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Zenchyzen B, Acorn JH, Merkosky K, Hall JC. Shining a light on UV-fluorescent floral nectar after 50 years. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11992. [PMID: 38796543 PMCID: PMC11128001 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62626-7] [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: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Nature is aglow with numerous captivating examples of UV-fluorescence in the animal kingdom. Despite a putative role as a visual signal, exploration of UV-fluorescence in plants and its role in plant-animal interactions is lagging in comparison. Almost 50 years ago, UV-fluorescence of floral nectar, a crucial reward for pollinators, was reported for 23 flowering plant species. Since this intriguing discovery, UV-fluorescent nectar has only seldom been addressed in the scientific literature and has not been scrutinized in a phylogenetic or ecological context. Here, we report the prevalence of vibrant UV-fluorescent floral nectar across the family Cleomaceae, including the first photographic documentation in vivo colour for flowering plants. Though Cleomaceae flowers are morphologically diverse varying in colour, nectary prominence, and nectar volume, UV-fluorescent floral nectar may be a ubiquitous characteristic of the family. Fluorescence spectra show that the identity and number of fluorescent compounds in floral nectar may differ among Cleomaceae species. As Cleomaceae pollinators range from insects to bats and birds, we suggest that the UV-fluorescent floral nectar not only functions as a visual cue for the diurnal pollinators but also for the nocturnal/crepuscular pollinators in low light settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandi Zenchyzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - John H Acorn
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Kian Merkosky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Jocelyn C Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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2
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Núñez-Hidalgo S, Cascante-Marín A. Selfing in epiphytic bromeliads compensates for the limited pollination services provided by nectarivorous bats in a neotropical montane forest. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plae011. [PMID: 38497049 PMCID: PMC10944016 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plae011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Abstract. Plants with specialized pollination systems frequently exhibit adaptations for self-pollination, and this contradictory situation has been explained in terms of the reproductive assurance function of selfing. In the neotropics, several plant lineages rely on specialized vertebrate pollinators for sexual reproduction, including the highly diverse Bromeliaceae family, which also displays a propensity for selfing. Thus far, the scarce evidence on the role of selfing in bromeliads and in other neotropical plant groups is inconclusive. To provide insights into the evolution and persistence of self-fertilization in the breeding systems of Bromeliaceae, we studied four sympatric epiphytic species from the genus Werauhia (Tillandsioideae) in Costa Rica. We documented their floral biology, pollination ecology and breeding systems. We estimated the contribution of selfing by comparing the reproductive success between emasculated flowers requiring pollinator visits and un-manipulated flowers capable of selfing and exposed to open pollination across two flowering seasons. The studied species displayed specialized pollination by nectar-feeding bats as well as a high selfing ability (auto-fertility index values > 0.53), which was attained by a delayed selfing mechanism. Fruit set from natural cross-pollination was low (<26% in both years) and suggested limited pollinator visitation. In line with this, we found a very low bat visitation to flowers using video-camera recording, from 0 to 0.24 visits per plant per night. On the contrary, the contribution of selfing was comparatively significant since 54-80% of the fruit set from un-manipulated flowers can be attributed to autonomous self-pollination. We concluded that inadequate cross-pollination services diminished the reproductive success of the studied Werauhia, which was compensated for by a delayed selfing mechanism. The low negative effects of inbreeding on seed set and germination likely reinforce the persistence of selfing in this bromeliad group. These results suggest that selfing in bat-pollinated bromeliads may have evolved as a response to pollinator limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Núñez-Hidalgo
- Sistema de Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, 11501-2060 San José, Costa Rica
| | - Alfredo Cascante-Marín
- Escuela de Biología y Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Terrestre (CIBET), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, 11501-2060 San José, Costa Rica
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3
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Albuquerque-Lima S, Milet-Pinheiro P, Navarro DMAF, Taylor NP, Zappi DC, Machado IC. To be or not to be fragrant: floral scent of some bat-pollinated cacti. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2024; 26:28-33. [PMID: 37862291 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Floral scent is a key olfactory cue in both diurnal and nocturnal pollination systems. In the case of nocturnal systems, such as bat-pollinated flowers, odour seems to play a more important role than visual cues. Cactaceae include many bat-pollinated species; however, few studies have investigated the olfactory cues in this family. We analysed and compared the chemical composition of the floral bouquet of three chiropterophilous cactus species, among which are a pair of congeners that differ considerably in scent intensity. Our research presents novel findings regarding the floral scent chemistry of chiropterophilous cactus species. We documented the first case of a bat-pollinated cactus whose flowers lack perceptible floral scent and in which no volatile compounds were detected in our chemical analyses. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of the floral bouquet of the other two bat-pollinated species, revealing a resemblance among closely related species within the same genus. We highlight the need for further studies using biotests to investigate the mechanisms through which bats find flowers lacking scent.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Albuquerque-Lima
- Post-Graduate Program in Plant Biology, Laboratory of Floral and Reproductive Biology, Botany Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - P Milet-Pinheiro
- Laboratory of Ecological Interactions and Semiochemicals, University of Pernambuco, Campus Petrolina, Petrolina, Brazil
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology, Fundamental Chemistry Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - D M A F Navarro
- Laboratory of Ecological Interactions and Semiochemicals, University of Pernambuco, Campus Petrolina, Petrolina, Brazil
| | - N P Taylor
- Rua Doutor Basílio da Rocha, Rio de Contas, Brazil
| | - D C Zappi
- Secretaria de Coordenação de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil
| | - I C Machado
- Post-Graduate Program in Plant Biology, Laboratory of Floral and Reproductive Biology, Botany Department, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
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4
