1
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Pellón JJ, Medina-Espinoza EF, Lim BK, Cornejo F, Medellín RA. Eat what you can, when you can: relatively high arthropod consumption by frugivorous bats in Amazonian Peru. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00327-2] [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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2
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González AM, Bayly NJ, Hobson KA. Earlier and slower or later and faster: Spring migration pace linked to departure time in a Neotropical migrant songbird. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2840-2851. [PMID: 32989739 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Migratory birds travel vast distances and the timing of migratory flights can affect survival and the ability to reproduce. For Neotropical migrant songbirds, early spring departure from wintering sites, early arrival to the breeding grounds and higher reproductive success have been related to the use of suitable habitats and environmental conditions during the non-breeding season. However, how migratory strategies are shaped by winter habitat choice is largely unknown due to the general inability to track birds from specific wintering habitats to stopovers or breeding destinations. We assessed how winter habitat (native forest vs. shade-grown coffee plantations) relates to spring departure date and migration pace in Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus. We also determined the effect of departure date and total migration duration on the arrival date of birds detected near or within their breeding range. We used a novel application of Motus radiotelemetry arrays to track individuals from their wintering grounds in the Andes of South America along their migratory journey to North America. We found variation in migratory strategies between habitats, with birds wintering in native forest departing later than birds in coffee. We present isotopic evidence for native forest being of higher quality than shade-coffee for Swainson's Thrush and hypothesize that moister conditions in forest, as shown by stable isotope (δ13 C) analysis of thrush whole blood, provides favourable pre-migratory conditions allowing birds to delay departure from wintering grounds. Habitat, between-site and -year variation in departure date, suggests that birds made facultative adjustments to winter habitat quality and environmental conditions. Independent of habitat, birds that departed later migrated faster and this pattern was maintained along the migration route (n = 44). Migrating earlier and slower or later and faster was unlikely to result in significant differences in arrival time to breeding destinations. Our findings reveal underappreciated complexity in migratory decisions by long-distance migrants that contrast with the current paradigm of earlier departures and arrival from optimal habitats. The next step is to understand the relative fitness benefits of early versus late schedules or whether each strategy is an equally good response to experienced conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M González
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.,SELVA: Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotrópico, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Nicholas J Bayly
- SELVA: Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotrópico, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.,Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.,Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, UK
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3
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Turakhia Y, Chen HI, Marcovitz A, Bejerano G. A fully-automated method discovers loss of mouse-lethal and human-monogenic disease genes in 58 mammals. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:e91. [PMID: 32614390 PMCID: PMC7498332 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene losses provide an insightful route for studying the morphological and physiological adaptations of species, but their discovery is challenging. Existing genome annotation tools focus on annotating intact genes and do not attempt to distinguish nonfunctional genes from genes missing annotation due to sequencing and assembly artifacts. Previous attempts to annotate gene losses have required significant manual curation, which hampers their scalability for the ever-increasing deluge of newly sequenced genomes. Using extreme sequence erosion (amino acid deletions and substitutions) and sister species support as an unambiguous signature of loss, we developed an automated approach for detecting high-confidence gene loss events across a species tree. Our approach relies solely on gene annotation in a single reference genome, raw assemblies for the remaining species to analyze, and the associated phylogenetic tree for all organisms involved. Using human as reference, we discovered over 400 unique human ortholog erosion events across 58 mammals. This includes dozens of clade-specific losses of genes that result in early mouse lethality or are associated with severe human congenital diseases. Our discoveries yield intriguing potential for translational medical genetics and evolutionary biology, and our approach is readily applicable to large-scale genome sequencing efforts across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yatish Turakhia
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Heidi I Chen
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Amir Marcovitz
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gill Bejerano
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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4
