Using stable isotopes to infer the impacts of habitat change on the diets and vertical stratification of frugivorous bats in Madagascar
Genre
Journal ArticleDate
2016-04-01Author
Reuter, KEWills, AR
Lee, RW
Cordes, EE
Sewall, BJ
Subject
AnimalsCarbon Isotopes
Chiroptera
Conservation of Natural Resources
Diet
Ecosystem
Forests
Madagascar
Nitrogen Isotopes
Species Specificity
Temperature
Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/5067
Metadata
Show full item recordDOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0153192Abstract
© 2016 Reuter et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted se, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Human-modified habitats are expanding rapidly; many tropical countries have highly fragmented and degraded forests. Preserving biodiversity in these areas involves protecting species-like frugivorous bats-that are important to forest regeneration. Fruit bats provide critical ecosystem services including seed dispersal, but studies of how their diets are affected by habitat change have often been rather localized. This study used stable isotope analyses (δ15N and δ13C measurement) to examine how two fruit bat species in Madagascar, Pteropus rufus (n = 138) and Eidolon dupreanum (n = 52) are impacted by habitat change across a large spatial scale. Limited data for Rousettus madagascariensis are also presented. Our results indicated that the three species had broadly overlapping diets. Differences in diet were nonetheless detectable between P. rufus and E. dupreanum, and these diets shifted when they co-occurred, suggesting resource partitioning across habitats and vertical strata within the canopy to avoid competition. Changes in diet were correlated with a decrease in forest cover, though at a larger spatial scale in P. rufus than in E. dupreanum. These results suggest fruit bat species exhibit differing responses to habitat change, highlight the threats fruit bats face from habitat change, and clarify the spatial scales at which conservation efforts could be implemented. Copyright:Citation to related work
Public Library of Science (PLoS)Has part
PLoS ONEADA compliance
For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation, including help with reading this content, please contact scholarshare@temple.eduae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/5049