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Yohe LR, Krell NT. An updated synthesis of and outstanding questions in the olfactory and vomeronasal systems in bats: Genetics asks questions only anatomy can answer. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2765-2780. [PMID: 37523493 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The extensive diversity observed in bat nasal chemosensory systems has been well-documented at the histological level. Understanding how this diversity evolved and developing hypotheses as to why particular patterns exist require a phylogenetic perspective, which was first outlined in the work of anatomist Kunwar Bhatnagar. With the onset of genetics and genomics, it might be assumed that the puzzling patterns observed in the morphological data have been clarified. However, there is still a widespread mismatch of genetic and morphological correlations among bat chemosensory systems. Novel genomic evidence has set up new avenues to explore that demand more evidence from anatomical structures. Here, we outline the progress that has been made in both morphological and molecular studies on the olfactory and vomeronasal systems in bats since the work of Bhatnagar. Genomic data of olfactory and vomeronasal receptors demonstrate the strong need for further morphological sampling, with a particular focus on receiving brain regions, glands, and ducts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel R Yohe
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
- North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nicholas T Krell
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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5
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Domingos-Melo A, Cocucci AA, Tschapka M, Machado IC. A negative association between nectar standing crop and pollen transfer suggests nectar functions as a manipulator of pollinating bats. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 131:361-372. [PMID: 36579432 PMCID: PMC9992937 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Nectar standing crop has a fundamental role in controlling pollinator movements between flowers and individuals within a population. In bat pollination systems, plants take advantage of the cognitive abilities of nectarivorous bats, which integrate complex perceptions of the quality and spatial distribution of resources. Here, we propose that associations between standing crop and pollen transfer help to reveal the role of nectar as a manipulator of pollinator behaviour. METHODS We used Harpochilus neesianus Ness (Acanthaceae), a bat-pollinated shrub from the Brazilian Caatinga, as a model system to assess nectar removal effects and standing crop, respectively, over the night and to test associations between the amount of nectar available to pollinators, and pollen import and export. KEY RESULTS Harpochilus neesianus showed continuous nectar secretion throughout the flower lifespan. Flowers subjected to successive nectar removals produced less nectar than flowers sampled just once, and showed, despite a higher sugar concentration, a lower absolute amount of sugar. Under these conditions, bats may realize that nectar production is decreasing after repeated visits to the same flower and could be manipulated to avoid such already pollinated flowers with little nectar, thus increasing the probability of visits to flowers with a high amount of nectar, and a still high pollen availability on anthers and low pollen deposition on stigmas. We found that during most of the period of anthesis, nectar standing crop volume was positively correlated with the number of pollen grains remaining in the anthers, and negatively with the number of pollen grains deposited on the stigma. CONCLUSIONS Nectar secretion patterns can function as a manipulator of pollinating bats in H. neesianus. We propose that the assessment of variability in nectar secretion in response to removal, and the correlation between nectar standing crop and relative pollen transfer throughout anthesis should be considered in order to understand the role of nectar in the manipulation of pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Domingos-Melo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências – Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil
- Universidade de Pernambuco – Campus Petrolina, Brazil
| | - Andrea A Cocucci
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, FCEFyN, Cordoba, Argentina
| | - Marco Tschapka
- University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panamá
| | - Isabel C Machado
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências – Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil
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6
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Amorim FW, Ballarin CS, Spicacci G, Bergamasco G, Carvalho L, Uieda W, Moraes AP. Opossums and birds facilitate the unexpected bat visitation to the ground-flowering Scybalium fungiforme. Ecology 2023; 104:e3935. [PMID: 36464939 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe W Amorim
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Caio S Ballarin
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Vegetal), Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Giovana Spicacci
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Giovanna Bergamasco
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.,Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Luana Carvalho
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.,Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Wilson Uieda
- Laboratório de Ecologia da Polinização e Interações - LEPI, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Moraes
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC-UFABC, São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
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7
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Amichai E, Boerma DB, Page RA, Swartz SM, ter Hofstede HM. By a whisker: the sensory role of vibrissae in hovering flight in nectarivorous bats. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222085. [PMID: 36722088 PMCID: PMC9890094 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2085] [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: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Whiskers are important tactile structures widely used across mammals for a variety of sensory functions, but it is not known how bats-representing about a fifth of all extant mammal species-use them. Nectar-eating bats typically have long vibrissae (long, stiff hairs) arranged in a forward-facing brush-like formation that is not present in most non-nectarivorous bats. They also commonly use a unique flight strategy to access their food-hovering flight. Here we investigated whether these species use their vibrissae to optimize their feeding by assisting fine flight control. We used behavioural experiments to test if bats' flight trajectory into the flower changed after vibrissa removal, and phylogenetic comparative methods to test whether vibrissa length is related to nectarivory. We found that bat flight trajectory was altered after vibrissae removal and that nectarivorous bats possess longer vibrissae than non-nectivorous species, providing evidence of an additional source of information in bats' diverse sensory toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Amichai
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society Graduate Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - David B. Boerma
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 012912, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 012912, USA
| | - Hannah M. ter Hofstede
- Ecology, Evolution, Environment & Society Graduate Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
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8
