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Journal ArticleDOI

Diet of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat (Tadarida plicata Buchannan, 1800) in central Thailand: insectivorous bats potentially act as biological pest control agents

01 Jun 2005-Acta Chiropterologica (Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS)-Vol. 7, Iss: 1, pp 111-119
TL;DR: The presence of macropterous planthoppers and a large proportion of moths in its diet suggests that T. plicata feeding on windborne migrant insects at high altitude potentially plays an important role in controlling this major crop pest.
Abstract: Insectivorous bats are major predators of nocturnal insects and have the potential to act as biological pest control agents in farmlands. The objective of the present study was to establish the diet of the guano bat, Tadarida plicata. The study was carried out at the Khao Chong Pran Cave, which houses 2.6 million bats, and is surrounded by rice fields. A total of 1,925 faecal pellets were collected from 385 bats during their morning return from January to December 2002. Faecal analysis indicated that T. plicata fed on at least nine insect orders: Homoptera (28.4%), Lepidoptera (20.8), Hemiptera (16.4), Coleoptera (14.4), Diptera (7.0), Hymenoptera (6.6), Odonata (6.0), Orthoptera (0.5) and Psocoptera (0.1). Light traps indicated that Coleoptera (41.2%), Homoptera (25.3), Hemiptera (18.8) and Diptera (12.7) were the most abundant insects in the study area. Homopterans, most of which were white-backed planthopper (Sogatella sp., Delphacidae) had the highest percentage frequency of occurrence in the bats' diet indicating that T. plicata potentially plays an important role in controlling this major crop pest. The presence of macropterous planthoppers and a large proportion of moths in its diet suggests that T. plicata feeds on windborne migrant insects at high altitude. Female bats fed significantly more on lepidopterans and coleopterans and less on damselflies than males. The diet diversity index of lactating females was higher than pregnant females. Diet did not differ significantly between the dry and rainy seasons for either sex.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.
Abstract: Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.

1,084 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The goals for this review are to lay the groundwork on supporting services to facilitate future efforts to estimate their economic value, to highlight gaps in knowledge, and to point to future directions for additional research.
Abstract: Ecosystem services are natural processes that benefit humans. Birds contribute the four types of services recognized by the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment-provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. In this review, we concentrate primarily on supporting services, and to a lesser extent, provisioning and regulating services. As members of ecosystems, birds play many roles, including as predators, pollinators, scavengers, seed dispersers, seed predators, and ecosystem engineers. These ecosystem services fall into two subcategories: those that arise via behavior (like consumption of agricultural pests) and those that arise via bird products (like nests and guano). Characteristics of most birds make them quite special from the perspective of ecosystem services. Because most birds fly, they can respond to irruptive or pulsed resources in ways generally not possible for other vertebrates. Migratory species link ecosystem processes and fluxes that are separated by great distances and times. Although the economic value to humans contributed by most, if not all, of the supporting services has yet to be quantified, we believe they are important to humans. Our goals for this review are 1) to lay the groundwork on these services to facilitate future efforts to estimate their economic value, 2) to highlight gaps in our knowledge, and 3) to point to future directions for additional research.

1,051 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors tested the effectiveness of raising wind-turbine cut-in speed, defined as the lowest wind speed at which turbines generate power to the utility system, thereby reducing turbine operation during periods of low wind speeds.
Abstract: Wind-turbine operations are associated with bat mortality worldwide; minimizing these fatalities is critically important to both bat conservation and public acceptance of wind-energy development. We tested the effectiveness of raising wind-turbine cut-in speed – defined as the lowest wind speed at which turbines generate power to the utility system, thereby reducing turbine operation during periods of low wind speeds – to decrease bat mortality at the Casselman Wind Project in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, over a 2-year period. Observed bat mortality at fully operational turbines was, on average, 5.4 and 3.6 times greater than mortality associated with curtailed (ie non-operating) turbines in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Relatively small changes to wind-turbine operation resulted in nightly reductions in bat mortality, ranging from 44% to 93%, with marginal annual power loss (≤ 1% of total annual output). Our findings suggest that increasing turbine cut-in speeds at wind facilities in areas of conservati...