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Wang K, Tian S, Galindo-González J, Dávalos LM, Zhang Y, Zhao H. Molecular adaptation and convergent evolution of frugivory in Old World and neotropical fruit bats. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:4366-4381. [PMID: 32633855 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Although cases of independent adaptation to the same dietary niche have been documented in mammalian ecology, the molecular correlates of such shifts are seldom known. Here, we used genomewide analyses of molecular evolution to examine two lineages of bats that, from an insectivorous ancestor, have both independently evolved obligate frugivory: the Old World family Pteropodidae and the neotropical subfamily Stenodermatinae. New genome assemblies from two neotropical fruit bats (Artibeus jamaicensis and Sturnira hondurensis) provide a framework for comparisons with Old World fruit bats. Comparative genomics of 10 bat species encompassing dietary diversity across the phylogeny revealed convergent molecular signatures of frugivory in both multigene family evolution and single-copy genes. Evidence for convergent molecular adaptations associated with frugivorous diets includes the composition of three subfamilies of olfactory receptor genes, losses of three bitter taste receptor genes, losses of two digestive enzyme genes and convergent amino acid substitutions in several metabolic genes. By identifying suites of adaptations associated with the convergent evolution of frugivory, our analyses both reveal the extent of molecular mechanisms under selection in dietary shifts and will facilitate future studies of molecular ecology in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wang
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at WHU-TU, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shilin Tian
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at WHU-TU, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jorge Galindo-González
- Biotechnology and Applied Ecology Institute (INBIOTECA), Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa,Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution and Center for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Yuzhi Zhang
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at WHU-TU, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Huabin Zhao
- Department of Ecology, Tibetan Centre for Ecology and Conservation at WHU-TU, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, China
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5
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Ruadreo N, Voigt CC, Bumrungsri S. Large Dietary Niche Overlap of Sympatric Open-space Foraging Bats Revealed by Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.2.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nittaya Ruadreo
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Christian C. Voigt
- Department Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sara Bumrungsri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
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6
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A genomics approach reveals insights into the importance of gene losses for mammalian adaptations. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1215. [PMID: 29572503 PMCID: PMC5865188 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03667-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the genomic changes that underlie phenotypic adaptations is a key challenge in evolutionary biology and genomics. Loss of protein-coding genes is one type of genomic change with the potential to affect phenotypic evolution. Here, we develop a genomics approach to accurately detect gene losses and investigate their importance for adaptive evolution in mammals. We discover a number of gene losses that likely contributed to morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptations in aquatic and flying mammals. These gene losses shed light on possible molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these adaptive phenotypes. In addition, we show that gene loss events that occur as a consequence of relaxed selection following adaptation provide novel insights into species' biology. Our results suggest that gene loss is an evolutionary mechanism for adaptation that may be more widespread than previously anticipated. Hence, investigating gene losses has great potential to reveal the genomic basis underlying macroevolutionary changes.
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7
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Aliperti JR, Kelt DA, Heady PA, Frick WF. Using behavioral and stable isotope data to quantify rare dietary plasticity in a temperate bat. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
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8
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Orr TJ, Ortega J, Medellín RA, Sánchez CD, Hammond KA. Diet choice in frugivorous bats: gourmets or operational pragmatists? J Mammal 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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McGowan AT, Hogue AS. Bat Occurrence and Habitat Preference on the Delmarva Peninsula. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2016. [DOI: 10.1656/045.023.0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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10
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Banskar S, Mourya DT, Shouche YS. Bacterial diversity indicates dietary overlap among bats of different feeding habits. Microbiol Res 2015; 182:99-108. [PMID: 26686618 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bats are among the most conspicuous mammals with extraordinary adaptations. They play a key role in the ecosystem. Frugivorous bats are important seed dispersing agents that help in maintaining forest tree diversity, while insectivorous bats are natural insect pest control agents. Several previous reports suggest that bats are reservoir of viruses; nonetheless their bacterial counterparts are relatively less explored. The present study describes the microbial diversity associated with the intestine of bats from different regions of India. Our observations stipulate that there is substantial sharing of bacterial communities between the insectivorous and frugivorous bats, which signifies fairly large dietary overlap. We also observed the presence of higher abundance of Mycoplasma in Cynopterus species of bats, indicating possible Mycoplasma infection. Considering the scarcity of literature related to microbial communities of bat intestinal tract, this study can direct future microbial diversity studies in bats with reference to their dietary habits, host-bacteria interaction and zoonosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Banskar
- Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India
| | - Devendra T Mourya
- National Institute of Virology, Microbial Containment Complex, Pashan, Pune 411021, India
| | - Yogesh S Shouche
- Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India.