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Mahandran V, Hakkim H, Sinha V, Jain M. Fruit scent as an indicator of ripeness status in ‘bat fruits’ to attract ‘fruit bats’: chemical basis of chiropterochory. Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-022-00405-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Yohe LR, Fabbri M, Lee D, Davies KTJ, Yohe TP, Sánchez MKR, Rengifo EM, Hall RP, Mutumi G, Hedrick BP, Sadier A, Simmons NB, Sears KE, Dumont E, Rossiter SJ, Bhullar BAS, Dávalos LM. Ecological constraints on highly evolvable olfactory receptor genes and morphology in neotropical bats. Evolution 2022; 76:2347-2360. [PMID: 35904467 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Although evolvability of genes and traits may promote specialization during species diversification, how ecology subsequently restricts such variation remains unclear. Chemosensation requires animals to decipher a complex chemical background to locate fitness-related resources, and thus the underlying genomic architecture and morphology must cope with constant exposure to a changing odorant landscape; detecting adaptation amidst extensive chemosensory diversity is an open challenge. In phyllostomid bats, an ecologically diverse clade that evolved plant visiting from a presumed insectivorous ancestor, the evolution of novel food detection mechanisms is suggested to be a key innovation, as plant-visiting species rely strongly on olfaction, supplementarily using echolocation. If this is true, exceptional variation in underlying olfactory genes and phenotypes may have preceded dietary diversification. We compared olfactory receptor (OR) genes sequenced from olfactory epithelium transcriptomes and olfactory epithelium surface area of bats with differing diets. Surprisingly, although OR evolution rates were quite variable and generally high, they are largely independent of diet. Olfactory epithelial surface area, however, is relatively larger in plant-visiting bats and there is an inverse relationship between OR evolution rates and surface area. Relatively larger surface areas suggest greater reliance on olfactory detection and stronger constraint on maintaining an already diverse OR repertoire. Instead of the typical case in which specialization and elaboration are coupled with rapid diversification of associated genes, here the relevant genes are already evolving so quickly that increased reliance on smell has led to stabilizing selection, presumably to maintain the ability to consistently discriminate among specific odorants-a potential ecological constraint on sensory evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel R Yohe
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA.,Deaprtment of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28223, USA.,North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, North Carolina, 28081, USA
| | - Matteo Fabbri
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA.,Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, USA
| | - Daniela Lee
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA.,Harvard School of Medicine, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02115, USA
| | - Kalina T J Davies
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | | | - Miluska K R Sánchez
- Escuela Profesional de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Piura, Piura, 20004, Peru
| | - Edgardo M Rengifo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura 'Luiz de Queiroz', Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, 13416-970, Brazil.,Centro de Investigación Biodiversidad Sostenible (BioS), Lima, 15073, Peru
| | - Ronald P Hall
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, 95344, USA
| | - Gregory Mutumi
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, 95344, USA
| | - Brandon P Hedrick
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Elizabeth Dumont
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, 95344, USA
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA.,Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA.,Center for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794, USA
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10
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Johnson SD, Govender K. Rodent responses to volatile compounds provide insights into the function of floral scent in mammal-pollinated plants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210167. [PMID: 35491600 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Flowers pollinated by mammals have evolved in many plant families. Several scent compounds that attract bats to flowers have been identified, but the chemical ecology of pollination mutualisms between plants and ground-dwelling mammals is poorly understood. Rodents are key pollinators in South Africa and rely heavily on olfaction to locate food. Our aim was to identify compounds that may function to attract rodents to flowers. Eighteen volatile compounds, including 14 that are prominent in the scent of rodent-pollinated flowers, were used in choice experiments involving wild-caught individuals of four native rodent species. Rodents were generally attracted to oxygenated aliphatic compounds, specifically ketones and esters, but not to some aromatic compounds common in floral scents of insect-pollinated species, nor to a sulfide compound that is attractive to bats. Associative conditioning using sugar solution as a reward had only weak effects on the attractiveness of compounds to rodents. The attractive effect of some compounds disappeared when they were blended with compounds that did not attract rodents. We conclude that aliphatic ketones and esters are likely to play a key role in attracting rodents to flowers. Deployment of these compounds may allow plants to exploit rodent sensory bias that evolved in other contexts such as intra-specific communication and searching for seeds. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Johnson
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
| | - Keeveshnee Govender
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
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11
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Diniz UM, Fischer NLS, Aguiar LMS. Changing the main course: strong bat visitation to the ornithophilous mistletoe
Psittacanthus robustus
(Loranthaceae) in a Neotropical savanna. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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12
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Petit S, Scanlon AT, Naikatini A, Pukala T, Schumann R. A novel bat pollination system involving obligate flower corolla removal has implications for global Dillenia conservation. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262985. [PMID: 35113889 PMCID: PMC8812880 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Dilleniaceae is known to produce nectarless flowers pollinated by bees, but the fact that bats ingest Dillenia biflora pollen led us to question pollination assumptions for these trees. We aimed to identify the pollinators of D. biflora, check for nectar presence, and investigate potential for cleistogamy and global prevalence of this pollination system. We examined aspects of the pollination of D. biflora on two Fijian islands using video recordings, direct observations, hand pollination, measurements (flowers, bite marks, nectar), and monitoring. The flowers, receptive for one night, contained copious nectar and had permanently closed globose corollas that required removal by bats for pollination. All the 101 flowers that retained their corolla died and did not produce seeds by cleistogamy. The bat Notopteris macdonaldi was well adapted to corolla removal. Keeping corollas closed until bats manipulate the nectar-rich flowers is a beneficial strategy in high-rainfall environments with many flower parasites. We propose to name a pollination system reliant exclusively on bats "chiropteropisteusis." From clues in the literature, other species in the geographical range of Dillenia are probably chiropteropisunous. Chiropteropisteusis should be investigated in the Old-World range of Dillenia, many species of which are threatened. The remarkable "fall" of the entire corolla observed by an earlier botanist for several species in the genus is most likely attributable to bats. This discovery has important implications for the conservation of bat-dependent trees and their associated fauna, particularly considering the high level of threat faced by flying-foxes globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Petit
- UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia
- NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, Suva, Fiji Islands
