DOCSLIB.ORG

(Hypsignathus Monstrosus), in Northern Republic of Congo

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
(Hypsignathus Monstrosus), in Northern Republic of Congo bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 1 2 3 4 5 Lek-associated movement of a putative Ebolavirus reservoir, the Hammer-headed fruit bat 6 (Hypsignathus monstrosus), in northern Republic of Congo 7 8 9 10 Sarah H. Olson1*, Gerard Bounga2, Alain Ondzie2, Trent Bushmaker3, Stephanie N. Seifert3, 11 Eeva Kuisma2, Dylan W. Taylor1, Vincent J. Munster3, and Chris Walzer1 12 13 Affiliations: 14 1Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY, 10460 15 2Wildlife Conservation Society, 151 Avenue du General de Gaulle, BP14537, Brazzaville, 16 Republic of Congo 17 3Virus Ecology Section, Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National 18 Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain 19 Laboratories, 903 S. 4th Street, Hamilton, MT, USA 20 * Corresponding author bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 21 Funding statement: This study was made possible by the joint support of the Laboratory of 22 Virology, Virus Ecology Unit (NIH) at Rocky Mountain Laboratories and the Wildlife 23 Conservation Society as well as donations from Julie Maher’s WildView fund. Funding also 24 came from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Great Ape Conservation Fund). The 25 study also benefitted from intellectual contributions from the PREDICT project of the United 26 States Agency for International Development (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats Program. 27 The Virus Ecology Section is supported by the Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID. bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 28 Abstract 29 The biology and ecology of Africa’s largest fruit bat remains largely understudied and 30 enigmatic despite at least two highly unusual attributes. The acoustic lek mating behavior of the 31 hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) in the Congo basin was first described in the 32 1970s. Then in the 2000s, molecular testing implicated this species and other fruit bats as 33 potential reservoir hosts for Ebola virus and it was one of only two fruit bat species 34 epidemiologically linked to the 2008 Luebo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebola outbreak. 35 Here we share findings from the first pilot study of hammer-headed bat movement using GPS 36 tracking and accelerometry units and a small preceding radio-tracking trial at an apparent lekking 37 site. The radio-tracking revealed adult males had high rates of nightly visitation to the site 38 compared to females (only one visit) and that two of six females day-roosted ~100 m west of 39 Libonga, the nearest village that is ~1.6 km southwest. Four months later, in mid-April 2018, 40 five individual bats, comprised of four males and one female, were tracked from two to 306 41 days, collecting from 67 to 1022 GPS locations. As measured by mean distance to the site and 42 proportion of nightly GPS locations within 1 km of the site (percent visitation), the males were 43 much more closely associated with the site (mean distance 1.4 km; 51% visitation), than the 44 female (mean 5.5 km; 2.2% visitation). Despite the small sample size, our tracking evidence 45 supports our original characterization of the site as a lek, and the lek itself is much more central 46 to male than female movement. Moreover, our pilot demonstrates the technical feasibility of 47 executing future studies on hammer-headed bats that will help fill problematic knowledge gaps 48 about zoonotic spillover risks and the conservation needs of fruit bats across the continent. 49 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 50 Introduction 51 Lek mating behavior is a very rare mating strategy among the more than 1200 known 52 species of bats [1]. In the early 1970s it was the strong suspicion of lek behavior that led to Dr. 53 Jack Bradbury’s interest in Hypsignathus monstrosus, or the hammer-headed bat, and he 54 conducted the first detailed observational, acoustic, growth-rate, and radio-tracking movement 55 study of H. monstrosus at a research station near Makoko, Gabon [2]. He concluded the 56 population there used a classical lek mating system, as defined by a narrow set of distinguishing 57 characteristics, as well as other traits commonly found among lekking species. In brief the 58 ‘classical’ criteria of a lek species included, “(1) no male parental care, (2) an arena to which 59 females come and on which most of the mating occurs, (3) the display sites of males contain no 60 significant resources required by females except the males themselves, and (4) the female has an 61 opportunity to select a mate once she visits the arena” [3]. Curiously, in West Africa this same 62 species is reported to use a harem-based reproductive strategy suggesting the potential for intra- 63 species behavioral plasticity (Dr. Dina Dechmann personal communication). 