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Plant–animal interactions constitute some of the most important ecological processes for the maintenance of tropical forests. Bats are the only group of mammals capable of true flight and have been recognized as important dispersers of pioneer and secondary successional plant species. Although progress has been made in the study of Neotropical bats, morphological variation of the wing and its influence on niche separation between species is unknown. We evaluated relationships among habitat structures of selected Colombian tropical dry forest patches, the diet through interaction networks, and wing morphology of 11 species of bats in the Stenodermatinae subfamily (297 individuals) using geometric morphometry in a phylogenetic context. The results indicate that the phylogenetic signal for wing size is greater than for wing shape, thus providing some evidence for evolutionary convergence. Wing shape variation was associated primarily with the distal anatomical tip of the third finger and the joint between the humerus and the radius and ulna. Species with wide, short wings, as in the genus Artibeus had generalist diets and less nested positions within the interaction networks. In contrast, species with elongated and pointed wings, such as Sturnira and Platyrrhinus , had specialized diets and more nested positions within the interaction networks. We argue that wing shape variation may play an important role as a source of interspecific variation leading to food specialization within tropical bat communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats play crucial ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, controllers of insects, and nutrient recyclers. However, there has not been a thorough global review evaluating these roles in bats across all biogeographical regions of the world. We reviewed the literature published during the last two decades and identified 283 relevant studies: 78 dealt with the control of potential insect pests by bats, 80 related to the suppression of other arthropods, 60 on the dispersal of native or endemic seeds, 11 dealt with the dispersal of seeds of introduced plants, 29 on the pollination of native or endemic plants, 1 study on pollination of introduced plants, and 24 on the use of guano as fertilizer. Our literature search showed that queries combining the terms "seed dispersal," "insectivorous bats," "nectarivorous bats," "use of guano," and "ecosystem services" returned 577 studies, but half were experimental in nature. We found that the evaluation of ecosystem services by bats has been mostly conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions. To detect differences across relevant studies, and to explain trends in the study of ecosystem services provided by bats, we performed generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) fitted with a Poisson distribution to analyze potential differences among sampling methods. We identified 409 bat species that provide ecosystem services, 752 insect species consumed by bats and 549 plant species either dispersed or pollinated by bats. Our review summarizes the importance of conserving bat populations and the ecological services they provide, which is especially important during the current pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats in the family Phyllostomidae exhibit great diversity in skull size and morphology that reflects the degree of resource division and ecological overlap in the group. In particular, the subfamily Stenodermatinae has high morphological diversification associated with cranial and mandibular traits that are associated with the ability to consume the full range of available fruits (soft and hard).We analyzed craniodental traits and their relationship to the bite force in 343 specimens distributed in seven species of stenodermatine bats with two foraging strategies: nomadic and sedentary frugivory. We evaluated 19 traits related to feeding and bite force in live animals by correcting bite force with body size.We used a generalized linear model (GLM) and post hoc tests to determine possible relationships and differences between cranial traits, species, and sex. We also used Blomberg's K to measure the phylogenetic signal and phylogenetic generalized least‐squares (PGLS) to ensure the phylogenetic independence of the traits.We found that smaller nomadic species, A. anderseni and A. phaeotis , have a similar bite force to the large species A. planirostris and A. lituratus; furthermore, P. helleri registered a bite force similar to that of the sedentary bat, S. giannae. Our study determined that all the features of the mandible and most of the traits of the skull have a low phylogenetic signal. Through the PGLS, we found that the diet and several cranial features (mandibular toothrow length, dentary length, braincase breadth, mastoid breadth, greatest length of skull, condylo‐incisive length, and condylo‐canine length) determined bite force performance among Stenodermatiane.Our results reinforce that skull size is a determining factor in the bite force, but also emphasize the importance of its relationships with morphology, ecology, and phylogeny of the species, which gives us a better understanding of the evolutionary adaptions of this highly diverse Neotropical bat group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats have a major functional role in wetlands; understanding how functional traits of bats depend on environmental characteristics can facilitate management of ecosystems and their services. In this study, we investigated how bat functional diversity has been affected by different anthropogenic impacts in wetlands of the Trans-Andean tropical dry forest of Colombia. Specifically, we analyzed how different functional traits responded to changing environmental conditions and land use and land cover patterns. We sampled six wetlands during the dry periods of the hydrological cycle from 2014 to 2018 and modeled the functional diversity as a function of environmental variables. To understand the association of bat community structure with environmental variables and biotic factors, we combined the RLQ analysis and the fourth-corner approach to relate environmental characteristics and species traits. The percentages of water surface area and pasture land were found to be associated with the general traits of bats when analyzed using the relative abundance of species. In addition, changes in functional diversity appeared to be driven mainly by larger species (e.g., Phyllostomus hastatus, Artibeus lituratus), whose presence was primarily associated with heterogeneous