scholarly journals Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1012
Author(s):  
Leidy Azucena Ramírez-Fráncel ◽  
Leidy Viviana García-Herrera ◽  
Sergio Losada-Prado ◽  
Gladys Reinoso-Flórez ◽  
Burton K. Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Bite Force ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Skull Morphology ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Lever System ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Cranial Measurements

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.

scholarly journals Bite force, cranial morphometrics and size in the fishing bat Myotis vivesi (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Milena Ospina
Keyword(s):  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Bite Force ◽  
Multivariate Methods ◽  
Morphometric Data ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Temporal Muscle ◽  
Skull Size ◽  
Cranial Measurements

Fish-eating in bats evolved independently in Myotis vivesi (Vespertillionidae ) and Noctilio leporinus (Noctilionidae). We compared cranial morphological characters and bite force   between these species to test the existence of evolutionary parallelism in piscivory. We collected cranial distances of M. vivesi, two related insectivorous bats (M. velifer and M. keaysi), two facultatively piscivorous bats (M. daubentonii and M. capaccinii), and N. leporinus to test for differences among the six species, morphometric data was analyzed applying multivariate methods. We also measured bite force in M. vivesi and evaluated if this value was well predicted by its cranial size. Both piscivorous species were morphologically different from the facultatively piscivorous and insectivorous species, and skull size had a significant contribution to this difference. However, we did not find morphological and functional similarities that could be interpreted as parallelisms between M. vivesi and N. leporinus. These two piscivorous species differed significantly in cranial measurements and in bite force. Bite force measured for M. vivesi was well predicted by skull size. Piscivory in M. vivesi might be associated to the existence of a vertically displaced temporal muscle and an increase in gape angle that allows a moderate bite force to process food.

How Tropical Dry Forests Respond To Hurricane Damage

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Daniel Avila Cabadilla ◽  
Mariana Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Hurricane Damage

Soil biogeochemistry across Central and South American tropical dry forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie G. Waring ◽  
Mark E. De Guzman ◽  
Dan V. Du ◽  
Juan M. Dupuy ◽  
Maga Gei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
South American ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Soil Biogeochemistry

scholarly journals Seed dispersal by carnivores in temperate and tropical dry forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabián Alejandro Rubalcava‐Castillo ◽  
Joaquín Sosa‐Ramírez ◽  
José de Jesús Luna‐Ruíz ◽  
Arturo Gerardo Valdivia‐Flores ◽  
Luis Ignacio Íñiguez‐Dávalos
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Dry Forests

Paraburkholderia spp. are the main rhizobial microsymbionts of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. in soils of the Brazilian tropical dry forests (Caatinga biome)

2021 ◽  
pp. 126208
Author(s):  
Marcos André Moura Dias ◽  
Claudia Silva Gomes Bomfim ◽  
Dalila Ribeiro Rodrigues ◽  
Aleksandro Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Jéssica Caroline Souza Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Caatinga Biome ◽  
Mimosa Tenuiflora

Assessing the accuracy of detected breaks in Landsat time series as predictors of small scale deforestation in tropical dry forests of Mexico and Costa Rica

2019 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 707-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaughn Smith ◽  
Carlos Portillo-Quintero ◽  
Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa ◽  
Jose L. Hernandez-Stefanoni
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Dry Forests

scholarly journals Phylogenetic Community Structure and Niche Differentiation in Termites of the Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Robin Casalla Daza ◽  
Judith Korb
Keyword(s):  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽  
Δ15n And Δ13c ◽  
Increasing Temperature ◽  
The Tropics

The mechanisms that structure species communities are still debated. We addressed this question for termite assemblages from tropical dry forests in Colombia. These forests are endangered and poorly understood ecosystems and termites are important ecosystem engineers in the tropics. Using biodiversity and environmental data, combined with phylogenetic community analyses, trait mapping, and stable isotopes studies, we investigated the termite community composition of three protected dry forests in Colombia. Our data suggest that the structuring mechanisms differed between sites. Phylogenetic overdispersion of termite assemblages correlated with decreasing rainfall and elevation and increasing temperature. Food niche traits—classified as feeding groups and quantified by δ15N‰ and δ13C‰ isotope signatures—were phylogenetically conserved. Hence, the overdispersion pattern implies increasing interspecific competition with decreasing drier and warmer conditions, which is also supported by fewer species occurring at the driest site. Our results are in line with a hypothesis that decreased biomass production limits resource availability for termites, which leads to competition. Along with this comes a diet shift: termites from drier plots had higher δ13C signatures, reflecting higher δ13C values in the litter and more C4 plants. Our study shows how a phylogenetic community approach combined with trait analyses can contribute to gaining the first insights into mechanisms structuring whole termite assemblages.

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