64 In Central Africa, the visitation of demographically mixed H. monstrosus at cacophonous 65 lekking sites is an opportunity to reliably sample large numbers of individuals. Importantly, this 66 species was epidemiologically linked to a human outbreak of Ebola virus (Luebo, Democratic 67 Republic of Congo) [4] and has had repeated positive detections for Zaire ebolavirus antibodies 68 and RNA [4–7]. An inhabitant of Central and West Africa, its geographical distribution overlaps 69 with previous Ebola virus outbreaks within Africa [8]. Such aggregations of bats, at breeding or 70 feeding sites, and their movements in between are important targets for epidemiological study as 71 they may be key in determining spillover risk by increasing contact rates among individuals. For bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 72 example, a biannual birth pulse with concurrent changes in immune response would introduce 73 many susceptible individuals into a population and create a spillover pathway [9,10]. 74 There is one study that reported visual observations of a month-long seasonal migratory 75 movement of H. monstrosus from the Congo river upstream to the Lulua river in the Democratic 76 Republic of Congo (DRC) [4], but little else is known about where these bats go and when. 77 Beyond aggregations, movement data is critical to monitor animal responses to environmental 78 change and to understand bat-human interfaces. In Australia, movement data helped reveal 79 foraging shifts of flying-foxes from native (in decline) to non-native plants that may be bringing 80 bats into closer contact with horses and human populations [11]. Furthermore, a few studies have 81 suggested correlative associations between logging of fruit bat habitat and Ebola virus disease 82 outbreaks, however, the findings to date remain inconclusive due to data limitations [12–15]. 83 Here we present an analysis of hammer-headed bat movement in northern Republic of 84 Congo from two pilot studies. The purpose of the pilots was to begin elucidating the movement 85 ecology of a population of hammer-headed bats already the focus of a longitudinal virological 86 study that began in 2011. That study includes monthly tree phenology observations that began in 87 2016 and local daily rainfall and temperature data collections since 2015. The distinctive 88 honking sounds made by the congregations of males and the amount of bat activity during the 89 initial and subsequent missions led us to believe the site is a lek [2]. And upon listening to calls 90 recorded and digitized by the Macaulay Library, we recognized that we often hear the ‘staccato 91 buzz’ performances, which Dr. Bradbury observed to occur when a female passes within meters 92 of a male, for example, Hypsignathus monstrosus (ML170632). We began with an affordable 93 VHF radio-tracking study that helped inform the selection of a base station methodology that we 94 then used for the GPS-based second pilot. With data collections completed, here we describe our bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/694687; this version posted July 8, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 95 findings and revisit Dr. Bradbury’s definition of a lekking species to support or reject our initial 96 hypothesis of the site as lek.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Attacked from Above and Below, New Observations of Cooperative and Solitary Predators on Roosting Cave Bats
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/550582; this version posted February 17, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Attacked from above and below, new observations of cooperative and solitary predators on roosting cave bats Krizler Cejuela. Tanalgo1, 2, 3, 7*, Dave L. Waldien4, 5, 6, Norma Monfort6, Alice Catherine Hughes1, 3* 1Landscape Ecology Group, Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China 2International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People’s Republic of China 3Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China 4Harrison Institute, Bowerwood House, 15 St Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3AQ, United Kingdom 5Christopher Newport University, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606, United States of America 6Philippine Bats for Peace Foundation Inc., 5 Ramona Townhomes, Guadalupe Village, Lanang, Davao City 7Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan 9407, North Cotabato, the Republic of the Philippines Corresponding authors: ACH ([email protected]) and KCT ([email protected]) Landscape Ecology Group, Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan Province 666303, People’s Republic of China Abstract Predation of bats in their roosts has previously only been attributed to a limited number of species such as various raptors, owls, and snakes.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Role of Bats in Emerging Zoonoses
