Guano morphology has the potential to inform conservation strategies in British bats
| Autor: | Hannah Macdonald, Benjamin Garrod, Robin G. Allaby, Roselyn Ware |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Predation Morphology (biology) 01 natural sciences DNA barcoding Geographical locations Feces Beetles Chiroptera Bats Medicine and Health Sciences Body Size Mammals 0303 health sciences Multidisciplinary Ecology Eukaryota Trophic Interactions Insects Europe England Community Ecology Moths and Butterflies Vertebrates Guano Medicine Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena Research Article Conservation of Natural Resources Arthropoda Science Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 03 medical and health sciences Animals DNA Barcoding Taxonomic Ecosystem European Union 030304 developmental biology Nutrition QL Diptera Ecology and Environmental Sciences Organisms Biology and Life Sciences Invertebrates United Kingdom Diet Taxon Predatory Behavior Guild Amniotes People and places Bioindicator |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 15, Iss 4, p e0230865 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | Bats are primary consumers of nocturnal insects, disperse nutrients across landscapes, and are excellent bioindicators of an ecosystem’s health, however four of the seventeen Great British species are listed as declining. In this study we aim to investigate the link between bat guano morphology and diet, specifically looking at the ability to predict 1) species, 2) dietary guild, and 3) bat size, using guano morphology alone. Guano from 16 bat species sampled from across Great Britain were analysed to determine various morphological metrics. These data were coupled with diet data obtained by an extensive literature review. It was found that guano morphology overlapped too much to make predictions on the species of bat which deposited the guano, however, in some cases, it could be used to indicate the dietary guild to which the bat belonged. In general, guano morphology seems more correlated to diet than species. This enables the identification of the most important prey taxa within a local environment; a crucial step for informing conservation strategies. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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