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11
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Moratelli R, Calisher CH. Bats and zoonotic viruses: can we confidently link bats with emerging deadly viruses? Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2015; 110:1-22. [PMID: 25742261 PMCID: PMC4371215 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760150048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasingly asked question is 'can we confidently link bats with emerging viruses?'. No, or not yet, is the qualified answer based on the evidence available. Although more than 200 viruses - some of them deadly zoonotic viruses - have been isolated from or otherwise detected in bats, the supposed connections between bats, bat viruses and human diseases have been raised more on speculation than on evidence supporting their direct or indirect roles in the epidemiology of diseases (except for rabies). However, we are convinced that the evidence points in that direction and that at some point it will be proved that bats are competent hosts for at least a few zoonotic viruses. In this review, we cover aspects of bat biology, ecology and evolution that might be relevant in medical investigations and we provide a historical synthesis of some disease outbreaks causally linked to bats. We provide evolutionary-based hypotheses to tentatively explain the viral transmission route through mammalian intermediate hosts and to explain the geographic concentration of most outbreaks, but both are no more than speculations that still require formal assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles H Calisher
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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12
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Zhu L, Yin Q, Irwin DM, Zhang S. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 gene (Pck1) displays parallel evolution between Old World and New World fruit bats. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118666. [PMID: 25807515 PMCID: PMC4373879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats are an ideal mammalian group for exploring adaptations to fasting due to their large variety of diets and because fasting is a regular part of their life cycle. Mammals fed on a carbohydrate-rich diet experience a rapid decrease in blood glucose levels during a fast, thus, the development of mechanisms to resist the consequences of regular fasts, experienced on a daily basis, must have been crucial in the evolution of frugivorous bats. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PEPCK1, encoded by the Pck1 gene) is the rate-limiting enzyme in gluconeogenesis and is largely responsible for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis during fasting in fruit-eating bats. To test whether Pck1 has experienced adaptive evolution in frugivorous bats, we obtained Pck1 coding sequence from 20 species of bats, including five Old World fruit bats (OWFBs) (Pteropodidae) and two New World fruit bats (NWFBs) (Phyllostomidae). Our molecular evolutionary analyses of these sequences revealed that Pck1 was under purifying selection in both Old World and New World fruit bats with no evidence of positive selection detected in either ancestral branch leading to fruit bats. Interestingly, however, six specific amino acid substitutions were detected on the ancestral lineage of OWFBs. In addition, we found considerable evidence for parallel evolution, at the amino acid level, between the PEPCK1 sequences of Old World fruit bats and New World fruit bats. Test for parallel evolution showed that four parallel substitutions (Q276R, R503H, I558V and Q593R) were driven by natural selection. Our study provides evidence that Pck1 underwent parallel evolution between Old World and New World fruit bats, two lineages of mammals that feed on a carbohydrate-rich diet and experience regular periods of fasting as part of their life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, SKLEC & IECR & IAIR, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiuyuan Yin
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, SKLEC & IECR & IAIR, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - David M. Irwin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Shuyi Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, SKLEC & IECR & IAIR, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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13
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Parallel Evolution of the Glycogen Synthase 1 (Muscle) Gene Gys1 Between Old World and New World Fruit Bats (Order: Chiroptera). Biochem Genet 2014; 52:443-58. [DOI: 10.1007/s10528-014-9659-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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14