- Kangaroo Island Research Station, Dudley West, South Australia, Australia
| | - Annette T. Scanlon
- UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alivereti Naikatini
- South Pacific Regional Herbarium and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Applied Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Private Bag, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji Islands
| | - Tara Pukala
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Russell Schumann
- Kangaroo Island Research Station, Dudley West, South Australia, Australia
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13
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Leiser‐Miller LB, Santana SE. Functional differences in echolocation call design in an adaptive radiation of bats. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16153-16164. [PMID: 34824818 PMCID: PMC8601877 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms have specialized systems to sense their environment. Most bat species use echolocation for navigation and foraging, but which and how ecological factors shaped echolocation call diversity remains unclear for the most diverse clades, including the adaptive radiation of neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae). This is because phyllostomids emit low-intensity echolocation calls and many inhabit dense forests, leading to low representation in acoustic surveys. We present a field-collected, echolocation call dataset spanning 35 species and all phyllostomid dietary guilds. We analyze these data under a phylogenetic framework to test the hypothesis that echolocation call design and parameters are specialized for the acoustic demands of different diets, and investigate the contributions of phylogeny and body size to echolocation call diversity. We further link call parameters to dietary ecology by contrasting minimum detectable prey size estimates (MDPSE) across species. We find phylogeny and body size explain a substantial proportion of echolocation call parameter diversity, but most species can be correctly assigned to taxonomic (61%) or functional (77%) dietary guilds based on call parameters. This suggests a degree of acoustic ecological specialization, albeit with interspecific similarities in call structure. Theoretical MDPSE are greatest for omnivores and smallest for insectivores. Omnivores significantly differ from other dietary guilds in MDPSE when phylogeny is not considered, but there are no differences among taxonomic dietary guilds within a phylogenetic context. Similarly, predators of non-mobile/non-evasive prey and predators of mobile/evasive prey differ in estimated MDPSE when phylogeny is not considered. Phyllostomid echolocation call structure may be primarily specialized for overcoming acoustic challenges of foraging in dense habitats, and then secondarily specialized for the detection of food items according to functional dietary guilds. Our results give insight into the possible ecological mechanisms shaping the diversity of sensory systems, and their reciprocal influence on resource use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharlene E. Santana
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
- Burke Museum of Natural History and CultureUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
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14
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Martinez Q, Naas A. Digest: New insight into sensory trade-off in phyllostomid bats . Evolution 2021; 75:2946-2947. [PMID: 34498264 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Do the relative size of the olfactory bulb, cochlea, and orbit correlate with diet in phyllostomid bats? Hall et al. (2021) found that the degree of frugivory is positively correlated with the relative size of the olfactory bulb and the orbit. The degree of animalivory is negatively correlated with the relative size of the olfactory bulb and the orbit. Finally, the degree of nectarivory is negatively correlated with the relative size of the cochlea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Martinez
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, UMR 5554, 34095, France
| | - Arthur Naas
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, UMR 5554, 34095, France
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15
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Gesemann M, Neuhauss SCF. Selective Gene Loss of Visual and Olfactory Guanylyl Cyclase Genes Following the Two Rounds of Vertebrate-Specific Whole-Genome Duplications. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:2153-2167. [PMID: 32915957 PMCID: PMC7674705 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Photoreceptors convey visual information and come in two flavors; dim-light and bright-light dedicated rod and cones. Both cell types feature highly specialized phototransduction cascades that convert photonic energy into intracellular signals. Although a substantial amount of phototransduction gene ohnologs are expressed either in rods or cones, visual guanylyl cyclases (GCs) involved in the calcium (Ca2+) dependent feedback regulation of phototransduction are neither rod nor cone specific. The co-existence of visual GCs in both photoreceptor types suggests that specialization of these ohnologs occurred despite their overlapping expression. Here, we analyze gene retention and inactivation patterns of vertebrate visual and closely related olfactory GCs following two rounds (2R) of vertebrate-specific whole-genome duplication events (2R WGD). Although eutherians generally use two visual and one olfactory GC, independent inactivation occurred in some lineages. Sauropsids (birds, lizards, snakes, turtles, and crocodiles) generally have only one visual GC (GC-E). Additionally, turtles (testodes) also lost the olfactory GC (GC-D). Pseudogenization in mammals occurred in specific species/families likely according to functional needs (i.e., many species with reduced vision only have GC-E). Likewise, some species not relying on scent marks lack GC-D, the olfactory GC enzyme. Interestingly, in the case of fish, no species can be found with fewer than three (two visual and one olfactory) genes and the teleost-specific 3R WGD can increase this number to up to five. This suggests that vision in fish now requires at least two visual GCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Gesemann
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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16
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Santana SE, Kaliszewska ZA, Leiser-Miller LB, Lauterbur ME, Arbour JH, Dávalos LM, Riffell JA. Fruit odorants mediate co-specialization in a multispecies plant-animal mutualism. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210312. [PMID: 34375556 PMCID: PMC8354748 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the widespread notion that animal-mediated seed dispersal led to the evolution of fruit traits that attract mutualistic frugivores, the dispersal syndrome hypothesis remains controversial, particularly for complex traits such as fruit scent. Here, we test this hypothesis in a community of mutualistic, ecologically important neotropical bats (Carollia spp.) and plants (Piper spp.) that communicate primarily via chemical signals. We found greater bat consumption is significantly associated with scent chemical diversity and presence of specific compounds, which fit multi-peak selective regime models in Piper. Through behavioural assays, we found Carollia prefer certain compounds, particularly 2-heptanol, which evolved as a unique feature of two Piper species highly consumed by these bats. Thus, we demonstrate that volatile compounds emitted by neotropical Piper fruits evolved in tandem with seed dispersal by scent-oriented Carollia bats. Specifically, fruit scent chemistry in some Piper species fits adaptive evolutionary scenarios consistent with a dispersal syndrome hypothesis. While other abiotic and biotic processes likely shaped the chemical composition of ripe fruit scent in Piper, our results provide some of the first evidence of the effect of bat frugivory on plant chemical diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharlene E. Santana
