18 research outputs found
Single-locus species delimitation: a test of the mixed Yule–coalescent model, withan empirical application to Philippine round-leaf bats
Prospects for a comprehensive inventory of global biodiversity would be greatly improved by automating
methods of species delimitation. The general mixed Yule–coalescent (GMYC) was recently proposed as a
potential means of increasing the rate of biodiversity exploration. We tested this method with simulated
data and applied it to a group of poorly known bats (Hipposideros) from the Philippines. We then used
echolocation call characteristics to evaluate the plausibility of species boundaries suggested by GMYC.
In our simulations, GMYC performed relatively well (errors in estimated species diversity less than
25%) when the product of the haploid effective population size (Ne) and speciation rate (SR; per lineage
per million years) was less than or equal to 105
, while interspecific variation in Ne was twofold or less.
However, at higher but also biologically relevant values of Ne SR and when Ne varied tenfold among
species, performance was very poor. GMYC analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences from Philippine
Hipposideros suggest actual diversity may be approximately twice the current estimate, and available echolocation
call data are mostly consistent with GMYC delimitations. In conclusion, we consider the GMYC
model useful under some conditions, but additional information on Ne, SR and/or corroboration from
independent character data are needed to allow meaningful interpretation of results
The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures
such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of
alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population
time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with
broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of
a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of
historical declines and to project – and avert – future declines. We describe and
assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing
over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of
local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic
pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains
measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35)
biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains
more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than
1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups – including flowering
plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans
and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is
therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used
by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database
is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses
of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems – www.predicts.org.uk).
We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database
will be publicly available in 2015
Local-Scale Bat Guild Activity Differs with Rice Growth Stage at Ground Level in the Philippines
High-flying insectivorous bats, as wide-ranging generalist insectivores, are valuable consumers of high-altitude migrating pests of rice in Southeast Asia. Here, we documented the behavior of relatively low-flying bats over irrigated rice to elucidate their potential role as predators of rice-associated pest insects in the Philippines. Specifically, we tested the local-scale effects of rice stage, particularly seedling and late vegetative stages, and time of night on acoustic activity of bats foraging near ground level within three functional guilds (based on foraging distance from background clutter). We also monitored bat activity from two 50 m-high towers to assess the vertical extent of relatively low-flying guilds, as well as document high-flying bat guild presence and temporal behavior. At ground level, the most active guild biased their activity and feeding over early growth stage fields, but also foraged at tower level. Activity of the bat guild adept at foraging closest to vegetation did not vary with time of night or rice stage and was absent from tower recordings. High-flying bats were predictably rare at rice level, but exhibited high foraging intensity at 50 m. Given the well-documented, sequential arrival of insect guilds with growth stage, these data suggest that at ground level edge-space bats may be important consumers of detritivores (e.g., mosquitoes). Moreover, our data suggest that just as habitat heterogeneity enhances the services of arthropod predators, these management practices also enhance bat activity and, presumably, their contribution to pest suppression
Data from: Island bat diets: does it matter more who you are or where you live?
Differences in body size, echolocation call frequency, and location may result in diet partitioning among bat species. Comparisons among island populations are one way to evaluate these competing hypotheses. We conducted a species-level diet analysis of three Rhinolophus and one Hipposideros species on the Philippine islands of Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor. We identified 655 prey (MOTUs) in the guano from 77 individual bats. There was a high degree of overlap among species’ diets despite differences in body size and call frequency. For example, the diet of the 3 g-Hipposideros pygmaeus (mean CF = 102 kHz) exhibited a diet overlap higher than expected by chance with all three Rhinolophus species, even the 13 g-Rhinolophus inops (mean CF = 54 kHz). We observed more convergence in diet between Rhinolophus species and H. pygmaeus than between Rhinolophus species themselves, which may be explained by the broad diet of H. pygmaeus. There was less dietary overlap between Rhinolophus virgo from two islands than between R. virgo and congeners from Cebu. These data suggest that location causes convergence in diet, but specific species characteristics may drive niche specialization. The complex interplay between location and the perceptual ability of each species leads to a situation where simple explanations, for example, body size, do not translate into predictable prey partitioning. In particular, our observations raise interesting questions about the foraging strategy and adaptability of the tiny H. pygmaeus
Unique Haplotypes with bat ID redued to those 157bp
Unique Haplotypes with bat ID redued to those 157b
Unique Haplotypes wtih bat ID
Unique Haplotypes wtih bat I
Morph and call data_Island Bat Diets 2013
Morph and call data_Island Bat Diets 201
R_arcuatus_BLAST
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