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Shen B, Fang T, Yang T, Jones G, Irwin DM, Zhang S. Relaxed evolution in the tyrosine aminotransferase gene tat in old world fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). PLoS One 2014; 9:e97483. [PMID: 24824435 PMCID: PMC4019583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Frugivorous and nectarivorous bats fuel their metabolism mostly by using carbohydrates and allocate the restricted amounts of ingested proteins mainly for anabolic protein syntheses rather than for catabolic energy production. Thus, it is possible that genes involved in protein (amino acid) catabolism may have undergone relaxed evolution in these fruit- and nectar-eating bats. The tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT, encoded by the Tat gene) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway. To test whether the Tat gene has undergone relaxed evolution in the fruit- and nectar-eating bats, we obtained the Tat coding region from 20 bat species including four Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) and two New World fruit bats (Phyllostomidae). Phylogenetic reconstructions revealed a gene tree in which all echolocating bats (including the New World fruit bats) formed a monophyletic group. The phylogenetic conflict appears to stem from accelerated TAT protein sequence evolution in the Old World fruit bats. Our molecular evolutionary analyses confirmed a change in the selection pressure acting on Tat, which was likely caused by a relaxation of the evolutionary constraints on the Tat gene in the Old World fruit bats. Hepatic TAT activity assays showed that TAT activities in species of the Old World fruit bats are significantly lower than those of insectivorous bats and omnivorous mice, which was not caused by a change in TAT protein levels in the liver. Our study provides unambiguous evidence that the Tat gene has undergone relaxed evolution in the Old World fruit bats in response to changes in their metabolism due to the evolution of their special diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Shen
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institutes for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Fang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institutes for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianxiao Yang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institutes for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - David M. Irwin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Shuyi Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institutes for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail:
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15
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Hayden S, Bekaert M, Goodbla A, Murphy WJ, Dávalos LM, Teeling EC. A cluster of olfactory receptor genes linked to frugivory in bats. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 31:917-27. [PMID: 24441035 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Diversity of the mammalian olfactory receptor (OR) repertoire has been globally reshaped by niche specialization. However, little is known about the variability of the OR repertoire at a shallower evolutionary timeframe. The vast bat radiation exhibits an extraordinary variety of trophic and sensory specializations. Unlike other mammals, bats possess a unique and diverse OR gene repertoire. We elucidated whether the evolution of the OR gene repertoire can be linked to ecological niche specializations, such as sensory modalities and diet. The OR gene repertoires of 27 bat species spanning the chiropteran radiation were amplified and sequenced. For each species, intact and nonfunctional genes were assessed, and the OR gene abundances in each gene family were analyzed and compared. We identified a unique OR pattern linked to the frugivorous diet of New World fruit-eating bats and a similar convergent pattern in the Old World fruit-eating bats. Our results show a strong association between niche specialization and OR repertoire diversity even at a shallow evolutionary timeframe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Hayden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington
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16
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Frick WF, Shipley JR, Kelly JF, Heady PA, Kay KM. Seasonal reliance on nectar by an insectivorous bat revealed by stable isotopes. Oecologia 2013; 174:55-65. [PMID: 24276770 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2771-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Many animals have seasonally plastic diets to take advantage of seasonally abundant plant resources, such as fruit or nectar. Switches from insectivorous diets that are protein rich to fruits or nectar that are carbohydrate rich present physiological challenges, but are routinely done by insectivorous songbirds during migration. In contrast, insectivorous bat species are not known to switch diets to consume fruit or nectar. Here, we use carbon stable isotope ratios to establish the first known case of a temperate bat species consuming substantial quantities of nectar during spring. We show that pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) switch from a diet indistinguishable from that of sympatric insectivorous bat species in winter (when no cactus nectar is present) to a diet intermediate between those of insectivorous bats and nectarivorous bats during the spring bloom of a bat-adapted cactus species. Combined with previous results that established that pallid bats are effective pollinators of the cardon cactus (Pachycereus pringlei), our results suggest that the interaction between pallid bats and cardon cacti represents the first-known plant-pollinator mutualism between a plant and a temperate bat. Diet plasticity in pallid bats raises questions about the degree of physiological adaptations of insectivorous bats for incorporation of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as nectar or fruit, into the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winifred F Frick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA,
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17
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The Glycogen Synthase 2 Gene (Gys2) Displays Parallel Evolution Between Old World and New World Fruit Bats. J Mol Evol 2013; 78:66-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s00239-013-9600-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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18
