Katrin Heer

Specialist species are defined by their restricted range of tolerated environmental conditions and required resources. For example, in the New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae), specialization in diet has been linked to morphological and behavioral innovations (i.e., skull form, foraging behaviors) that facilitate the occupation of new ecological niches by these animals. Here, we use the Honduran white bat, Ectophylla alba, as a model to test the behavioral responses of the species to a narrow diet: one based on figs of Ficus colubrinae (Moraceae). Through the use of radiotelemetry, we demonstrate that the foraging behavior of these bats is highly dependent on their main food resource. In response, behavioral adaptations have evolved to optimize the bats' foraging strategies and—at a broad level—the performance and survival of the species in their habitat. Conservation decisions should consider the tight linkage that exists among some species and their habitat characteristics or food resources (as demonstrated herein), in order to protect highly susceptible and unique species that could potentially go extinct with the disturbance or removal of specific features of their ecological interactions. Las especies especialistas están definidas por el carácter restringido de condiciones medioambientales que toleran y de recursos que necesitan. Por ejemplo, en los murciélagos de hoja nasal del Nuevo Mundo (Phyllostomidae), las especializaciones en la dieta han sido relacionadas con innovaciones morfológicas y del comportamiento (forma del cráneo, comportamiento de forrajeo) que han facilitado la invasión de nuevos nichos ecológicos por estos animales. Aquí, utilizamos al murciélago blanco hondureño Ectophylla alba como modelo para analizar las respuestas de comportamiento de la especie a una dieta reducida basada en higos de Ficus colubrinae (Moraceae). Usando radiotelemetría, demostramos que el comportamiento de forrajeo de estos murciélagos es sumamente dependiente de su principal recurso alimentario. Como respuesta, adaptaciones en el comportamiento han evolucionado con el propósito de optimizar las estrategias de forrajeo y —en una escala más amplia— el rendimiento y supervivencia de la especie en su hábitat. Las decisiones de conservación deberían considerar la estrecha relación que existe entre algunas especies y las características de su hábitat o sus recursos alimentarios (como se demuestra aquí), con la finalidad de proteger especies altamente susceptibles y únicas que podrían potencialmente extinguirse con la perturbación o eliminación de atributos específicos de sus interacciones ecológicas.

• Genetic association studies in forest tress would greatly benefit from information on tree response to environmental stressors over time. Dendroecology can close this gap by providing such time series measurements. Here, we jointly analyzed dendroecological and genetic data to explore the genetic basis of resistance, recovery and resilience to episodic stress in silver fir. • We used individual level tree-ring data to characterize the growth patterns of surviving silver fir (Abies alba) during the forest dieback in the 1970s and 1980s in Central Europe and associated them with SNPs in candidate genes. • Most trees at our study sites in the Bavarian Forest experienced severe growth decline from 1974 until the mid-1980s, which peaked during the drought year of 1976. Using the machine learning algorithm random forest, we identified 15 candidate genes that were associated with the variance in resistance, resilience and recovery among trees in this period. • With our study we show that the unique possibility of phenotypic time series archived in tree-rings are a powerful resource in genetic association studies. We call for a closer collaboration of dendroceologists and forest geneticists to focus on integrating individual tree level signals in genetic association studies in long lived trees.

A novel set of SNPs was derived from tran-scriptome data of ten Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees from the Bavarian Forest National Park in Ger-many (BaFoNP). SNPs were identified by mapping against a de-novo transcriptome assembly and against pre-mRNAs of predicted genes of the reference genome assembly. This resulted in 111,849 and 366,577 SNPs, respectively. Out of these, 311 were either randomly selected or chosen because of their pronounced divergence between sampling sites and genotyped in 218 trees with an Illumina Infinium HD iSelect BeadChip.

Wind-borne pollinating wasps (Agaonidae) can transport fig (Ficus sp., Moraceae) pollen over enormous distances (> 100 km). Because of their extensive breeding areas, Neotropical figs are expected to exhibit weak patterns of genetic structure at local and regional scales. We evaluated genetic structure at the regional to continental scale (Panama, Costa Rica, and Peru) for the free-standing fig species Ficus insipida. Genetic differentiation was detected only at distances > 300 km (Jost´s Dest = 0.68 ± 0.07 & FST = 0.30 ± 0.03 between Mesoamerican and Amazonian sites) and evidence for phylogeographic structure (RST>>permuted RST) was only significant in comparisons between Central and South America. Further, we assessed local scale spatial genetic structure (SGS, d ≤ 8 km) in Panama and developed an agent-based model parameterized with data from F. insipida to estimate minimum pollination distances, which determine the contribution of pollen dispersal on SGS. The local scale data for F. insipida was compared to SGS data collected for an additional free-standing fig, F. yoponensis (subgenus Pharmacosycea), and two species of strangler figs, F. citrifolia and F. obtusifolia (subgenus Urostigma) sampled in Panama. All four species displayed significant SGS (mean Sp = 0.014 ± 0.012). Model simulations indicated that most pollination events likely occur at distances > > 1 km, largely ruling out spatially limited pollen dispersal as the determinant of SGS in F. insipida and, by extension, the other fig species. Our results are consistent with the view that Ficus develops fine-scale SGS primarily as a result of localized seed dispersal and/or clumped seedling establishment despite extensive long-distance pollen dispersal. We discuss several ecological and life history factors that could have species- or subgenus-specific impacts on the genetic structure of Neotropical figs.

Fruit-eating animals can influence the germination success of seeds through transportation and handling. We experimentally tested the contribution of ingestion by the common fruit-eating bat, Artibeus jamaicensis (Phyllostomidae, Chiroptera), to the percentage and rate of seed germination of figs (Ficus, Moraceae), which are considered keystone species for many frugivores. We collected fruits from three species of native free-standing figs (subgenus Pharmacosycea: F. insipida, F. maxima and F. yoponensis) and three species of native strangler figs (subgenus Urostigma: F. nymphiifolia, F. obtusifolia and F. popenoei) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The germination success of seeds removed from fruit pulp either manually or by ingestion was very high (>92%), while seeds that were not removed from fruit pulp were destroyed by fast-growing fungi within a few days. The dynamics of seed germination were not influenced by ingestion, but differed between the two subgenera of figs. In free-standing figs, germination started significantly earlier (5.3 ± 0.7 days) than in strangler figs (8.6 ± 1.4 days). Furthermore, strangler seeds were covered with a sticky coating and their seedlings developed cotyledons faster than fine roots, in contrast to free-standing figs that showed the opposite pattern. Our results demonstrate that the germination of fig seeds is positively influenced by passage through the gut of A. jamaicensis. Furthermore, free-standing and strangler figs revealed differences in germination parameters that might be adaptive with respect to the suitability of microsites such as tree fall gaps or host trees for establishment.