Lifespan is a fundamental demographic parameter that we can seldom measure in animals with elusiv... more Lifespan is a fundamental demographic parameter that we can seldom measure in animals with elusive behaviour like bats. Even more useful parameters for modelling the life history are survival or reproduction by age and sex. However, in practice there are substantial obstacles to achieve information of that kind and, regretfully, we often rely on longevity records. This paper provides new records on long-lived Rhinolophus euryale individuals, including one female more than 25 years old. We also discuss the evidentiary support for the widely accepted age at first reproduction in that species.
Traditionally, researchers have assessed diet selection by comparing consumed versus available ta... more Traditionally, researchers have assessed diet selection by comparing consumed versus available taxa. However, taxonomic assignment is probably irrelevant for predators, who likely base their selection on characteristics including prey size, habitat, or behavior. Here, we use an aquatic insectivore, the threatened Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), as a model species to assess whether biological traits help unravel the criteria driving food and habitat preferences. We reanalyzed data from a previous taxonomy-based study of prey selection in two contrasting streams, one with excellent conservation status and the other affected by diversion for hydropower and forestry. Available and consumed prey were characterized according to nine biological traits, and diet selection was estimated by comparing availability—measured from Surber net samples, and consumption—analyzed by metabarcoding desman feces. Traits offered a biologically coherent image of diet and almost identical selection pa...
Myotis emarginatus seems fond of spiders and flies, a unique feeding style among European bats. T... more Myotis emarginatus seems fond of spiders and flies, a unique feeding style among European bats. The importance of each prey type varies among studies, so this paper aims to expand on the knowledge to unveil the trophic niche of M. emarginatus by studying its diet changes throughout the maternity season. We sampled five maternity colonies in the Basque Country every 2 weeks for the whole duration of the maternity season and studied their diet using DNA metabarcoding methods. We observed significant changes in diet diversity and composition. At the beginning of the season, M. emarginatus consumed a variety of prey orders, Diptera being the most abundant; but as the season progressed, the relative consumption of Araneae increased. By August, 80% of the weighted percentage of occurrences (wPOO) corresponded to the orb-web-building spider Araneus diadematus. Orb-web-building spiders need habitats of high vertical complexity to grow in abundance. Therefore, conserving them is essential to...
It includes all the sequences we got after amplyfied and massively sequenced bats' faecal DNA... more It includes all the sequences we got after amplyfied and massively sequenced bats' faecal DNA, excluding those with less than 15 copies, and those which didn't occur in both amplification replicas
Includes all the MOTUs (and their sequences) built after filtering and bioinformatic processing t... more Includes all the MOTUs (and their sequences) built after filtering and bioinformatic processing the originary sequences got from amplifying and massive sequencing of bats' faecal DN
Lifespan is a fundamental demographic parameter that we can seldom measure in animals with elusiv... more Lifespan is a fundamental demographic parameter that we can seldom measure in animals with elusive behaviour like bats. Even more useful parameters for modelling the life history are survival or reproduction by age and sex. However, in practice there are substantial obstacles to achieve information of that kind and, regretfully, we often rely on longevity records. This paper provides new records on long-lived Rhinolophus euryale individuals, including one female more than 25 years old. We also discuss the evidentiary support for the widely accepted age at first reproduction in that species.
Traditionally, researchers have assessed diet selection by comparing consumed versus available ta... more Traditionally, researchers have assessed diet selection by comparing consumed versus available taxa. However, taxonomic assignment is probably irrelevant for predators, who likely base their selection on characteristics including prey size, habitat, or behavior. Here, we use an aquatic insectivore, the threatened Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), as a model species to assess whether biological traits help unravel the criteria driving food and habitat preferences. We reanalyzed data from a previous taxonomy-based study of prey selection in two contrasting streams, one with excellent conservation status and the other affected by diversion for hydropower and forestry. Available and consumed prey were characterized according to nine biological traits, and diet selection was estimated by comparing availability—measured from Surber net samples, and consumption—analyzed by metabarcoding desman feces. Traits offered a biologically coherent image of diet and almost identical selection pa...
Myotis emarginatus seems fond of spiders and flies, a unique feeding style among European bats. T... more Myotis emarginatus seems fond of spiders and flies, a unique feeding style among European bats. The importance of each prey type varies among studies, so this paper aims to expand on the knowledge to unveil the trophic niche of M. emarginatus by studying its diet changes throughout the maternity season. We sampled five maternity colonies in the Basque Country every 2 weeks for the whole duration of the maternity season and studied their diet using DNA metabarcoding methods. We observed significant changes in diet diversity and composition. At the beginning of the season, M. emarginatus consumed a variety of prey orders, Diptera being the most abundant; but as the season progressed, the relative consumption of Araneae increased. By August, 80% of the weighted percentage of occurrences (wPOO) corresponded to the orb-web-building spider Araneus diadematus. Orb-web-building spiders need habitats of high vertical complexity to grow in abundance. Therefore, conserving them is essential to...
It includes all the sequences we got after amplyfied and massively sequenced bats' faecal DNA... more It includes all the sequences we got after amplyfied and massively sequenced bats' faecal DNA, excluding those with less than 15 copies, and those which didn't occur in both amplification replicas
Includes all the MOTUs (and their sequences) built after filtering and bioinformatic processing t... more Includes all the MOTUs (and their sequences) built after filtering and bioinformatic processing the originary sequences got from amplifying and massive sequencing of bats' faecal DN
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