    12 ISSN 1810-1119 FAO ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH manual INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF BATS IN EMERGING ZOONOSES Balancing ecology, conservation and public health interest Cover photographs: Left: © Jon Epstein. EcoHealth Alliance Center: © Jon Epstein. EcoHealth Alliance Right: © Samuel Castro. Bureau of Animal Industry Philippines 12 FAO ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH manual INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF BATS IN EMERGING ZOONOSES Balancing ecology, conservation and public health interest Edited by Scott H. Newman, Hume Field, Jon Epstein and Carol de Jong FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2011 Recommended Citation Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. 2011. Investigating the role of bats in emerging zoonoses: Balancing ecology, conservation and public health interests. Edited by S.H. Newman, H.E. Field, C.E. de Jong and J.H. Epstein. FAO Animal Production and Health Manual No. 12. Rome. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomy and Natural History of the Southeast Asian Fruit-Bat Genus Dyacopterus
    Journal of Mammalogy, 88(2):302–318, 2007 TAXONOMY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN FRUIT-BAT GENUS DYACOPTERUS KRISTOFER M. HELGEN,* DIETER KOCK,RAI KRISTIE SALVE C. GOMEZ,NINA R. INGLE, AND MARTUA H. SINAGA Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History (NHB 390, MRC 108), Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, USA (KMH) Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, D-60325, Germany (DK) Philippine Eagle Foundation, VAL Learning Village, Ruby Street, Marfori Heights, Davao City, 8000, Philippines (RKSCG) Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA (NRI) Division of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA (NRI) Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Jl. Raya Cibinong Km 46, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia (MHS) The pteropodid genus Dyacopterus Andersen, 1912, comprises several medium-sized fruit-bat species endemic to forested areas of Sundaland and the Philippines. Specimens of Dyacopterus are sparsely represented in collections of world museums, which has hindered resolution of species limits within the genus. Based on our studies of most available museum material, we review the infrageneric taxonomy of Dyacopterus using craniometric and other comparisons. In the past, 2 species have been described—D. spadiceus (Thomas, 1890), described from Borneo and later recorded from the Malay Peninsula, and D. brooksi Thomas, 1920, described from Sumatra. These 2 nominal taxa are often recognized as species or conspecific subspecies representing these respective populations. Our examinations instead suggest that both previously described species of Dyacopterus co-occur on the Sunda Shelf—the smaller-skulled D. spadiceus in peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo, and the larger-skulled D.
    [Show full text]
  • PARASITIC on MEGACHIROPTERAN BATS X
    Pacific Insects Monograph 28: 213-243 20 June 1971 REVIEW OF THE STREBLIDAE (Diptera) PARASITIC ON MEGACHIROPTERAN BATS x By T. C. Maa2 Abstract. Of the 16 streblid species previously recorded as parasites of the Megachiroptera, only 6 are here considered to be correctly so associated. Five of these 6 species are re-assigned to a new genus and only 1 is retained in the genus Brachytarsina (^Nycteribosca). These 2 genera are each divided into 2 subgenera and their host relationships, distributional patterns and evolutionary trends are discussed. Earlier records of the species are critically reviewed and are incorporated with new data which are based on some 650 specimens. The new taxa described are Megastrebla, n. gen. (type N. gigantea Speiser); Aoroura, n. subgen, (type N. nigriceps Jobling); Psilacris, n. subgen, (type N. longiarista Jobling); M. (A) limbooliati, n. sp. (Malaya, Borneo); M. (M.) gigantea kaluzvawae, n. ssp. (Fergusson I.); M. (M) gigantea salomonis, n. ssp. (Solomon Is.); M. (M) parvior papuae, n. ssp. (New Guinea). Streblid batflies are rarely found on the suborder Megachiroptera, composed of the single family Pteropodidae, whose members are generally referred to as fruit bats. Only 16 species have been recorded on these bats. A closer examination of the pub­ lished records clearly indicates that 10 of these 16 species (see Appendix II) should not be considered true parasites of the Megachiroptera; available data support the con­ cept that no streblids normally breed simultaneously on both the Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, and among the 39 genera of the former suborder, only those which usually roost in partially illuminated caves and rock-crevices serve as normal breeding hosts of Streblidae.
