Unveiling the factors shaping the distribution of widely distributed alpine vertebrates, using multi-scale ecological niche modelling of the bat Plecotus macrobullaris

Several alpine vertebrates share a distribution pattern that extends across the South-western Palearctic but is limited to the main mountain massifs. Although they are usually regarded as cold-adapted species, the range of many alpine vertebrates also includes relatively warm areas, suggesting that factors beyond climatic conditions may be driving their distribution. In this work we first recognize the species belonging to the mentioned biogeographic group and, based on the environmental niche analysis of Plecotus macrobullaris, we identify and characterize the environmental factors constraining their ranges. Distribution overlap analysis of 504 European vertebrates was done using the Sorensen Similarity Index, and we identified four birds and one mammal that share the distribution with P. macrobullaris. We generated 135 environmental niche models including different variable combinations and regularization values for P. macrobullaris at two different scales and resolutions. After selecting the best models, we observed that topographic variables outperformed climatic predictors, and the abruptness of the landscape showed better predictive ability than elevation. The best explanatory climatic variable was mean summer temperature, which showed that P. macrobullaris is able to cope with mean temperature ranges spanning up to 16°C. The models showed that the distribution of P. macrobullaris is mainly shaped by topographic factors that provide rock-abundant and open-space habitats rather than climatic determinants, and that the species is not a cold-adapted, but rather a cold-tolerant eurithermic organism. P. macrobullaris shares its distribution pattern as well as several ecological features with five other alpine vertebrates, suggesting that the conclusions obtained from this study might be extensible to them. We concluded that rock-dwelling and open-space foraging vertebrates with broad temperature tolerance are the best candidates to show wide alpine distribution in the Western Palearctic. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12983-014-0077-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Fishing long-fingered bats (<i>Myotis capaccinii</i>) prey regularly upon exotic fish

7 p.The long-fingered bat Myotis capaccinii is a European trawling bat reported to feed on fish in several Mediterranean locations, but the ecological circumstances of this behavior have not yet been studied. To elucidate the importance of fishing in this bat's diet, we evaluated the frequency and seasonal variation of fish remains in 3,000 fecal pellets collected from M. capaccinii at a nursery roost in Dénia (Eastern Iberian Peninsula) in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Fish consumption occurred evenly throughout the year. All otoliths found in feces were identified as belonging to the surface-feeding fish Gambusia holbrooki. Measuring otoliths, we estimated that the mean size of consumed fish was significantly smaller than the mean measured for available fish, suggesting that the long-fingered bat's relatively small body may constrain its handling of larger prey. Of note, one bat had eaten 15 fish, showing that fish may be a locally or seasonally important trophic resource for this species. By capturing 15 bats and radio-tracking the four with the most fish remains in their droppings, we also identified fishing areas, including a single fishing ground comprising several ponds within a golf course. Ponds hold a high density of G. holbrooki, suggesting that the amount of fish at the water surface may be the principal factor triggering fishing. The observed six-fold increase in percentage of consumed fish across the study period may be related to recent pond-building in the area. We discuss whether this quick behavioral response is a novel feature of M. capaccinii or an intrinsic feature that has erupted and faded locally along the species' history.This study was part of the MICINN project CGL2009-12393 coordinated by J. Aihartza, UPV/EHU. The Basque Government provided grant support to O. Aizpurua and A. Alberdi (BFI-2009-252 and BFI-2010-190). Support was also provided by the University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU (INF09/15) and the Basque Government (IT385-07 and IT301-10). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. This study was performed with the permission of the Valencian Government

Contrasting Thermal Strategies of Montane Neotropical Bats at High Elevations

In the Neotropics, captive vespertilionid bats substantially reduce their metabolic rate at low ambient temperatures, similar to their temperate counterparts, whereas the ability of phyllostomids to lower metabolic rate seems to be more limited, even in mountain species. Nevertheless, field data on the thermal behaviour of syntopic individuals from these two families is lacking. Consequently, we aimed to test whether torpor was more common and deeper in vesper bats compared to leaf-nosed bats by studying skin temperature (Tsk) variation in individuals experiencing the same environmental conditions at a mountain area. Bats experienced ambient temperatures below 15 °C. Average Tsk was 10 °C in Myotis oxyotus gardneri (Vespertilionidae) during the day, while Sturnira burtonlimi (Phyllostomidae) regulated diurnal Tsk above 30 °C. Constant food availability may explain why diurnal Sturnira burtonlimi pay the high energetic cost required to remain normothermic and to defend a wide Ta–Tsk gap but further studies are needed to elucidate additional strategies that may be employed by these bats to reduce the energetic demands of normothermy. Our study shows that the contrasting thermal strategies and torpor use adopted by vespertilionid insectivores and phyllostomid frugivores in captive settings also occur in free-ranging conditions, thus providing a basis to develop further studies with predictions more accurately rooted in field data.Government of the Basque Country/[IT754-13]//País BascoUCR::Sedes Regionales::Sede del SurUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Detection of rhabdovirus viral RNA in oropharyngeal swabs and ectoparasites of spanish bats