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | | | - M. Elise Lauterbur
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jessica H. Arbour
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
| | - Liliana M. Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
- Center for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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17
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Domingos-Melo A, de Brito VLG, Sérsic A, Cocucci AA, Lunau K, Machado IC. Shining bright in the dusk: How do bat-pollinated flowers reflect light? Ecology 2021; 102:e03416. [PMID: 34042173 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Domingos-Melo
- Department of Botany, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Alicia Sérsic
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea A Cocucci
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Klaus Lunau
- Institute of Sensory Ecology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany
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18
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Mahandran V, Murugan CM, Gang W, Jin C, Nathan PT. Multimodal cues facilitate ripe-fruit localization and extraction in free-ranging pteropodid bats. Behav Processes 2021; 189:104426. [PMID: 34048877 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sensory cues play an important role in any plant-animal interaction. Yet, we know very little about the cues used by wild mammals during fruit selection. Existing evidence mainly comes from captive studies and suggests that the pteropodid bats rely on olfaction to find fruits. In this study, we avoided captivity-generated stressors and provide insights from natural selective forces by performing manipulative experiments on free-ranging fruit bats (Cynopterus sphinx) in a wild setting, in a tree species that exhibits a bat-fruit syndrome (Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia). We find that visual cues are necessary and sufficient to locate ripe fruits. Fruit experiments exhibiting visual cues alone received more bat visits than those exhibiting other combinations of visual and olfactory cues. Ripe fruit extractions were higher by bats that evaluated fruits by perching than hovering, indicating an additional cue, i.e., haptic cue. Visual cues appear to be informative over short distances, whereas olfactory and haptic cues facilitate the fruit evaluation for those bats that used hovering and perching strategies, respectively. This study also shows that adult bats were more skillful in extracting ripe fruits than the young bats, and there was a positive correlation between the weight of selected fruits and bat weight. This study suggests that the integration of multimodal cues (visual, olfactory and haptic) facilitate ripe-fruit localization and extraction in free-ranging pteropodid bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valliyappan Mahandran
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | | | - Wang Gang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Chen Jin
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
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19
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Hall RP, Mutumi GL, Hedrick BP, Yohe LR, Sadier A, Davies KTJ, Rossiter SJ, Sears K, Dávalos LM, Dumont ER. Find the food first: An omnivorous sensory morphotype predates biomechanical specialization for plant based diets in phyllostomid bats. Evolution 2021; 75:2791-2801. [PMID: 34021589 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The role of mechanical morphologies in the exploitation of novel niche space is well characterized; however, the role of sensory structures in unlocking new niches is less clear. Here, we investigate the relationship between the evolution of sensory structures and diet during the radiation of noctilionoid bats. With a broad range of foraging ecologies and a well-supported phylogeny, noctilionoids constitute an ideal group for studying this relationship. We used diffusible iodine-based contrast enhanced computed tomography scans of 44 noctilionoid species to analyze relationships between the relative volumes of three sensory structures (olfactory bulbs, orbits, and cochleae) and diet. We found a positive relationship between frugivory and both olfactory and orbit size. However, we also found a negative relationship between nectarivory and cochlea size. Ancestral state estimates suggest that larger orbits and olfactory bulbs were present in the common ancestor of family Phyllostomidae, but not in other noctilionoid. This constellation of traits indicates a shift toward omnivory at the base of Phyllostomidae, predating their radiation into an exceptionally broad range of dietary niches. This is consistent with a scenario in which changes in sensory systems associated with foraging and feeding set the stage for subsequent morphological modification and diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald P Hall
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California-Merced, Merced, California
| | - Gregory L Mutumi
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California-Merced, Merced, California
| | - Brandon P Hedrick
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Laurel R Yohe
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kalina T J Davies
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Karen Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.,Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Elizabeth R Dumont
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California-Merced, Merced, California
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20
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Hsu HC, Kuo YF. Nectar Guide Patterns on Developmentally Homologous Regions of the Subtribe Ligeriinae (Gesneriaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:650836. [PMID: 33912210 PMCID: PMC8072120 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.650836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Homology is a crucial concept that should be considered while conducting a comparative analysis between organisms. In particular, in the subtribe Ligeriinae, the nectar guide pattern is associated with high diversity in petal shapes and sizes. This largely limits researchers to exclusively examining the interspecific variation in nectar guide patterns on the developmentally homologous region. Thus, to solve this problem, we proposed an approach for defining a homologous region of interest (ROI) that aligns the petal image between specimens based on petal contours and vasculatures. We identified petal contours and vasculatures from the fresh petal image and its histological image through image processing. The homologous ROI was subsequently obtained by applying geometric transformation to the contour and vasculature. The qualification and quantification of nectar guide patterns were subsequently performed based on the homologous ROI. Four patterning modes, namely vascular, random, distal, and proximal, were defined for the qualitative analysis of nectar guide patterns. In the quantitative analysis, principal component (PC) analysis was applied to homologous ROIs, and the PC score of each specimen served as the trait values of nectar guide patterns. The results of the two analyses coincided, and both showed significant associations between nectar guide patterns and pollination types. The proximal mode (corresponding to PC1) and distal mode (corresponding to PC2) together showed the strongest association with pollination types. Species exhibiting the hummingbird and bee pollination types tended to recruit the distal and proximal modes, respectively. Our study conducted a comparative analysis of nectar guide patterns on the developmentally homologous region and provided a comprehensive view of the variation in the nectar guide patterns of Ligeriinae.