    [Show full text]
  • Article in Press
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Please cite this article in press as: Pettigrew JD, et al., Primate-like retinotectal decussation in an echolocating megabat, ROUSET- TUS AEGYPTIACUS, Neuroscience (2008), doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.02.019 Neuroscience xx (2008) xxx PRIMATE-LIKE RETINOTECTAL DECUSSATION IN AN ECHOLOCATING MEGABAT, ROUSETTUS AEGYPTIACUS J. D. PETTIGREW,a* B. C. MASEKOb sophisticated, Doppler-shift compensated laryngeal echo- b AND P. R. MANGER location; they have microchromosomes in their karyotype; aQueensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland 4072, Upland and they have a relatively simple brain organization (ex- Road, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia cluding the auditory system) resembling that of insecti- bSchool of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Univer- vores (Manger et al., 2001; Maseko and Manger, 2007). In sity of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, 2193, Johannes- contrast, megabats have no nose leaf or laryngeal echo- burg, Republic of South Africa location, a normal karyotype, a unique papillated retina and a complex brain (Rosa, 1999; Manger and Rosa, Abstract—The current study was designed to reveal the reti- 2005; Maseko et al., 2007) with visual connections akin to notectal pathway in the brain of the echolocating megabat the pattern found otherwise only in primates (Allman 1977; Rousettus aegyptiacus. The retinotectal pathway of other Pettigrew, 1986). Molecular evidence from serum proteins species of megabats shows the primate-like pattern of de- (Schreiber et al., 1994), hemoglobin (Pettigrew et al., cussation in the retina; however, it has been reported that the echolocating Rousettus did not share this feature. To test 1989), alpha-crystallin (Jaworski, 1995) and other proteins this prior result we injected fluorescent dextran tract tracers contradict the DNA evidence that aligns rhinolophoids with into the right (fluororuby) and left (fluoroemerald) superior the very different megabats, as does morphological anal- colliculi of three adult Rousettus.
    [Show full text]
  • Bats and Fruit Bats at the Kafa Biosphere Reserve
    NABU’s Biodiversity Assessment at the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia Bats and fruit bats at the Kafa Biosphere Reserve Ingrid Kaipf, Hartmut Rudolphi and Holger Meinig 206 BATS Highlights ´ This is the first time a systematic bat assessment has been conducted in the Kafa BR. ´ We recorded four fruit bat species, one of which is new for the Kafa BR but not for Ethiopia. ´ We recorded 29 bat species by capture or sound recording. Four bat species are new for the Kafa BR but occur in other parts of Ethiopia. ´ We recorded calls of a new species in the horseshoe bat family for Ethiopia via echolocation. This data needs to be confirmed by capture, because there is a chance it could be a species of Rhinolophus new to science. ´ We suggest two flagship species: the long-haired rousette for the bamboo forest and the hammer-headed fruit bat for the Alemgono Wetland and Gummi River. ´ The bamboo forests had the most bat activity at night, but the Gojeb Wetland had the highest species richness due to its highly diverse habitats. ´ All caves throughout the entire Kafa BR should be protected as bat roosts. ´ It will be necessary to develop an old tree management concept for the biosphere reserve to protect and increase tree roosts for bats. 207 NABU’s Biodiversity Assessment at the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia 1. Introduction Ethiopia has high megabat and microbat diversity, there were no buildings suitable for bats at any of the thanks to its special geographical position between study sites). So far, 70 bat species have been recorded the sub-Saharan region, East Africa and the Arabic in Ethiopia, five of them endemic to Ethiopia.
    [Show full text]
  • Parturition in Geoffroy's Rousette Fruit Bat
    Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2014 | 6(12): 6502–6514 Parturition in Geoffroy’s Rousette Fruit Bat Communication Rousettus amplexicaudatus Geoffroy, 1810 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in the Philippines ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Ambre E. Delpopolo 1, Richard E. Sherwin 2, David L. Waldien 3 & Lindsey C. George 4 OPEN ACCESS 1,2,4 Christopher Newport University, Department of Organismal and Environmental Biology, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, Virginia, 23606-3072, USA 3 Bat Conservation International, 500 Capital of Texas Highway North, Austin, Texas, 78746-3302, USA 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected] Abstract: Biologists have an imperfect understanding of the reproductive biology of bats, which is primarily limited to mating systems and development of neonates. Few studies have addressed parturition in bats. Most of these are not contemporary and are based on data obtained from captive animals housed in laboratories. No studies have been conducted to assess the natural parturition process of Geoffroy’s Rousette Fruit BatRousettus amplexicaudatus, a Yinpterochiropteran native to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. This study provides the first comprehensive description of parturition in this species. It is based on the natural behaviors exhibited in a wild colony of R. amplexicaudatus in the southern Philippines, which were recorded using high definition video cameras. The qualitative birthing model developed in this study, based on data collected from 16 pregnant females, provides new insights into the reproductive biology of this species. Female R. amplexicaudatus give birth while hanging upside-down.
