What mechanism of niche segregation allows the coexistence of sympatric sibling rhinolophid bats?

Introduction: Our purpose was to assess how pairs of sibling horseshoe bats coexists when their morphology and echolocation are almost identical. We collected data on echolocation, wing morphology, diet, and habitat use of sympatric Rhinolophus mehelyi and R. euryale. We compared our results with literature data collected in allopatry with similar protocols and at the same time of the year (breeding season). Results:Echolocation frequencies recorded in sympatry for R. mehelyi (mean = 106.8 kHz) and R. euryale (105.1 kHz) were similar to those reported in allopatry (R. mehelyi 105–111 kHz; R. euryale 101–109 kHz). Wing parameters were larger in R. mehelyi than R. euryale for both sympatric and allopatric conditions. Moths constitute the bulk of the diet of both species in sympatry and allopatry, with minor variation in the amounts of other prey. There were no inter-specific differences in the use of foraging habitats in allopatry in terms of structural complexity, however we found inter-specific differences between sympatric populations: R. mehelyi foraged in less complex habitats. The subtle inter-specific differences in echolocation frequency seems to be unlikely to facilitate dietary niche partitioning; overall divergences observed in diet may be explained as a consequence of differential prey availability among foraging habitats. Inter-specific differences in the use of foraging habitats in sympatry seems to be the main dimension for niche partitioning between R. mehelyi and R. euryale, probably due to letter differences in wing morphology. Conclusions: Coexistence between sympatric sibling horseshoe bats is likely allowed by a displacement in spatial niche dimension, presumably due to the wing morphology of each species, and shifts the niche domains that minimise competition. Effective measures for conservation of sibling/similar horseshoe bats should guarantee structural diversity of foraging habitats

Bats Actively Track and Prey on Grape Pest Populations

There is growing evidence about the role of insectivorous bats against agricultural pests in various crops. Nevertheless, little research addressed the aggregational and functional responses of bat assemblages to changes in pest availability across a spatio-temporal scale. Therefore, we examined the activity and diet habits of different bat species using DNA metabarcoding by simultaneously monitoring the relative abundance of two major pests (the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, and the leaf rolling tortrix, Sparganothis pilleriana) through the grape growing season, in a vineyard region of the Iberian Peninsula. During pest major irruptions, we found the highest bat activity levels and frequencies of grape pests in the diet of bats, although not all bat species contributed equally to pest suppression. Bats of different foraging guilds positively responded to pest abundances, indicating distinct bat species may synergistically play a role at suppressing agricultural pests at broad scales of the aerospace. For instance, narrow space foragers exploiting major irruptions in grape interior, edge space foragers hampering pest dispersion at local scale, and open space foragers preventing infestations of new grapevine patches at broader scales. Yet, our study exposed the current methodological constraints regarding pest dispersion dynamics, acoustic monitoring of bats? foraging activity or the unfeasibility of metabarcoding to reliably quantify prey abundance in bats diet, and thus further improvement in these issues is required in order to gain insight on the agroecological interactions between bats and pests.We are grateful to owners of the winery cellars (Artadi, Berarte, Laukote, Puelles, Ramon Saenz, Granja Nuestra Senora de Remelluri and R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia) for facilitating the collection of faeces and for allowing us to conduct the experiments on their estates. We also thank Ana Maria Diez Navajas and NEIKER-Tecnalia workers for sending data on the phenology of L. botrana during the sampling period. Special gratitude to Gonzalo Garcia Baquero for his valuable help with statistical analysis and Vanessa A. Mata for her priceless advice on modeling and the Sequencing and Genotyping Unit-Genomic Facilities-SGIker (UPV/EHU/ERDF, EU) for the technical support provided. This project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (CGL-2015-69069P), as well as the Government of the Basque Country (IT75413 and IT1163-19). The Basque Government granted UB (PRE_2019_2_0186)

Inventario y criterios de gestión de los mamíferos del Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido

2 volúmenes + 1 vol. Anexos + Resumen.-- Informe Final del Convenio de Investigación entre el Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales y el Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC).Peer reviewe

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

<Strong>Abstract</strong>
 In the Araba province (Basque Country, Iberian Peninsula) we surveyed for the rare Bechstein’s bat (<em>Myotis bechsteinii</em>) 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 <em>M. bechsteinii</em>, 3 <em>M. daubentonii</em>, 4 <em>Nyctalus leisleri</em>, 5 <em>Plecotus auritus</em>, 1 <em>P. austriacus</em>, and 1 <em>Barbastella barbastellus</em> 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.
 
 <strong>Riassunto</strong>
 <strong>Indagine sul Vespertilio di Bechstein (<em>Myotis bechsteinii</em>) in Spagna mediante emissioni sonore.</strong>
 Il monitoraggio del Vespertilio di Bechstein (<em>Myotis bechsteinii</em>), 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 <em>M. bechsteinii</em>, 3 <em>M. daubentonii</em>, 4 <em>Nyctalus leisleri</em>, 5 <em>Plecotus auritus</em>, 1 <em>P. austriacus</em>, e 1 <em>Barbastella barbastellus</em>. 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

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

Molecular assays to reliably detect and quantify predation on a forest pest in bats faeces

Targeted molecular methods such as conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR), combined with species-specifc primers and probes, are widely applied for pest species detection. Besides, the potential of qPCR to quantify DNA in samples makes it an invaluable molecular tool to infer the predation levels on specifc prey by analysing predators’ stools. Nevertheless, studies on the diet of bats failed to fnd any empirical relationship, and it remains to be evaluated. Thus, we developed and evaluated two species-specifc PCR assays to detect and quantify DNA of a major forest pest, the pine processionary, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, in bats’ faeces. Further, we empirically compared a range of diferent known DNA concentrations (input) of the target species mixed with mocks and bat faecal samples against DNA abundances yielded by qPCR (output) for a quantitative assessment. Overall, cPCR showed a lower detection rate than qPCR, but augmenting the replicate efort from one to three replicates led to a greater increase in the detection rate of the cPCR (from 57 to 80%) than the qPCR (from 90 to 99%). The quantitative experiment results showed a highly signifcant correlation between the input and output DNA concentrations (t= 10.84, p< 0.001) with a mean slope value of 1.05, indicating the accuracy of our qPCR assay to estimate DNA abundance of T. pityocampa in bat faeces. The framework of this study can be taken as a model to design similar assays applicable to other species of interest, such as agricultural pests or insects of public health concern.We thank all who collaborate in the acquisition of samples and specially to Joxerra Aihartza for its invaluable help and support during the investigation. We are also grateful to the Sequencing and Genotyping Unit—Genomic Facilities—SGIker (UPV/EHU/ERDF, EU) for the technical support provided. This project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (CGL-2015- 69069P), as well as the Government of the Basque Country (IT754-13 and IT1163-19). Te Basque Government Granted UB (PRE_2019_2_0186).Peer reviewe