Rhabdoviruses infect a variety of hosts, including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and plants. As bats are the natural host for most members of the genus Lyssavirus, the specificity of the amplification methods used for active surveillance is usually restricted to lyssaviruses. However, the presence of other rhabdoviruses in bats has also been reported. In order to broaden the scope of such methods, a new RT-PCR, able to detect a diverse range of rhabdoviruses, was designed. The method detected 81 of 86 different rhabdoviruses. In total, 1488 oropharyngeal bat swabs and 38 nycteribiid samples were analysed, and 17 unique rhabdovirus-related sequences were detected. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that those sequences detected in bats did not constitute a monophyletic group, even when originating from the same bat species. However, all of the sequences detected in nycteribiids and one sequence obtained from a bat did constitute a monophyletic group with Drosophila melanogaster sigma rhabdovirus. © 2013 Crown.Peer Reviewe

Surveying for the rare Bechstein’s bat (&lt;em&gt;Myotis bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;) in northern Iberian peninsula by means of an acoustic lure

&lt;Strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; In the Araba province (Basque Country, Iberian Peninsula) we surveyed for the rare Bechstein’s bat (&lt;em&gt;Myotis bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;) using a recently developed method based on an acoustic lure, the Sussex AutoBat. We surveyed 16 deciduous woodlands, an irrigation pool and a cave, a total of 45 sites. The synthesized calls were played behind mist nets following an established protocol. In total, we captured 32 bats representing 6 genera and 10 species; among these, 6 &lt;em&gt;M. bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;, 3 &lt;em&gt;M. daubentonii&lt;/em&gt;, 4 &lt;em&gt;Nyctalus leisleri&lt;/em&gt;, 5 &lt;em&gt;Plecotus auritus&lt;/em&gt;, 1 &lt;em&gt;P. austriacus&lt;/em&gt;, and 1 &lt;em&gt;Barbastella barbastellus&lt;/em&gt; were caught using the acoustic lure. Two of the Bechstein’s bats were lactating females. By radiotracking one of them, we found the third known breeding colony for this rare species in the Iberian Peninsula. The acoustic lure proved to be a promising method for improving the trapping success of this species.&#13; &#13; &lt;strong&gt;Riassunto&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; &lt;strong&gt;Indagine sul Vespertilio di Bechstein (&lt;em&gt;Myotis bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;) in Spagna mediante emissioni sonore.&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; Il monitoraggio del Vespertilio di Bechstein (&lt;em&gt;Myotis bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;), specie rara di chirottero nella provincia di Araba (Paesi Baschi, penisola iberica), è stato effettuato mediante l’utilizzo di emissioni ultrasonore per attrarre gli animali (Sussex AutoBat). Sono stati monitorati 45 siti, distribuiti in 16 differenti boschi a latifoglie, un bacino utilizzato per scopi irrigui e una grotta. In ciascun sito sono state utilizzate reti mist net di varia lunghezza e sono stati emessi richiami ultrasonori in prossimità delle reti stesse, secondo una procedura standardizzata. In totale, grazie all'utilizzo delle emissioni sonore sono stati caturati 32 pipistrelli appartenenti a 10 specie, tra cui 6 &lt;em&gt;M. bechsteinii&lt;/em&gt;, 3 &lt;em&gt;M. daubentonii&lt;/em&gt;, 4 &lt;em&gt;Nyctalus leisleri&lt;/em&gt;, 5 &lt;em&gt;Plecotus auritus&lt;/em&gt;, 1 &lt;em&gt;P. austriacus&lt;/em&gt;, e 1 &lt;em&gt;Barbastella barbastellus&lt;/em&gt;. Due esemplari di Vespertilio di Bechstein erano femmine in allattamento. L'applicazione di un radiocollare ad una di queste femmine ha consentito di identificare mediante radiotracking la terza colonia riproduttiva nota nella penisola iberica per questa specie. L’uso di “esche acustiche” si è dimostrato una tecnica particolarmente efficace, in particolare nel caso di specie rare o poco contattabili

Data from: The foraging ecology of the Mountain long-eared bat Plecotus macrobullaris revealed with DNA mini-barcodes

Molecular analysis of diet overcomes the considerable limitations of traditional techniques for identifying prey remains in bat faeces. We collected faeces from individual Mountain long-eared bats Plecotus macrobullaris trapped using mist nets during the summers of 2009 and 2010 in the Pyrenees. We analysed their diet using DNA mini-barcodes to identify prey species. In addition, we inferred some basic features of the bat’s foraging ecology that had not yet been addressed. P. macrobullaris fed almost exclusively on moths (97.8%). As prey we detected one dipteran genus (Tipulidae) and 29 moth taxa: 28 were identified at species level (23 Noctuidae, 1 Crambidae, 1 Geometridae, 1 Pyralidae, 1 Sphingidae, 1 Tortricidae), and one at genus level (Rhyacia sp., Noctuidae). Known ecological information about the prey species allowed us to determine that bats had foraged at elevations between 1,500 and 2,500 m amsl (above mean sea level), mostly in subalpine meadows, followed by other open habitats such as orophilous grasslands and alpine meadows. No forest prey species were identified in the diet. As 96.4% of identified prey species were tympanate moths and no evidence of gleaning behaviour was revealed, we suggest P. macrobullaris probably forages by aerial hawking using faint echolocation pulses to avoid detection by hearing moths. As we could identify 87.8% of the analysed sequences (64.1% of the MOTUs, Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units) at species level, we conclude that DNA mini-barcodes are a very useful tool to analyse the diet of moth-specialist bats

