PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Insectivorous bats are generalist predators and can flexibly respond to fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of insect prey. To better understand the effects of bats on arthropod pests, the types of pests eaten by bats and the response of bats to insect prey need to be determined. In this study, we performed DNA metabarcoding to examine prey composition and pest diversity in the diets of four insectivorous species of bats (Hipposideros armiger, Taphozous melanopogon, Aselliscus stoliczkanus, and Miniopterus fuliginosus). We evaluated the correlation between bat activity and insect resources and assessed dietary niche similarity and niche breadth among species and factors that influence prey consumption in bats. We found that the diets of these bats included arthropods from 23 orders and 200 families, dominated by Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The proportion of agricultural pests in the diet of each of the four species of bats exceeded 40% and comprised 713 agricultural pests, including those that caused severe economic losses. Bats responded to the availability of insects. For example, a higher abundance of insects, especially Lepidoptera, and a higher insect diversity led to an increase in the duration of bat activity. In areas with more abundant insects, the number of bat passes also increased. The dietary composition, diversity, and niches differed among species and were particularly significant between H. armiger and T. melanopogon; the dietary niche width was the greatest in A. stoliczkanus and the narrowest in H. armiger. The diet of bats was correlated with their morphological and echolocation traits. Larger bats preyed more on insects in the order Coleoptera, whereas the proportion of bats consuming insects in the order Lepidoptera increased as the body size decreased. Bats that emitted echolocation calls with a high peak frequency and duration preyed more on insects in the order Mantodea. Our results suggest that dietary niche differentiation promotes the coexistence of different bat species and increases the ability of bats to consume insect prey and agricultural pests. Our findings provide greater insights into the role of bats that prey on agricultural pests and highlight the importance of combining bat conservation with integrated pest management.
摘要：
食虫蝙蝠是通才的捕食者，可以灵活地应对昆虫猎物的分布和丰度的波动。为了更好地了解蝙蝠对节肢动物害虫的影响，需要确定蝙蝠食用的害虫类型以及蝙蝠对昆虫猎物的反应。在这项研究中,我们进行了DNA元编码，以检查四种食虫蝙蝠（Hipposiderosarmiger，流口水的黑麦角,Aselliscusstoliczkanus,和小翅目）。我们评估了蝙蝠活动与昆虫资源之间的相关性，并评估了物种之间的饮食生态位相似性和生态位宽度以及影响蝙蝠猎物消耗的因素。我们发现这些蝙蝠的饮食包括来自23个订单和200个家庭的节肢动物，以鳞翅目为主,鞘翅目,还有双翅目.农业害虫在4种蝙蝠日粮中所占比例均超过40%,共占农业害虫713种,包括那些造成严重经济损失的。蝙蝠对昆虫的可用性做出了回应。例如,更丰富的昆虫，尤其是鳞翅目,更高的昆虫多样性导致蝙蝠活动的持续时间增加。在昆虫更丰富的地区，蝙蝠传球的次数也有所增加。膳食组成，多样性,物种之间的生态位不同，在H.armiger和T.melanopogon之间尤为明显；饮食生态位宽度在A.stoliczkanus中最大，在H.armiger中最窄。蝙蝠的饮食与其形态和回声定位特征相关。较大的蝙蝠更多地捕食鞘翅目昆虫，而鳞翅目中消耗昆虫的蝙蝠比例随着体型的减小而增加。发出高峰频率和持续时间的回声定位叫声的蝙蝠以Mantodea顺序捕食更多的昆虫。我们的结果表明，饮食生态位的分化促进了不同蝙蝠物种的共存，并增加了蝙蝠消耗昆虫猎物和农业害虫的能力。我们的发现为蝙蝠捕食农业害虫的作用提供了更深入的见解，并强调了将蝙蝠保护与综合虫害管理相结合的重要性。
