however, the number of wand flashes decreased, suggesting that efficacy of p-Chip recording increased with user experience. Importantly, over 464 days both the visibility and readability of p-Chips in the wing remained high and superior to tags in the leg, establishing the second metacarpal as the preferred implantation site. Observed morbidity and mortality in captive bats with p-Chips was similar to baseline values for bats without these tags. Because scan efficiency on PID 464 was comparable with earlier days, this indicates that p-Chips implanted in the wing may be suitable as a long-term marking method. Our provisional results suggest that p-Chips are viable for extended field testing to see if they are suitable as an effective alternative to traditional methods to mark bats.
个体标记技术对于研究动物,尤其是野生动物至关重要。目前对蝙蝠(Chiroptera 目)的标记方法有其实际局限性,有些可能会导致发病。我们在大棕蝠(Eptesicus fuscus)的圈养研究群落中测试了 p 芯片(p-Chip 公司)--一种小型化的激光激活微转发器--作为一种前瞻性标记技术。我们评估了在第二掌骨(翅膀;n = 30)和胫骨(腿部;n = 13)上方皮下注射 p 芯片的长期可读性和植入后的效果。植入 p 芯片后(第 0 天),在植入后第 1、8、15、22、32、60、74、81、88、95 天和一年后(第 464 天)用手持式 ID 阅读器(魔棒)扫描 p 芯片。在每次试验中,我们都会记录:(1) 动物处理时间;(2) 扫描时间;(3) 魔棒闪烁次数;(4) p 芯片可见度;(5) 蝙蝠的整体状况。在研究过程中,植入翅膀和腿部的 p 芯片的平均扫描时间都有所增加;但闪烁棒的次数却有所减少,这表明随着用户经验的增加,p 芯片记录的效率也会提高。重要的是,在 464 天内,翅膀上 p 芯片的可见度和可读性仍然很高,优于腿部的标签,从而确定了第二掌骨是首选的植入部位。佩戴 p 芯片的人工饲养蝙蝠的发病率和死亡率与未佩戴这些标签的蝙蝠的基线值相似。由于 PID 464 的扫描效率与早期相当,这表明在翅膀上植入 p 芯片可能适合作为一种长期标记方法。我们的初步结果表明,p-芯片可以进行更长时间的实地测试,以确定其是否可以有效替代传统的蝙蝠标记方法。
{"title":"Scanning efficacy of p-Chips implanted in the wing and leg of the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)","authors":"Shane D I Seheult, Raj Panchal, Alex V Borisenko, Patrick J Bennett, Paul A Faure","doi":"10.1093/jmammal/gyae030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae030","url":null,"abstract":"Individual marking techniques are critical for studying animals, especially in the wild. Current marking methods for bats (Order Chiroptera) have practical limitations and some can cause morbidity. We tested the p-Chip (p-Chip Corp.)—a miniaturized, laser light-activated microtransponder—as a prospective marking technique in a captive research colony of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). We assessed long-term readability and postimplantation effects of p-Chips injected subcutaneously above the second metacarpal (wing; n = 30) and the tibia (leg; n = 13 in both locations). Following implantation (Day 0), p-Chips were scanned with a hand-held ID reader (wand) on postimplantation days (PIDs) 1, 8, 15, 22, 32, 60, 74, 81, 88, 95, and over 1 year later (PID 464). For each trial, we recorded: (1) animal handling time; (2) scan time; (3) number of wand flashes; (4) p-Chip visibility; and (5) overall condition of the bat. Average scan times for p-Chips implanted in both the wing and leg increased over the duration of the study; however, the number of wand flashes decreased, suggesting that efficacy of p-Chip recording increased with user experience. Importantly, over 464 days both the visibility and readability of p-Chips in the wing remained high and superior to tags in the leg, establishing the second metacarpal as the preferred implantation site. Observed morbidity and mortality in captive bats with p-Chips was similar to baseline values for bats without these tags. Because scan efficiency on PID 464 was comparable with earlier days, this indicates that p-Chips implanted in the wing may be suitable as a long-term marking method. Our provisional results suggest that p-Chips are viable for extended field testing to see if they are suitable as an effective alternative to traditional methods to mark bats.","PeriodicalId":50157,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mammalogy","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140570641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}