Echolocation calls and morphology in the Mehelyi’s (&lt;em&gt;Rhinolophus mehelyi&lt;/em&gt;) and mediterranean (&lt;em&gt;R. euryale&lt;/em&gt;) horseshoe bats: implications for resource partitioning

&lt;strong&gt;Abstract&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; &lt;em&gt;Rhinolophus euryale&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; are morphologically very similar species and their distributions overlap extensively in the Mediterranean basin. We modelled their foraging behaviour using echolocation calls and wing morphology and, assuming niche segregation occurs between the two species, we explored how it is shaped by these factors. Resting frequency of echolocation calls was recorded and weight, forearm length, wing loading, aspect ratio and wing tip shape index were measured. &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; showed a significantly higher resting frequency than &lt;em&gt;R. euryale&lt;/em&gt;, but differences are deemed insufficient for dietary niche segregation. Weight and forearm length were significantly larger in &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt;. The higher values of aspect ratio and wing loading and a lower value of wing tip shape index in &lt;em&gt;R. melehyi&lt;/em&gt; restrict its flight manoeuvrability and agility. Therefore, the flight ability of &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; may decrease as habitat complexity increases. Thus, the principal mechanism for resource partitioning seems to be based on differing habitat use arising from differences in wing morphology.&#13; &#13; &lt;strong&gt;Riassunto&lt;/strong&gt;&#13; &lt;strong&gt;Ecolocalizzazione e morfologia nei rinolofi di Mehely (&lt;em&gt;Rhinolophus mehelyi&lt;/em&gt;) e euriale (&lt;em&gt;R. euryale&lt;/em&gt;): implicazioni nella segregazione delle risorse trofiche.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Rhinolophus euryale&lt;/em&gt; e &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; sono specie morfologicamente molto simili, la cui distribuzione risulta largamente coincidente in area mediterranea. Il comportamento di foraggiamento delle due specie è stato analizzato in funzione delle caratteristiche dei segnali di ecolocalizzazione e della morfologia alare, ed è stata valutata l’incidenza di questi fattori nell’ipotesi di una segregazione delle nicchie. È stata rilevata la frequenza a riposo dei segnali ultrasonori, così come il peso, la lunghezza dell’avambraccio, il carico alare, e due indici di forma dell'ala (&lt;em&gt;aspect ratio&lt;/em&gt; e &lt;em&gt;wing tip shape index&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; presenta una frequenza di riposo maggiore rispetto a &lt;em&gt;R. euryale&lt;/em&gt;, ma la differenza non sembra sufficiente per spiegare la separazione delle nicchie trofiche. Il peso e la lunghezza dell'avambraccio risultano significativamente più elevati in &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt;. I valori piú elevati relativamente ad &lt;em&gt;aspect ratio&lt;/em&gt; e &lt;em&gt;wing loading&lt;/em&gt; e il minor valore del &lt;em&gt;wing tip shape index&lt;/em&gt; in &lt;em&gt;R. melehyi&lt;/em&gt; indicano una minore manovrabilità in volo e una minore agilità. La capacità di &lt;em&gt;R. mehelyi&lt;/em&gt; di sfruttare efficacemente un ambiente complesso decresce con il livello di complessità dell'habitat stesso. È possibile quindi ipotizzare un meccanismo di separazione nell’uso delle risorse basato su un differente uso dell’habitat, spiegabile in termini di differenze nella morfologia alare

Bats from different foraging guilds prey upon the pine processionary moth

Outbreaks of the processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), a forest pest from the Palearctic, are thought to induce a behavioral response of bats, but up to now the moth has been seldom identified as bats’ prey. Studies on bat diets suggest moths with cyclical outbreaks attract a wide array of bat species from different foraging guilds. We test whether bats feed upon T. pityocampa in the Iberian Peninsula irrespective of the predator’s ecological and morphological features. We found that seven out of ten bat species belonging to different foraging guilds contained T. pityocampa DNA in their faeces and no difference was found in the foraging frequency among foraging guilds. A different size of the typical prey or the lack of fondness for moths can explain the absence of the pest in some bat species. Moreover, the intraspecific foraging frequency of T. pityocampa also changed with the sampling site likely representing differential availability of the moth. Lack of information on flight and dispersal behavior or the tympanate nature of the adult moth complicates understanding how different foraging guilds of bats prey upon the same prey. Our data suggests that T. pityocampa is a remarkable food source for many thousands of individual bats in the study area and we anticipate that more bats besides the species studied here are consuming this moth