197 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU) was established in 2007 to provide an organizational framework to both accelerate the advancement of bat research, and to coordinate conservation efforts.
Abstract: Southeast Asia is a critical area for biodiversity conservation; levels of species richness and endemism are among the highest in the world, but rapid land-use changes endanger much of the region’s fauna. Bats are a critical component of this diversity, comprising nearly a third of Southeast Asia’s mammal species and providing vital ecological and economic services. However, nearly half the species are of conservation concern and as many as 40% of bat species are predicted to be extinct by the end of this century if current deforestation rates persist. Conservation efforts are urgently needed, and the taxonomic continuity of Southeast Asia and the prevalence of major threats throughout suggest that a region-wide initiative could be an effective approach. The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU) was established in 2007 to provide an organizational framework to both accelerate the advancement of bat research, and to coordinate conservation efforts. The SEABCRU is an informal collaboration among institutes, NGOs and individuals and provides a web-based forum for the growing number of researchers and outreach workers to interact and coordinate activities. It was launched at the 1st International Southeast Asian Bat Conference in Thailand (May 2007), during which a forum was held to derive conservation research priorities using a consensus approach. Four priorities were identified by participants: flying fox conservation and monitoring, taxonomy, conservation of cave-dependent bats, and conservation of forest-dependent bats. Here I provide an overview of the rationales behind these priorities and list the specific recommendations for the actions identified.

125 citations


Cites background from "Diet of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed ..."

  • ...…K. titania (Bates et al. 2007a); Murina harrisoni (Csorba and Bates 2005); M. tiensa (Csorba et al. 2007); Rhinolophus chiewkweeae (Yoshiyuki and Lim 2005); Hipposideros khaokhaouayensis (Guillén-Servent and Francis 2006); H. boeadii (Bates et al. 2007b); Dyacopterus rickarti (Helgen et al.…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that this natural service can be enhanced by providing bat populations with artificial roosts in rice paddies were some key ecosystem features are present and the value of the ecosystem service provided by bats was estimated at a minimum of 21€ per hectare.

115 citations

References
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Book
01 Jan 1954
TL;DR: An introduction to the study of insects is presented, with some examples from the natural sciences, of birds, bees, and other insects that have been studied in detail.
Abstract: An introduction to the study of insects , An introduction to the study of insects , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

2,130 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Bat wing morphology is considered in relation to flight performance and flight behaviour to clarify the functional basis for eco-morphological correlations in flying animals, and adaptive trends in wing adaptations are predictably and closely paralleled by echolocation call structure.
Abstract: Bat wing morphology is considered in relation to flight performance and flight behaviour to clarify the functional basis for eco-morphological correlations in flying animals. Bivariate correlations are presented between wing dimensions and body mass for a range of bat families and feeding classes, and principal-components analysis is used to measure overall size, wing size and wing shape. The principal components representing wing size and wing shape (as opposed to overall size) are interpreted as being equivalent to wing loading and to aspect ratio. Relative length and area of the hand-wing or wingtip are determined independently of wing size, and are used to derive a wingtip shape index, which measures the degree of roundedness or pointedness of the wingtip. The optimal wing form for bats adapted for different modes of flight is predicted by means of mechanical and aerodynamic models. We identify and model aspects of performance likely to influence flight adaptation significantly; these include selective pressures for economic forward flight (low energy per unit time or per unit distance (equal to cost of transport)), for flight at high or low speeds, for hovering, and for turning. Turning performance is measured by two quantities: manoeuvrability, referring to the minimum space required for a turn at a given speed; and agility, relating to the rate at which a turn can be initiated. High flight speed correlates with high wing loading, good manoeuvrability is favoured by low wing loading, and turning agility should be associated with fast flight and with high wing loading. Other factors influencing wing adaptations, such as migration, flying with a foetus or young or carrying loads in flight (all of which favour large wing area), flight in cluttered environments (short wings) and modes of landing, are identified. The mechanical predictions are cast into a size-independent principal-components form, and are related to the morphology and the observed flight behaviour of different species and families of bats. In this way we provide a broadly based functional interpretation of the selective forces that influence wing morphology in bats. Measured flight speeds in bats permit testing of these predictions. Comparison of open-field free-flight speeds with morphology confirms that speed correlates with mass, wing loading and wingtip proportions as expected; there is no direct relation between speed and aspect ratio. Some adaptive trends in bat wing morphology are clear from this analysis. Insectivores hunt in a range of different ways, which are reflected in their morphology. Bats hawking high-flying insects have small, pointed wings which give good agility, high flight speeds and low cost of transport. Bats hunting for insects among vegetation, and perhaps gleaning, have very short and rounded wingtips, and often relatively short, broad wings, giving good manoeuvrability at low flight speeds. Many insectivorous species forage by `flycatching' (perching while seeking prey) and have somewhat similar morphology to gleaners. Insectivorous species foraging in more open habitats usually have slightly longer wings, and hence lower cost of transport. Piscivores forage over open stretches of water, and have very long wings giving low flight power and cost of transport, and unusually long, rounded tips for control and stability in flight. Carnivores must carry heavy loads, and thus have relatively large wing areas; their foraging strategies consist of perching, hunting and gleaning, and wing structure is similar to that of insectivorous species with similar behaviour. Perching and hovering nectarivores both have a relatively small wing area: this surprising result may result from environmental pressure for a short wingspan or from the advantage of high speed during commuting flights; the large wingtips of these bats are valuable for lift generation in slow flight. The relation between flight morphology (as an indicator of flight behaviour) and echolocation is considered. It is demonstrated that adaptive trends in wing adaptations are predictably and closely paralleled by echolocation call structure, owing to the joint constraints of flying and locating food in different ways. Pressures on flight morphology depend also on size, with most aspects of performance favouring smaller animals. Power rises rapidly as mass increases; in smaller bats the available energy margin is greater than in larger species, and they may have a more generalized repertoire of flight behaviour. Trophic pressures related to feeding strategy and behaviour are also important, and may restrict the size ranges of different feeding classes: insectivores and primary nectarivores must be relatively small, carnivores and frugivores somewhat larger. The relation of these results to bat community ecology is considered, as our predictions may be tested through comparisons between comparable, sympatric species. Our mechanical predictions apply to all bats and to all kinds of bat communities, but other factors (for example echolocation) may also contribute to specialization in feeding or behaviour, and species separation may not be determined solely by wing morphology or flight behaviour. None the less, we believe that our approach, of identifying functional correlates of bat flight behaviour and identifying these with morphological adaptations, clarifies the eco-morphological relationships of bats.