areas. The fourth-corner analysis revealed that the greatest length of skull is the trait that best describes the presence of bats in landscapes of pastures, water bodies, and high abundance of the shrubs Vismia sp. and Cecropia sp. These results suggest that combinations of specific features are important drivers of variation in functional diversity between wetlands. Considering the high vulnerability of Colombian wetlands, our findings provide fundamental information for the development of strategies for monitoring wetland biodiversity. The results can help identify priority conservation sites and improve environmental decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Therya is the property of Asociacion Mexicana de Mastozoologia, A. C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Seed dispersal is an important process for the regeneration and maintenance of forests; This mechanism allows plants to colonize new sites and maintain the structure of the population. Bats have been recognized as effective dispersers of seeds in several tropical forest ecosystems, due to the ability to defecate in flight, fly over open areas and exert a germination effect on released seeds. In this study was to evaluate diet preference of fruit bats in a tropical dry forest in the department of Tolima. The analysis of 63 dietary records of 14 bat species allowed to identify 11 plant species, three genera and one morphospecies. Bidens pilosa, Piper crassinervium and Physalis peruviana L. showed the highest consumption. Artibeus lituratus had the widest niche breath, followed by Artibeus planirostris. Low overlays were present among these bat species, which could reflect a niche segregation as a strategy to avoid competition between sympatric species. The consumption of fruits in a successional shrubs state is highlighted, which reaffirms the key role of bats in the dispersion of pioneer species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the first record of the bat Platyrrhinus albericoi Velazco, 2005 on the eastern slope of the Colombian Central Andes. Currently there are records of this species on the western slope of the Central Andes, eastern slope of the western Andes, and both slope of the eastern Andes in Colombia. We performed a morphological review of the specimens from several Colombian collections and analyzed their character variation, life zone, and distribution in Colombia. The geographic range of P. albericoi is increased and a new life zone, Premontane Wet Forest (bmh-PM in Spanish), is added to its distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Therya is the property of Asociacion Mexicana de Mastozoologia, A. C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The northern Tolima has significant remnants of Tropical Dry Forest (TDF), strategic ecosystems that harbor a high diversity and endemism. However, human activities have produced substantial alterations, including reduction and transformation; therefore it is important to document the diversity of this environment and the response of wildlife to anthropogenic changes. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the diversity of mammals in a TDF fragment. Three habitats with structural differences at the level of vegetation were sampled: dense natural forest-fragmented natural forest, gallery and riparian forest and mosaic of crops, pastures and open spaces. Mammal species were recorded using capture techniques (mist nets, Sherman traps) as well as direct and indirect signs (walks, hunting trails, traps trace). We recorded 8 orders, 16 families, 35 genera and 39 species. Chiroptera was best represented with 24 species, followed by Carnivora with 5. The most abundant species were Heteromys anomalus (26 individuals), Carollia perspicillata (45) and Aotus griseimembra (7). The presence of Lontra longicaudis and A. griseimembra species considered at risk by Colombian law, makes these environments interesting sites for the region's biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The cranial structure is highly variable among mammals and thought to reflect specializations for feeding and echolocation in bats. However, recent analyses of skull structure, feeding behavior and bite force across a wide range of bats suggest that correlations between morphology, performance, and ecology are not as delineated as previously thought. For example, most of the variations in bite force in insectivorous bats have been explained by differences in body size rather than specific cranial traits. We tested several relationships associated with the cranium to ascertain predictors of bite force in different bat species based on in vivo measurements from the Colombian tropical dry forests and museum specimens. Our data show that skull size had a significant contribution to bite force for beetle-eating bats, such as Noctilio albiventris, Molossus molossus, M. coibensis, and Molossops temminckii. Cranial traits and the combined action of the jaw morphology generate a biomechanical comparative advantage that allows these species to feed on "hard" prey, supporting the hypothesis that skull morphology, bite force, and diet are linked in insectivorous bats. In Neotropical bats, studies on bite force have focused mainly on differences in trophic ecology, and little is known about whether factors other than body size generate interspecific differences in bite force amongst insectivorous bats and, consequently, in their diets. We tested if bite force is related to skull morphology and also to diet in an assemblage of Neotropical insectivorous bats from tropical dry forests in the inter-Andean central valley in Colombia. It is predicted that the preference of prey types among insectivorous species is based on bite force and cranial characteristics. We also evaluated whether skull morphology varies depending on the species and sex. Cranial measurements and correlations between morphological variation and bite force were examined for 10 insectivorous bat species. We calculated the size-independent mechanical advantage for the mandibular (jaw) lever system. In all species, bite force increased with length of the skull and the jaw more than other cranial measurements. Obligate insectivorous species were morphologically different from the omnivorous Noctilio albiventris, which feeds primarily on insects, but also consumes fish and fruits. Our results show that bite force and skull morphology are closely linked to diets in Neotropical insectivorous bats and, consequently, these traits are key to the interactions within the assemblage and with their prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]