    [Show full text]
  • African Bat Conservation Species Guide to Bats of Malawi P a G E | 1
    African Bat Conservation Species Guide to Bats of Malawi P a g e | 1 Pteropodidae Fruit Bats Epomophorus crypturus Peters’s epauletted fruit bat Genus: Epomophorus Family: Pteropodidae Description Epomophorus crypturus is a large bat with a mass of about 100g. The fur is a light sandy-brown and the underparts are slightly paler. Adult males are much larger than the females and may be distinguished by the presence of shoulder epaulettes. These epaulettes are pockets containing long white fur that can be erected to display prominent white shoulder patches. At rest, these patches disappear as the fur is retracted back into the pocket. The ears have a patch of white fur at their base. The muzzle is dog-like. Distribution This species is widespread and abundant in the eastern parts of central and southern Africa. Ecology Diet Epomophorus crypturus feeds on a wide variety of fruit and flowers, with figs apparently being favoured. Reproduction Pregnant females have been recorded throughout most of the year, with a peak in the presence of juveniles in September, suggesting that births mainly occur at the start of the wet season. One or rarely two young are born. Roosting behaviour They roost singly or in small groups in the dense foliage of a large, leafy tree. Status Least concern African Bat Conservation Species Guide to Bats of Malawi P a g e | 2 Epomophorus labiatus Little epauletted fruit bat Genus: Epomophorus Family: Pteropodidae Description Epomophorus labiatus is a medium-sized bat with a light sandy- brown pelage. The underparts are slights paler than the upper parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Bat-Borne Virus Diversity, Spillover and Emergence
    REVIEWS Bat-borne virus diversity, spillover and emergence Michael Letko1,2 ✉ , Stephanie N. Seifert1, Kevin J. Olival 3, Raina K. Plowright 4 and Vincent J. Munster 1 ✉ Abstract | Most viral pathogens in humans have animal origins and arose through cross-species transmission. Over the past 50 years, several viruses, including Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2, have been linked back to various bat species. Despite decades of research into bats and the pathogens they carry, the fields of bat virus ecology and molecular biology are still nascent, with many questions largely unexplored, thus hindering our ability to anticipate and prepare for the next viral outbreak. In this Review, we discuss the latest advancements and understanding of bat-borne viruses, reflecting on current knowledge gaps and outlining the potential routes for future research as well as for outbreak response and prevention efforts. Bats are the second most diverse mammalian order on as most of these sequences span polymerases and not Earth after rodents, comprising approximately 22% of all the surface proteins that often govern cellular entry, little named mammal species, and are resident on every conti- progress has been made towards translating sequence nent except Antarctica1. Bats have been identified as nat- data from novel viruses into a risk-based assessment ural reservoir hosts for several emerging viruses that can to quantify zoonotic potential and elicit public health induce severe disease in humans, including RNA viruses action. Further hampering this effort is an incomplete such as Marburg virus, Hendra virus, Sosuga virus and understanding of the animals themselves, their distribu- Nipah virus.