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21
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Brokaw AF, Smotherman M. Olfactory tracking strategies in a neotropical fruit bat. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb231829. [PMID: 33536298 PMCID: PMC7904095 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have characterized olfactory-tracking behaviors in animals, and it has been proposed that search strategies may be generalizable across a wide range of species. Olfaction is important for fruit- and nectar-feeding bats, but it is uncertain whether existing olfactory search models can predict the strategies of flying mammals that emit echolocation pulses through their nose. Quantitative assessments of how well echolocating bats track and localize odor sources are lacking, so we developed a behavioral assay to characterize the olfactory detection and tracking behavior of crawling northern yellow-shouldered bats (Sturnira parvidens), a common neotropical frugivore. Trained bats were presented with a choice between control and banana-odor-infused solutions in a series of experiments that confirmed that bats are able to locate a reward based on odor cues alone and examined the effect of odor concentration on olfactory search behaviors. Decision distance (the distance from which bats made their change in direction before directly approaching the target) was distinctly bimodal, with an observed peak that coincided with an inflection point in the odor concentration gradient. We observed two main search patterns that are consistent with both serial sampling and learned route-following strategies. These results support the hypothesis that bats can combine klinotaxis with spatial awareness of experimental conditions to locate odor sources, similar to terrestrial mammals. Contrary to existing models, bats did not display prominent head-scanning behaviors during their final approach, which may be due to constraints of nasal-emitted biosonar for orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyson F Brokaw
- Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Michael Smotherman
- Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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22
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Knörnschild M, Fernandez AA. Do Bats Have the Necessary Prerequisites for Symbolic Communication? Front Psychol 2020; 11:571678. [PMID: 33262725 PMCID: PMC7688458 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.571678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Training animals such as apes, gray parrots, or dolphins that communicate via arbitrary symbols with humans has revealed astonishing mental capacities that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Albeit bats have not yet been trained to communicate via symbols with humans, we are convinced that some species, especially captive Pteropodid bats ("flying foxes"), show the potential to master this cognitive task. Here, we briefly review what is known about bats' cognitive skills that constitute relevant prerequisites for symbolic communication with humans. We focus on social learning in general, trainability by humans, associative learning from humans, imitation, vocal production learning and usage learning, and social knowledge. Moreover, we highlight potential training paradigms that could be used to elicit simple "symbolic" bat-human communication, i.e., training bats to select arbitrary symbols on a touchscreen to elicit a desired behavior of the human caregiver. Touchscreen-proficient bats could participate in cognition research, e.g., to study their numerical competence or categorical perception, to further elucidate how nonhuman animals learn and perceive the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behavior Lab, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panama
| | - Ahana A. Fernandez
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
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23
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Rodríguez-Herrera B, Sánchez-Calderón R, Madrigal-Elizondo V, Rodríguez P, Villalobos J, Hernández E, Zamora-Mejías D, Gessinger G, Tschapka M. The masked seducers: Lek courtship behavior in the wrinkle-faced bat Centurio senex (Phyllostomidae). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241063. [PMID: 33175837 PMCID: PMC7657542 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Centurio senex is an iconic bat characterized by a facial morphology deviating far from all other New World Leaf Nosed Bats (Phyllostomidae). The species has a bizarrely wrinkled face and lacks the characteristic nose leaf. Throughout its distribution from Mexico to Northern South America the species is most of the time rarely captured and only scarce information on its behavior and natural history is available. Centurio senex is frugivorous and one of the few bats documented to consume also hard seeds. Interestingly, the species shows a distinct sexual dimorphism: Adult males have more pronounced facial wrinkles than females and a fold of skin under the chin that can be raised in style of a face mask. We report the first observations on echolocation and mating behavior of Centurio senex, including synchronized audio and video recordings from an aggregation of males in Costa Rica. Over a period of 6 weeks we located a total of 53 perches, where during the first half of the night males were hanging with raised facial masks at a mean height of 2.35 m. Most of the time, the males moved just their wing tips, and spontaneously vocalized in the ultrasound range. Approaches of other individuals resulted in the perching male beating its wings and emitting a very loud, low frequency whistling call. Following such an encounter we recorded a copulation event. The observed aggregation of adult C. senex males is consistent with lek courtship, a behavior described from only few other bat species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jairo Villalobos
- Estación de Investigación Miguel Alfaro, Hotel Villablanca, San Ramón, Costa Rica
| | - Esteban Hernández
- Estación de Investigación Miguel Alfaro, Hotel Villablanca, San Ramón, Costa Rica
| | - Daniel Zamora-Mejías
- Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico DF, Mexico
| | - Gloria Gessinger
- University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Marco Tschapka
- University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
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24
