Disease-related population declines in bats demonstrate non-exchangeability in generalist predators.

Autor: Wray AK; Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA., Gratton C; Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA., Jusino MA; Center for Forest Mycology Research Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service Madison Wisconsin USA., Wang JJ; Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA., Kochanski JM; Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA.; Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA., Palmer JM; Center for Forest Mycology Research Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service Madison Wisconsin USA., Banik MT; Center for Forest Mycology Research Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service Madison Wisconsin USA., Lindner DL; Center for Forest Mycology Research Northern Research Station USDA Forest Service Madison Wisconsin USA., Peery MZ; Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2022 Jun 06; Vol. 12 (6), pp. e8978. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jun 06 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8978
Abstrakt: The extent to which persisting species may fill the functional role of extirpated or declining species has profound implications for the structure of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. In North America, arthropodivorous bats are threatened on a continent-wide scale by the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans . We tested whether bat species that display lower mortality from this disease can partially fill the functional role of other bat species experiencing population declines. Specifically, we performed high-throughput amplicon sequencing of guano from two generalist predators: the little brown bat ( Myotis lucifugus ) and big brown bat ( Eptesicus fuscus ). We then compared changes in prey consumption before versus after population declines related to WNS. Dietary niches contracted for both species after large and abrupt declines in little brown bats and smaller declines in big brown bats, but interspecific dietary overlap did not change. Furthermore, the incidence and taxonomic richness of agricultural pest taxa detected in diet samples decreased following bat population declines. Our results suggest that persisting generalist predators do not necessarily expand their dietary niches following population declines in other predators, providing further evidence that the functional roles of different generalist predators are ecologically distinct.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
(© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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