1,641 citations


"Diet of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Tadarida plicata potentially forage at high elevation based on its high aspect ratio and high wing loading (Norberg and Rayner, 1987)....

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Book
01 Jan 1969

1,235 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Estimates of nightly food intake increased markedly from mid- toLate pregnancy, stabilized or decreased during late pregnancy, and increased again during early to mid-lactation; average nightly feeding rate doubled from pregnancy to lactation and increased threefold during the first half of lactation.
Abstract: Stomach content analysis of 20 pregnant (x body mass=13.4 g) and 18 lactating (x body mass=11.5 g) female Tadarida brasiliensis revealed that the diet, expressed as percent volume, consists largely of lepidopterans, coleopterans, hymenopterans, and dipterans, in decreasing order of importance. We found no significant difference in the diet of pregnant and lactating females when expressed as percent volume. However, when expressed as percent frequency, proportionately more pregnant females fed on lepidopterans, coleopterans, and dipterans than did lactating bats, and proportionately more lactating females fed on hymenopterans. We found no significant differences in the percentages of water, lean dry mass, fat, and energy density in the stomach contents of pregnant and lactating females. Water in stomach contents averaged 62.7% and fat and lean dry mass averaged 22.2% and 15.2%, respectively (expressed as percentage of wet mass); energy density averaged 31.2 kJ g−1 dry mass. This relatively high energy density of stomach contents, as compared to whole insects, can be attributed to the consumption of insects high in fat (especially flying ants) and the abdomens only of moths and beetles (other body parts being discarded). Estimates of nightly food intake increased markedly from mid- to late pregnancy, stabilized or decreased during late pregnancy, and increased again during early to mid-lactation. Average nightly feeding rate doubled from pregnancy to lactation and increased threefold during the first half of lactation. By adjusting our gravimetric estimates of nightly feeding rate upwards by 40% (based on estimates of field metabolic rate), we estimate that the average nightly energy intake of female T. brasiliensis ranges from 57 kJ day−1 in early lactation to 104 kJ day−1 in mid-lactation. These estimates represent nightly feeding rates averaging 39% and 73% of a female's body mass in the period from early to mid-lactation, respectively.

184 citations


"Diet of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Moreover, since Kunz et al. (1995) suggested that early lactating female T. brasiliensis consume 73.4% of its body mass each night, 17.5 tons of insects are a minimum estimate....

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  • ...Several authors also indicated that T. brasiliensis is an opportunistic feeder (Kunz et al., 1995; Whitaker and Rodriguez-Duran, 1999; Lee and McCracken, 2002)....

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  • ...On the other hand, lactating females of several insectivorous bat species double their food intake during early lactation (Kunz et al., 1995, and references therein)....

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  • ...During late pregnancy, female T. brasiliensis lower their feeding rate (Kunz et al., 1995) while female Eptesicus nilssoni decrease their foraging time (Rydell, 1993)....

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  • ...Some bat species including T. brasiliensis regularly cull parts of insects before ingesting them (Kunz et al., 1995)....

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