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Esnaola A, Larrañaga A, González-Esteban J, Elosegi A, Aihartza J. Using biological traits to assess diet selection: the case of the Pyrenean Desman. J Mammal 2023; 104:1205-1215. [PMID: 38059010 PMCID: PMC10697428 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, researchers have assessed diet selection by comparing consumed versus available taxa. However, taxonomic assignment is probably irrelevant for predators, who likely base their selection on characteristics including prey size, habitat, or behavior. Here, we use an aquatic insectivore, the threatened Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), as a model species to assess whether biological traits help unravel the criteria driving food and habitat preferences. We reanalyzed data from a previous taxonomy-based study of prey selection in two contrasting streams, one with excellent conservation status and the other affected by diversion for hydropower and forestry. Available and consumed prey were characterized according to nine biological traits, and diet selection was estimated by comparing availability-measured from Surber net samples, and consumption-analyzed by metabarcoding desman feces. Traits offered a biologically coherent image of diet and almost identical selection patterns in both streams, depicting a highly specialized rheophilic predator. Desmans positively selected prey with a preference for fast flow and boulder substrate, indicating their preferred riffle habitat. On the other hand, they positively selected prey with larger but not the largest potential size, living in the water column or the litter, and not inside sediments. They also chose agile prey, swimmers or prey attached to the substrate, prey with high body flexibility, and prey living exposed and clustered in groups. Overall, our results offer a picture of desman diet preference and point to biological traits as being better than taxonomic identity to describe the diet preference of consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaiur Esnaola
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, the Basque Country 48940, Spain
- EKOLUR Asesoría Ambiental – Ingurumen Aholkularitza S.L.L., Oiartzun, the Basque Country 20180, Spain
| | - Aitor Larrañaga
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, the Basque Country 48940, Spain
| | | | - Arturo Elosegi
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, the Basque Country 48940, Spain
| | - Joxerra Aihartza
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, the Basque Country 48940, Spain
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Aihartza J, Vallejo N, Aldasoro M, García-Mudarra JL, Goiti U, Nogueras J, Ibáñez C. Aerospace-foraging bats eat seasonably across varying habitats. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19576. [PMID: 37950015 PMCID: PMC10638376 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46939-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has confirmed the efficiency of insectivorous bats as pest suppressors, underlining the ecological services they offer in agroecosystems. Therefore, some efforts try to enhance bat foraging in agricultural landscapes by acting upon environmental factors favouring them. In this study, we monitored a Miniopterus schreibersii colony, in the southern Iberian Peninsula. We intensively sampled their faeces and analysed them by metabarcoding to describe how the bent-winged bat diet would change with time, and to test whether their most-consumed prey would seasonally depend on different landscapes or habitats. Our results confirm that M. schreibersii are selective opportunist predators of moths, dipterans, mayflies, and other fluttering insects, shifting their diet to temporary peaks of prey availability in their foraging range, including both pest and non-pest insects. Supporting our hypothesis, throughout the year, M. schreibersii consume insects linked to diverse open habitats, including wetlands, grassland, diverse croplands, and woodland. The importance of each prey habitat varies seasonally, depending on their insect phenology, making bats indirectly dependent on a diverse landscape as their primary prey source. Bats' predation upon pest insects is quantitatively high, consuming around 1610 kg in 5 months, of which 1467 kg correspond to ten species. So, their suppression effect may be relevant, mainly in patchy heterogeneous landscapes, where bats' foraging may concentrate in successive outbursts of pests, affecting different crops or woodlands. Our results stress that to take advantage of the ecosystem services of bats or other generalist insectivores, keeping the environmental conditions they require to thrive, particularly a heterogeneous landscape within the colony's foraging area, is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joxerra Aihartza
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Nerea Vallejo
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | - Miren Aldasoro
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | | | - Urtzi Goiti
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | - Jesus Nogueras
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), P.O. Box 1056, 41080, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), P.O. Box 1056, 41080, Sevilla, Spain