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Neves B, Kessous IM, Moura RL, Couto DR, Zanella CM, Antonelli A, Bacon CD, Salgueiro F, Costa AF. Pollinators drive floral evolution in an Atlantic Forest genus. AOB PLANTS 2020; 12:plaa046. [PMID: 33033591 PMCID: PMC7532729 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators are important drivers of angiosperm diversification at both micro- and macroevolutionary scales. Both hummingbirds and bats pollinate the species-rich and morphologically diverse genus Vriesea across its distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Here, we (i) determine if floral traits predict functional groups of pollinators as documented, confirming the pollination syndromes in Vriesea and (ii) test if genetic structure in Vriesea is driven by geography (latitudinal and altitudinal heterogeneity) or ecology (pollination syndromes). We analysed 11 floral traits of 58 Vriesea species and performed a literature survey of Vriesea pollination biology. The genealogy of haplotypes was inferred and phylogenetic analyses were performed using chloroplast (rps16-trnk and matK) and nuclear (PHYC) molecular markers. Floral traits accurately predict functional groups of pollinators in Vriesea. Genetic groupings match the different pollination syndromes. Species with intermediate position were found between the groups, which share haplotypes and differ morphologically from the typical hummingbird- and bat-pollinated flowers of Vriesea. The phylogeny revealed moderately to well-supported clades which may be interpreted as species complexes. Our results suggest a role of pollinators driving ecological isolation in Vriesea clades. Incipient speciation and incomplete lineage sorting may explain the overall low genetic divergence within and among morphologically defined species, precluding the identification of clear species boundaries. The intermediate species with mixed floral types likely represent a window into shifts between pollinator syndromes. This study reports the morphological-genetic continuum that may be typical of ongoing pollinator-driven speciation in biodiversity hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Neves
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica), São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, SE Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Igor M Kessous
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica), São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo L Moura
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica), São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dayvid R Couto
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica), São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, SE Gothenburg, Sweden
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Surrey, UK
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christine D Bacon
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, SE Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fabiano Salgueiro
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Andrea F Costa
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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25
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Echolocation of Central Amazonian ‘whispering’ phyllostomid bats: call design and interspecific variation. MAMMAL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-020-00503-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPhyllostomids (New World leaf-nosed bats) are the ecologically most diverse bat family and have undergone the most extensive adaptive radiation of any mammalian family. However comprehensive, multi-species studies regarding phyllostomid echolocation are scarce in the literature despite abundant ecological research. In this study, we describe the call structure and interspecific variation in call design of 40 sympatric phyllostomid species from the Central Brazilian Amazon, focussing on general patterns within genera, subfamilies and between feeding guilds. All but one species utilized short, broadband FM calls consisting of multiple harmonics. As reported for other bat families, peak frequency was negatively correlated with body mass and forearm length. Twenty-five species alternated the harmonic of maximum energy, principally between the second and third harmonic. Based on PCA, we were unable to detect any significant differences in echolocation call parameters between genera, subfamilies or different feeding guilds, confirming that acoustic surveys cannot be used to reliably monitor these species. We present Ametrida centurio as an exception to this generalized phyllostomid structure, as it is unique in producing a mono-harmonic call. Finally, we discuss several hypotheses regarding the evolutionary pressures influencing phyllostomid call structure.
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Davies KTJ, Yohe LR, Almonte J, Sánchez MKR, Rengifo EM, Dumont ER, Sears KE, Dávalos LM, Rossiter SJ. Foraging shifts and visual preadaptation in ecologically diverse bats. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1839-1859. [PMID: 32293071 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Changes in behaviour may initiate shifts to new adaptive zones, with physical adaptations for novel environments evolving later. While new mutations are commonly considered engines of adaptive change, sensory evolution enabling access to new resources might also arise from standing genetic diversity, and even gene loss. We examine the relative contribution of molecular adaptations, measured by positive and relaxed selection, acting on eye-expressed genes associated with shifts to new adaptive zones in ecologically diverse bats from the superfamily Noctilionoidea. Collectively, noctilionoids display remarkable ecological breadth, from highly divergent echolocation to flight strategies linked to specialized insectivory, the parallel evolution of diverse plant-based diets (e.g., nectar, pollen and fruit) from ancestral insectivory, and-unusually for echolocating bats-often have large, well-developed eyes. We report contrasting levels of positive selection in genes associated with the development, maintenance and scope of visual function, tracing back to the origins of noctilionoids and Phyllostomidae (the bat family with most dietary diversity), instead of during shifts to novel diets. Generalized plant visiting was not associated with exceptional molecular adaptation, and exploration of these novel niches took place in an ancestral phyllostomid genetic background. In contrast, evidence for positive selection in vision genes was found at subsequent shifts to either nectarivory or frugivory. Thus, neotropical noctilionoids that use visual cues for identifying food and roosts, as well as for orientation, were effectively preadapted, with subsequent molecular adaptations in nectar-feeding lineages and the subfamily Stenodermatinae of fig-eating bats fine-tuning pre-existing visual adaptations for specialized purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalina T J Davies
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Laurel R Yohe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, USA.,Department of Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jesus Almonte
- Independent Scientist, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Miluska K R Sánchez
- Escuela Profesional de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Piura, Piura, Peru
| | - Edgardo M Rengifo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura 'Luiz de Queiroz', Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil.,Centro de Investigación Biodiversidad Sostenible (BioS), Lima, Peru
| | - Elizabeth R Dumont
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, USA.,Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Domingos-Melo A, Milet-Pinheiro P, Navarro DMDAF, Lopes AV, Machado IC. It's raining fragrant nectar in the Caatinga: evidence of nectar olfactory signaling in bat-pollinated flowers. Ecology 2019; 101:e02914. [PMID: 31612468 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Domingos-Melo