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Voigt CC, Helbig-Bonitz M, Kramer-Schadt S, Kalko EKV. The third dimension of bat migration: evidence for elevational movements of Miniopterus natalensis along the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Oecologia 2013; 174:751-64. [PMID: 24213722 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2819-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Bats are important ecosystem service providers, and therefore most relevant for both lowland and highland habitats, particularly in the tropics. Yet, it is poorly understood to what extent they perform large-scale movements, especially movements along mountain slopes. Here, we studied the movement ecology of the potentially migratory species Miniopterus natalensis at Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We analysed stable isotope ratios of C (δ(13)C), N (δ(15)N) and H (δ(2)H) in keratin of sedentary frugivorous and insectivorous bats captured between 800 and 2,400 m above sea level to establish elevational gradients of stable isotope ratios in consumer tissues. We expected correlations between stable isotope ratios of the non-exchangeable portion of H in fur keratin and the elevation of capture site, but not necessarily for δ(13)C and δ(15)N. Yet, in bats of both feeding ensembles, we found δ(15)N of fur keratin to correlate positively with the elevation of capture sites but not δ(2)H. In frugivorous bats, δ(13)C increased with increasing capture elevation as well. By looking at intra-individual variation of δ(13)C and δ(15)N in fur keratin and wing membrane tissues of sedentary Rhinolophus cf. clivosus and of the potentially migratory species M. natalensis, we gathered evidence that M. natalensis migrates seasonally between low and high elevations along the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Finally, based on an isoscape origin model we estimated that M. natalensis captured before and after the cold period at around 1,800 m above sea level originated from around 1,400 m a.s.l. or lower. Thus, we received convergent results in support of seasonal elevational movements of M. natalensis, probably in search for cold hibernacula at higher elevations of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian C Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany,
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19
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Adaptive evolution of the myo6 gene in old world fruit bats (family: pteropodidae). PLoS One 2013; 8:e62307. [PMID: 23620821 PMCID: PMC3631194 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Myosin VI (encoded by the Myo6 gene) is highly expressed in the inner and outer hair cells of the ear, retina, and polarized epithelial cells such as kidney proximal tubule cells and intestinal enterocytes. The Myo6 gene is thought to be involved in a wide range of physiological functions such as hearing, vision, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Bats (Chiroptera) represent one of the most fascinating mammal groups for molecular evolutionary studies of the Myo6 gene. A diversity of specialized adaptations occur among different bat lineages, such as echolocation and associated high-frequency hearing in laryngeal echolocating bats, large eyes and a strong dependence on vision in Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae), and specialized high-carbohydrate but low-nitrogen diets in both Old World and New World fruit bats (Phyllostomidae). To investigate what role(s) the Myo6 gene might fulfill in bats, we sequenced the coding region of the Myo6 gene in 15 bat species and used molecular evolutionary analyses to detect evidence of positive selection in different bat lineages. We also conducted real-time PCR assays to explore the expression levels of Myo6 in a range of tissues from three representative bat species. Molecular evolutionary analyses revealed that the Myo6 gene, which was widely considered as a hearing gene, has undergone adaptive evolution in the Old World fruit bats which lack laryngeal echolocation and associated high-frequency hearing. Real-time PCR showed the highest expression level of the Myo6 gene in the kidney among ten tissues examined in three bat species, indicating an important role for this gene in kidney function. We suggest that Myo6 has undergone adaptive evolution in Old World fruit bats in relation to receptor-mediated endocytosis for the preservation of protein and essential nutrients.
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Voigt CC, Schneeberger K, Luckner A. Ecological and dietary correlates of stable hydrogen isotope ratios in fur and body water of syntopic tropical bats. Ecology 2013; 94:346-55. [DOI: 10.1890/12-1187.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Erzberger A, Popa-Lisseanu AG, Lehmann GUC, Voigt CC. Potential and Limits in Detecting Altitudinal Movements of Bats using Stable Hydrogen Isotope Ratios of Fur Keratin. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2011. [DOI: 10.3161/150811011x624910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Divergent trophic levels in two cryptic sibling bat species. Oecologia 2011; 166:69-78. [PMID: 21340613 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-1940-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2010] [Accepted: 02/03/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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