Roosting ecology of Stenodermatinae bats (Phyllostomidae): evolution of foliage roosting and correlated phenotypes

Abstract

Roosting ecology has probably shaped several aspects of bat evolution. Although Phyllostomidae species are known to use more types of roosts than any other chiropteran lineage, foliage roosting is almost entirely restricted to the frugivorous members of the subfamily Stenodermatinae. There are relatively few studies on the roosting ecology of stenodermatines other than leaf tent users, and there have been few attempts to reconstruct the evolution of the peculiar foliage‐roosting habits of these fruit bats.

Our aim was to reconstruct the evolution of foliage roosting in the Phyllostomidae phylogeny, and to test correlation hypotheses between roost types, pelage markings, and body size.

We performed ancestral character reconstructions using stochastic mappings on a molecular phylogeny of Phyllostomidae and reviewed literature records on roosts used by Stenodermatinae. Correlations between roosting habits and pelage patterns were calculated using phylogenetic logistic regressions.

Over 1200 records of roost use for 48 Stenodermatinae bat species were found in the literature. Most of the observations consisted of foliage roosting records; the second most common type of roost were caves and crevices, which was followed by holes in standing trees.

Our results support a single origin of foliage roosting in Phyllostomidae, which we interpreted as a synapomorphy uniting Rhinophyllinae with the Stenodermatinae. We estimated a minimum of two origins of tent roosting wit...

Source: Mammal Review - January 1, 2018 Category: Zoology Authors: Guilherme S. T. Garbino, Val éria da Cunha Tavares Tags: Review Source Type: research