    [Show full text]
  • Citizen Science Confirms the Rarity of Fruit Bat Pollination of Baobab
    diversity Article Citizen Science Confirms the Rarity of Fruit Bat Pollination of Baobab (Adansonia digitata) Flowers in Southern Africa Peter J. Taylor 1,* , Catherine Vise 1,2, Macy A. Krishnamoorthy 3, Tigga Kingston 3 and Sarah Venter 4 1 School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa; [email protected] 2 Wallace Dale Farm 727MS, PO Box 52, Louis Trichardt, Limpopo 0920, South Africa 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; [email protected] (M.A.K.); [email protected] (T.K.) 4 School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +27-15-962-9326 Received: 8 February 2020; Accepted: 12 March 2020; Published: 19 March 2020 Abstract: The iconic African baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) has “chiropterophilous” flowers that are adapted for pollination by fruit bats. Although bat pollination of baobabs has been documented in east and west Africa, it has not been confirmed in southern Africa where it has been suggested that hawk moths (Nephele comma) may also be involved in baobab pollination. We used a citizen science approach to monitor baobab tree and flower visitors from dusk till midnight at 23 individual baobab trees over 27 nights during the flowering seasons (November–December) of 2016 and 2017 in northern South Africa and southern Zimbabwe (about 1650 visitors). Insect visitors frequently visited baobab flowers, including hawk moths, but, with one exception in southeastern Zimbabwe, no fruit bats visited flowers.
    [Show full text]
  • Roosting Ecology and Morphometric Analysis of Pteropus Medius (Indian Flying Fox) in Lower Dir, District, Pakistan W
    Brazilian Journal of Biology https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.221935 ISSN 1519-6984 (Print) Original Article ISSN 1678-4375 (Online) Roosting ecology and morphometric analysis of Pteropus medius (Indian flying fox) in Lower Dir, district, Pakistan W. Khana* , N.N. Nisab , A. R. Khana , B. Rahbarc, S.A. Mehmoodc , S. Ahmedc , M. Kamald , M. Shahe , A. Rasoole , W.A. Pahanwarf , I. Ullahg and S. Khana aDepartment of Zoology, University of Malakand, Lower Dir, Pakistan bPakistan Agricultural Research Council, Southern Zone-Agricultural Research Center, Vertebrate Pest Control Institute, University Campus, Karachi, Pakistan cDepartment of Zoology, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan dDepartment of Zoology, University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan eDepartment of Zoology, University of Swat, Pakistan fDepartment of Zoology, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Miris Sindh, Pakistan gDepartment of Biological Sciences Karakuram, International University Gilgit, Pakistan *e-mail: [email protected] Received: March 28, 2019 – Accepted: May 21, 2019 – Distributed: February 28, 2021 Abstract The present study was conducted to explore morphometric variations of Pteropus medius (the Indian flying fox) and the roosting trees in Lower Dir, Pakistan. The bats were captured from Morus alba, Morus nigra, Brousonetia papyrifera, Pinus raxburghii, Hevea brasiliensis, Platanus orientalis, Populous nigra, Melia azedarach, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Grevillea robusta through sling shot and mess net methods. A total of 12 bats were studied for the differential
    [Show full text]
  • Full Text in Pdf Format
    Vol. 19: 19–27, 2012 ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Published online November 7 doi: 10.3354/esr00441 Endang Species Res OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Rousettus madagascariensis (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) shows a preference for native and commercially unimportant fruits Radosoa A. Andrianaivoarivelo1,2,3,*, Richard K. B. Jenkins2,4,5, Eric J. Petit3, Olga Ramilijaona1,†, Noromampiandra Razafindrakoto2, Paul A. Racey6 1Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Antananarivo, BP 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar 2Madagasikara Voakajy, BP 5181, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar 3University of Rennes 1/CNRS, UMR 6553 ECOBIO, Biological Station, 35380 Paimpont, France 4Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology, University of Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ, UK 5School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Deniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK 6Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Tremough Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK ABSTRACT: Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rousettus madagascariensis G. Grandidier, 1928, prefers native or introduced fruit of no commercial value (Ficus polita, Syzygium jambos and S. malaccense) to commercially important fruits (Litchi chinensis and Diospyros kaki). We presented 10 fruit species to the bats: one native (F. polita) and the remainder introduced, 3 of which are commercially important. Most bats responded to fruit presented in a flight cage. Bats swallowed fruit juice and pulp and spat out the fibre of all fruit species provided except L. chinensis and Eugenia jambolana, the flesh of which was swallowed. Chemical composition was the most important determinant of selection by bats. Feeding preference was evidenced by large amounts of chewed pulp, repeated visits to the same fruits and more intensive feeding on lipid- and calcium-rich fruit species.
    [Show full text]