Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

In Neotropical bats, studies on bite force have focused mainly on differences in trophic ecology, and little is known about whether factors other than body size generate interspecific differences in bite force amongst insectivorous bats and, consequently, in their diets. We tested if bite force is r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-10, Vol.10 (10), p.1012
Main Authors: Ramírez-Fráncel, Leidy Azucena, García-Herrera, Leidy Viviana, Losada-Prado, Sergio, Reinoso-Flórez, Gladys, Lim, Burton K., Sánchez, Francisco, Sánchez-Hernández, Alfonso, Guevara, Giovany
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
angle of opening
Bats
Biting
Body size
Chiroptera
Diet
Dry forests
Echolocation
Feces
Feeding behavior
Field study
Flowers & plants
Food
Foraging behavior
Insects
Jaw
length of skull
Mechanical properties
Morphology
Museums
Noctilio albiventris
Prey
prey hardness
Skull
skull morphology
Species
Taxonomy
Zoology
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Summary:In Neotropical bats, studies on bite force have focused mainly on differences in trophic ecology, and little is known about whether factors other than body size generate interspecific differences in bite force amongst insectivorous bats and, consequently, in their diets. We tested if bite force is related to skull morphology and also to diet in an assemblage of Neotropical insectivorous bats from tropical dry forests in the inter-Andean central valley in Colombia. It is predicted that the preference of prey types among insectivorous species is based on bite force and cranial characteristics. We also evaluated whether skull morphology varies depending on the species and sex. Cranial measurements and correlations between morphological variation and bite force were examined for 10 insectivorous bat species. We calculated the size-independent mechanical advantage for the mandibular (jaw) lever system. In all species, bite force increased with length of the skull and the jaw more than other cranial measurements. Obligate insectivorous species were morphologically different from the omnivorous Noctilio albiventris, which feeds primarily on insects, but also consumes fish and fruits. Our results show that bite force and skull morphology are closely linked to diets in Neotropical insectivorous bats and, consequently, these traits are key to the interactions within the assemblage and with their prey.
ISSN:2079-7737
2079-7737
DOI:10.3390/biology10101012