10.5061/DRYAD.63KB3
Herrera-Victoria, Ana María
Pontifical Xavierian University
Zuluaga-Egas, Marlyn
Pontifical Xavierian University
Rojas-Díaz, Vladimir
Wildlife Conservation Society Colombia Program; Cali Colombia
Valenzuela, Leonor A.
Pontifical Xavierian University
Kattan, Gustavo H.
Pontifical Xavierian University
Data from: The dynamics of tent-roosts in the palm Sabal mauritiiformis
and their use by bats in a montane dry forest
Dryad
dataset
2017
Uroderma convexum
Sabal mauritiiformis
Dermanura glauca
Phyllostomidae
Water transport
Arecaceae
Artibeus jamaicensis
Refuge construction
Roosting ecology
Artibeus lituratus
2017-12-06T15:57:06Z
2017-12-06T15:57:06Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12532
104887 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Tent-making bats modify leaves to build refuges. Leaf modification
involves energetic and defense costs that should be balanced by the
benefits of tent-roosting. The alteration of the leaf’s vascular system
reduces the tent’s life expectancy, so to obtain a benefit bats are
expected to use tents regularly as long as they are functional and not
modify more leaves than necessary. Over two years we documented the
dynamics of tent construction and use by Uroderma convexum and other bat
species in the palm Sabal mauritiiformis in a Colombian transitional dry
forest. We also assessed tent condition and compared it to nonmodified
leaves of approximately the same age in focal palms. Probability of tent
use by U. convexum varied between 57 percent during a reproductive period
and 4 percent outside of this period. Bats cut the main vein of folioles,
partially affecting water transport in the leaf. However, there were no
differences between tents and nonmodified leaves in deterioration scores
or deterioration rates over one year. During two years, 48 tents were lost
for different causes, but this loss was balanced by the construction of 51
new tents. Thus, bats maintained an excess of usable tents. Palm leaves
are long-lived and seem preadapted to sustain damage and remain viable,
particularly in species growing in dry environments. We present several
hypotheses to explain the advantage of maintaining a tent surplus.
BatTents_Project
Colombia
Valle del Cauca
PNR el Vínculo