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Wray AK, Peery MZ, Jusino MA, Kochanski JM, Banik MT, Palmer JM, Lindner DL, Gratton C. Predator preferences shape the diets of arthropodivorous bats more than quantitative local prey abundance. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:855-873. [PMID: 33301628 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Although most predators are generalists, the majority of studies on the association between prey availability and prey consumption have focused on specialist predators. To investigate the role of highly generalist predators in a complex food web, we measured the relationships between prey consumption and prey availability in two common arthropodivorous bats. Specifically, we used high-throughput amplicon sequencing coupled with a known mock community to characterize seasonal changes in little brown and big brown bat diets. We then linked spatiotemporal variation in prey consumption with quantitative prey availability estimated from intensive prey community sampling. We found that although quantitative prey availability fluctuated substantially over space and time, the most commonly consumed prey items were consistently detected in bat diets independently of their respective abundance. Positive relationships between prey abundance and probability of consumption were found only among prey groups that were less frequently detected in bat diets. While the probability of prey consumption was largely unrelated to abundance, the community structure of prey detected in bat diets was influenced by the local or regional abundance of prey. Observed patterns suggest that while little brown and big brown bats maintain preferences for particular prey independently of quantitative prey availability, total dietary composition may reflect some degree of opportunistic foraging. Overall, our findings suggest that generalist predators can display strong prey preferences that persist despite quantitative changes in prey availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy K Wray
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - M Zachariah Peery
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Michelle A Jusino
- Center for Forest Mycology Research, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jade M Kochanski
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mark T Banik
- Center for Forest Mycology Research, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jonathan M Palmer
- Center for Forest Mycology Research, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Daniel L Lindner
- Center for Forest Mycology Research, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Claudio Gratton
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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Baroja U, Garin I, Aihartza J, Arrizabalaga-Escudero A, Vallejo N, Aldasoro M, Goiti U. Pest consumption in a vineyard system by the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219265. [PMID: 31318887 PMCID: PMC6638854 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivorous arthropods cause immense damage in crop production annually. Consumption of these pests by insectivorous animals is of significant importance to counteract their adverse effects. Insectivorous bats are considered amongst the most voracious predators of arthropods, some of which are known crop pests. In vineyard-dominated Mediterranean agroecosystems, several crops are damaged by the attack of insect pests. In this study we aimed 1) to explore the diet and pest consumption of the lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros and 2) analyse whether the composition of pest species in its diet changes throughout the season. We employed a dual-primer DNA metabarcoding analysis of DNA extracted from faeces collected in three bat colonies of a wine region in Southwestern Europe during the whole active period of most pest species. Overall, 395 arthropod prey species belonging to 11 orders were detected; lepidopterans and dipterans were the most diverse orders in terms of species. Altogether, 55 pest species were identified, 25 of which are known to cause significant agricultural damage and 8 are regarded as pests affecting grapevines. The composition of pest species in faeces changed significantly with the season, thus suggesting several periods should be sampled to assess the pest consumption by bats. As a whole, the results imply that R. hipposideros acts as a suppressor of a wide array of agricultural pests in Mediterranean agroecosystems. Therefore, management measures favouring the growth of R. hipposideros populations should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unai Baroja
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Inazio Garin
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Joxerra Aihartza
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Aitor Arrizabalaga-Escudero
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Nerea Vallejo
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Miren Aldasoro
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
| | - Urtzi Goiti
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country
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Aizpurua O, Budinski I, Georgiakakis P, Gopalakrishnan S, Ibañez C, Mata V, Rebelo H, Russo D, Szodoray-Parádi F, Zhelyazkova V, Zrncic V, Gilbert MTP, Alberdi A. Agriculture shapes the trophic niche of a bat preying on multiple pest arthropods across Europe: Evidence from DNA metabarcoding. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:815-825. [PMID: 29290102 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between agricultural production and wildlife can shape, and even condition, the functioning of both systems. In this study, we i) explored the degree to which a widespread European bat, namely the common bent-wing bat Miniopterus schreibersii, consumes crop-damaging insects at a continental scale, and ii) tested whether its dietary niche is shaped by the extension and type of agricultural fields. We employed a dual-primer DNA metabarcoding approach to characterize arthropod 16S and COI DNA sequences within bat faecal pellets collected across 16 Southern European localities, to first characterize the bat species' dietary niche, second measure the incidence of agricultural pests across their ranges and third assess whether geographical dietary variation responds to climatic, landscape diversity, agriculture type and vegetation productivity factors. We detected 12 arthropod orders, among which lepidopterans were predominant. We identified >200 species, 44 of which are known to cause agricultural damage. Pest species were detected at all but one sampling site and in 94% of the analysed samples. Furthermore, the dietary diversity of M. schreibersii exhibited a negative linear relation with the area of intensive agricultural fields, thus suggesting crops restrict the dietary niche of bats to prey taxa associated with agricultural production within their foraging range. Overall, our results imply that M. schreibersii might be a valuable asset for biological pest suppression in a variety of agricultural productions and highlight the dynamic interplay between wildlife and agricultural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ivana Budinski
- Department of Genetic Research, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Panagiotis Georgiakakis
- Department of Biology School of Sciences and Engineering, University of Crete, Irakleio, Greece
| | - Shyam Gopalakrishnan
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlos Ibañez
- Evolutionary Ecology Department, Estacion Biologica de Doñana (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Vanessa Mata
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade Recursos e Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade Recursos e Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | | | | | | | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Antton Alberdi
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Xiang H, Zhang Y, Richardson JS. Importance of Riparian Zone: Effects of Resource Availability at Land-water Interface. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/remc-2016-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractRiparian zone provides a variety of resources to organisms, including availability of water and subsidies. Water availability in riparian areas influences species distribution and trophic interaction of terrestrial food webs. Cross-ecosystem subsidies as resource flux of additional energy, nutrients, and materials benefit riparian populations and communities (e.g. plants, spiders, lizards, birds and mammals). However, aquatic ecosystems and riparian zones are prone to anthropogenic disturbances, which change water availability and affect the flux dynamics of cross-system subsidies. Yet, we still lack sufficient empirical studies assessing impacts of disturbances of land use, climate change and invasive species individually and interactively on aquatic and riparian ecosystems through influencing subsidy resource availability. In filling this knowledge gap, we can make more effective efforts to protect and conserve riparian habitats and biodiversity, and maintain riparian ecosystem functioning and services.
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Salvarina I. Bats and aquatic habitats: a review of habitat use and anthropogenic impacts. Mamm Rev 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Salvarina
- Limnological Institute; University of Konstanz; Mainaustrasse 252 Konstanz 78464 Germany
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LAWER EA, DARKOH EL. Effects of agroecosystems on insect and insectivorous bat activity:a preliminary finding based on light trap and mist net captures. TURK J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.3906/zoo-1507-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Fishing long-fingered bats (Myotis capaccinii) prey regularly upon exotic fish. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80163. [PMID: 24312200 PMCID: PMC3842425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The long-fingered bat Myotis capaccinii is a European trawling bat reported to feed on fish in several Mediterranean locations, but the ecological circumstances of this behavior have not yet been studied. To elucidate the importance of fishing in this bat's diet, we evaluated the frequency and seasonal variation of fish remains in 3,000 fecal pellets collected from M. capaccinii at a nursery roost in Dénia (Eastern Iberian Peninsula) in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Fish consumption occurred evenly throughout the year. All otoliths found in feces were identified as belonging to the surface-feeding fish Gambusia holbrooki. Measuring otoliths, we estimated that the mean size of consumed fish was significantly smaller than the mean measured for available fish, suggesting that the long-fingered bat's relatively small body may constrain its handling of larger prey. Of note, one bat had eaten 15 fish, showing that fish may be a locally or seasonally important trophic resource for this species. By capturing 15 bats and radio-tracking the four with the most fish remains in their droppings, we also identified fishing areas, including a single fishing ground comprising several ponds within a golf course. Ponds hold a high density of G. holbrooki, suggesting that the amount of fish at the water surface may be the principal factor triggering fishing. The observed six-fold increase in percentage of consumed fish across the study period may be related to recent pond-building in the area. We discuss whether this quick behavioral response is a novel feature of M. capaccinii or an intrinsic feature that has erupted and faded locally along the species' history.
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Laine VN, Lilley TM, Norrdahl K, Primmer CR. Population Genetics of Daubenton's Bat (Myotis daubentonii) in the Archipelago Sea, SW Finland. ANN ZOOL FENN 2013. [DOI: 10.5735/085.050.0505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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