Differences in sensory ecology contribute to resource partitioning in the bats Myotis bechsteinii and Myotis nattereri (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) |
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Authors: | Björn M Siemers Susan M Swift |
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Institution: | 1. Tierphysiologie, Zoologisches Institut, Universit?t Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany 2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
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Abstract: | Coexisting animal species frequently differ in resource use in at least one niche dimension and thus avoid competition. While
a range of morphological differences that lead to differentiation in animals' mechanical access to food have been identified,
the role of sensory differences in within-guild niche differentiation has received less attention. We tested the hypothesis
that differences in sensory access to prey contribute to resource partitioning between potentially competing species using
two sympatric, similar-sized, congeneric bat species as a model system. Nursery colonies of Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri) and Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii) roost in bat boxes in the same orchard and forage in forests and orchards nearby. In observations and behavioural experiments
with freshly captured M. bechsteinii, we showed that individuals are able to hunt using prey-generated sound alone. In contrast, M. nattereri rarely uses prey-generated sound, but instead is able to find prey by echolocation very close to vegetation. In accordance
with these behavioural data, we showed that M. bechsteinii has significantly larger ears than M. nattereri, providing it with superior detection and localization abilities for relatively low-frequency prey rustling sounds. We hypothesized
that these differences in sensory ecology of the two syntopic, congeneric species would contribute to resource partitioning,
so that M. bechsteinii would find more noisy prey taxa, possibly hidden in vegetation, by listening for prey sounds, while M. nattereri would have better access to still prey using echolocation or associative learning. Analysis of faecal samples collected on
the same nights from bat boxes occupied by each species corroborated this prediction. The diets of the two species differed
significantly, reflecting their different prey perception techniques and thereby supporting the hypothesis that differences
in sensory ecology contribute to niche differentiation.
Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users.
B.M. Siemers and S.M. Swift contributed equally to this work. |
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Keywords: | Sensory ecology Prey detection Niche differentiation Chiroptera Gleaning |
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