Intraspecific and interspecific partitioning of foraging times among three tropical bat species in La Sierra Norte, Oaxaca, Mexico
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Authors
Allen, Amy R.
Issue Date
2008
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The unique niche of the bat has led to its extensive diversification around the
world. Vital to many ecosystems, bats in the Neotropical zones' are especially important
to the existence of other species that depend on them for pollination, seed dispersal, and
pest eating. Understanding how ecologically similar bat species coexist is necessary in
order to examine the dynamics of community interactions. This study investigates one
possible mechanism of coexistence: a temporal partitioning of resources in order to avoid
interference competition. I examined interspecific differences in hourly activity between
the three most abundant bat species in the tropical rainforest of the Sierra Norte, Oaxaca,
Mexico (Dermanura tolteca, Sturn ira ludovici, and Centurio senex); as well as
intraspecific differences between the sexes, age-classes, and reproductive states. A total
of 187 individuals over a period of 15 months, caught using the capture-recapture
method, were analyzed with the Chi Square statistical test. The results of the
interspecific study found a temporal partitioning of foraging times between S. ludovici
and C. senex in the rainy season and between D. tolteca and S. ludovici in the dry season.
This partitioning may take place due to the decreased availability of resources in the dry
season and an increased need to avoid interference while feeding. Intraspecifically, I
found no temporal partitioning between sexes, while only D. tolteca demonstrated a
temporal partitioning among age-classes. Lactating females were captured at all hours of
the night, an effect of the increase in energy demands of producing milk. Future studies
could investigate spatial partitioning, diet partitioning, and fluxes of Ficus spp.
availability between the seasons in order to further elucidate the mechanisms that enable
coexistence, an important component in designing conservation programs.
Description
vi, 28 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.