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Paulo Milet-Pinheiro
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil.,Universidade de Pernambuco, Campus de Petrolina, Rodovia BR 203, Km 2, s/n - Vila Eduardo, Petrolina, Pernambuco, 56328-903, Brazil
| | | | - Ariadna Valentina Lopes
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Isabel Cristina Machado
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil
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Gessinger G, Gonzalez-Terrazas TP, Page RA, Jung K, Tschapka M. Unusual echolocation behaviour of the common sword-nosed bat Lonchorhina aurita: an adaptation to aerial insectivory in a phyllostomid bat? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:182165. [PMID: 31417705 PMCID: PMC6689612 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.182165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Most insectivorous bat species in the Neotropical family Phyllostomidae glean insects from ground, water or vegetation surfaces. They use similar and stereotypical echolocation calls that are generally very short (less than 1-3 ms), multi-harmonic and frequency-modulated (FM). By contrast, the common sword-nosed bat, Lonchorhina aurita, which has the longest noseleaf in the entire phyllostomid family, produces distinctly different echolocation calls. They are composed of a constant frequency (CF) component with a peak frequency of 45 kHz, followed by a short FM down-sweep at the end. With a mean call duration of 6.6 ms (max. 8.7 ms) when flying in the open they have the longest echolocation calls reported from phyllostomid bats. In cluttered environments, the CF-component is very short. In open habitats, however, L. aurita can emit pure CF-calls without the terminal FM-component. We also recorded in the field a distinct terminal group that closely resembles the feeding buzzes of aerial hawking bat species from other bat families. This is the first time the echolocation call design of L. aurita is presented. In addition, we contrast the echolocation behaviour of individuals flying in open and confined situations. Our results suggest that the unique echolocation system of L. aurita represents an adaptation to aerial hawking, a very unusual hunting mode within the phyllostomid family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Gessinger
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | | | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Republic of Panama
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Short-distance pollen dispersal by bats in an urban setting: monitoring the movement of a vertebrate pollinator through fluorescent dyes. Urban Ecosyst 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-019-0825-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Denzinger A, Tschapka M, Schnitzler HU. The role of echolocation strategies for niche differentiation in bats. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Guilds subdivide bat assemblages into basic structural units of species with similar patterns of habitat use and foraging modes, but do not explain mechanisms of niche differentiation. Bats have evolved four different echolocation strategies allowing the access to four different trophic niche spaces differing in niche dimensions. Bats foraging in open and edge spaces use the “aerial hawking or trawling strategy” and detect and localize prey by evaluating pulse–echo trains in which the prey echo is unmasked. The pulse–echo pairs deliver mainly positional information on the prey and only little information on its nature. Signals are highly variable and are adapted for detection and localization in open space and (or) edge space. In narrow space, bats identify prey by solving a pattern recognition task. Bats using the “flutter detecting strategy” evaluate glint pattern in prey echoes; bats using the “active gleaning strategy” evaluate the spectral–temporal pattern of the prey–clutter echo complex; and bats using the “passive gleaning strategy” evaluate the pattern of prey-generated cues to find food and use echolocation only for spatial orientation. The less variable signals of narrow space bats are adapted for pattern recognition. The diverse and species-rich tropical bat assemblage at Barro Colorado Island, Panama, is here used as an exemplar for assigning bats to guilds, and we discuss the role of echolocation and other adaptations for niche differentiation within guilds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Denzinger
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa Ancón, Panamá, Republica de Panama
| | - Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler
- Animal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Borges RM. Dark Matters: Challenges of Nocturnal Communication Between Plants and Animals in Delivery of Pollination Services. THE YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2018; 91:33-42. [PMID: 29599655 PMCID: PMC5872639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The night is a special niche characterized by dim light, lower temperatures, and higher humidity compared to the day. Several animals have made the transition from the day into the night and have acquired unique adaptations to cope with the challenges of performing nocturnal activities. Several plant species have opted to bloom at night, possibly as a response to aridity to prevent excessive water loss through evapotranspiration since flowering is often a water-demanding process, or to protect pollen from heat stress. Nocturnal pollinators have visual adaptations to function under dim light conditions but may also trade off vision against olfaction when they are dependent on nectar-rewarding and scented flowers. Nocturnal pollinators may use CO2 and humidity cues emanating from freshly-opened flowers as indicators of nectar-rich resources. Some endothermic nocturnal insect pollinators are attracted to thermogenic flowers within which they remain to obtain heat as a reward to increase their energy budget. This review focuses on mechanisms that pollinators use to find flowers at night, and the signals that nocturnally blooming flowers may employ to attract pollinators under dim light conditions. It also indicates gaps in our knowledge. While millions of years of evolutionary time have given pollinators and plants solutions to the delivery of pollination services and to the offering of appropriate rewards, this history of successful evolution is being threatened by artificial light at night. Excessive and inappropriate illumination associated with anthropogenic activities has resulted in significant light pollution which serves to undermine life processes governed by dim light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee M. Borges
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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Valenta K, Nevo O, Martel C, Chapman CA. Plant attractants: integrating insights from pollination and seed dispersal ecology. Evol Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-016-9870-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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