Ecological Morphology of Neotropical Bat Wing Structures

摘要

Morphology has a direct influence on animal fitness. Studies addressing the identificationof patterns and variations across several guilds are fundamental in ecomorphologicalresearch. Wings are the core of ecological morphology in bats; nevertheless, individualbones and structures that support the wing, including metacarpals, phalanges and thelength of digits, have rarely been the subject of comprehensive research when studyingwing morphology. Here, I analyzed morphological variations of wing structures across 11bat guilds and how individual bone structures are correlated to diet, foraging mode andhabitat use. I obtained wing measurements from 1512 voucher specimens of 97 species. Allthe specimens analyzed came from the Mammalian Collection at the Museo Javeriano deHistoria Natural of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (MPUJ-MAMM) (Bogotá, Colombia).Positive correlations between size and the length of the third and fifth digit weredetected. Bat guilds that capture their preys using aerial strategy in unclutteredhabitats had longer third digits but short fifth digits compared to guilds that rely ongleaning strategy and forage in highly cluttered space. Although terminal phalanges wereshown to be important structures for guild classification, metacarpals were stronglyrelated to aerial foragers from uncluttered habitats because of their potential role inflight performance and ecological adaptations. Results show that habitat use, as well asforaging mode, are reflected in wing structures. Different wing traits to those evaluatedin this study should be considered to better understand the ecological interactions,foraging strategy, wing adaptations, and flight performance in Neotropical bats.