Reproductive phenologies of phyllostomid bats in Costa Rica

• Published in: Journal of mammalogy 2013-12, Vol.94 (6), p.1438-1448
• Main Authors: Durant, Kathryne A., Hall, Ryan W., Cisneros, Laura M., Hyland, Rachael M., Willig, Michael R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artibeus jamaicensis; Bats; Biological and medical sciences; Castanea; Chiroptera; Classification; Climate change; Dry season; Dry seasons; Ecosystems; FEATURE ARTICLES; Female animals; frugivores; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gleaning animalivores; Glossophaga soricina; Lactation; Lowlands; Mammalia; nectarivores; Neotropics; Pest control; Phenology; Plants; Pollination; Precipitation; Pregnancy; Rainy season; Rainy seasons; Reproduction; Resource availability; Seasonal variations; seasonality; Seasons; Seed dispersal; Studies; Tropical environments; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
• ISSN: 0022-2372; 1545-1542; 1545-1542
• DOI: 10.1644/13-MAMM-A-103.1

Reproductive phenologies of populations are strongly molded by environmental variation because natural selection favors individuals that time energetically demanding portions of their life cycle to correspond with periods of high resource availability. To evaluate how seasonal variation in abiotic characteristics and resources affects reproductive strategies, comparison among reproductive phenologies of species that use different resources and across geographic locations is crucial. To facilitate comparisons, it is essential to employ a rigorous and consistent classification scheme. Yet, few studies on the reproductive phenologies of bats, important seed dispersal and pollination agents in the tropics, have employed a clear or consistent classification scheme. We employed concise criteria to classify reproductive phenologies of frugivorous (Artibeus jamaicensis, A. watsoni, Carollia castanea, C. perspicillata, and C. sowelli) and nectarivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bat species, as well as 3 feeding ensembles of phyllostomids in northeastern Costa Rica. All 6 species exhibited bimodal phenologies (2 peaks). Each of the 3 ensembles exhibited different phenologies (i.e., frugivores: bimodal; nectarivores: polymodal [3 peaks]; and gleaning animalivores: unimodal [1 peak]). Bat species that consume plant material evinced pregnancy peaks in the late dry season and middle wet season, whereas gleaning animalivores exhibited a single peak in the middle to late dry season. Examination of geographic and temporal variation in phenologies revealed that strategies of frugivorous and nectarivorous species were geographically and temporally invariant, whereas strategies of gleaning animalivores differed among geographic locations. Los patrones reproductivos de las poblaciones se ven afectados por la variabilidad en el ambiente. La selección natural favorece a los individuos que sincronizan las fases de su ciclo de vida que son energéticamente costosas con los periodos de alta disponibilidad de recursos. Para evaluar como la variación estacional en factores abióticos y recursos afecta las estrategias reproductivas, es vital realizar comparaciones entre los patrones reproductivos de especies que usan diferentes recursos y diferentes ubicaciones geográficas. Para facilitar comparaciones, es esencial emplear un esquema de clasificación riguroso y constante. Sin embargo, muy pocos estudios sobre fenologías reproductivas de murciélagos, los cuales son agentes importantes de po