Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T22:35:27.910Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Roosting site selection by Artibeus watsoni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) on Anthurium ravenii (Araceae) in Costa Rica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Jae C. Choe  and
Robert M. Timm
Jae C. Choe
Affiliation:
The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Robert M. Timm
Affiliation:
Division of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Artibeus watsoni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) was found in Costa Rica to alter the shape of 11 species of broad-leafed plants in the families Araceae, Cyclanthaceae, Maran-taceae, Musaceae, and Palmae to form diurnal roost sites. The plant most commonly used for tent construction was Anthurium ravenii (Araceae). Bats create a tent on A. ravenii by severing the basal 2 to 5 lateral nerves at a distance of 5 to 10 mm from the midrib; the entire margin of the leaf then collapses downward to form a pyramid-shaped tent. The number of altered leaves per plant ranges from 1 to 4 with a mean of 2.1. A. watsoni appears to be selecting leaves of medium size and low within the plant. The size, shape, and location of leaves selected is consistent with the hypothesis that tent construction provides bats with roost sites that will be available to them for a long period of time and provides protection from both predators and the elements, thus conveying a selective advantage to the bats.

Resumen

Artibeus watsoni (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) fue encontrado en Costa Rica alterando la forma de 11 especies de plantas de hojas anchas en las familias Araceae, Cyclanthaceae, Marantaceae, Musaceae, y Palmae para formar sitios de perchas diumas. La planta más comúmente usada para construcción fue Anthurium ravenii (Araceae). Murciélagos crean una carpa en A. ravenii cortando las 2 o 5 nervaduras laterales basales a una distancia de 5 a 10 mm de la nervadura central; entonces todo el margen de la hoja colapsa hacia abajo para formar una carpa en forma de pirámide. El número de hojas alteradas por planta varió de 1 a 4 con un promedio de 2,1. A. watsoni parece estar seleccionando hojas de talla mediana y de posición inferior en la planta. El tamaño, forma y posición de las hojas seleccionadas es consistente con la hipótesis de que construcción de carpas provee a los murciélagos con sitios de perchas que serán disponibles para ellos por un largo peníodo de tiempo y provee protección de predadores y elementos, dando así una ventaja selectiva a los murciélagos.

Keywords

Anthurium raveniiAraceaeArtibeus watsonibatsCosta RicaPhyllostomidaeplant-animal relationshipstent construction
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 1 , Issue 3 , August 1985 , pp. 241 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Barbour, T. 1932. A peculiar roosting habit of bats. Quarterly Review of Biology 7:307–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boinski, S. & Timm, R. M. 1985. Predation by squirrel monkeys and double-toothed kites on tent-making bats. American Journal of Primatology 9:121–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chapman, F. M. 1932. A home-making bat. Natural History 32:555–556.Google Scholar
Foster, M. S. & Timm, R. M. 1976. Tent-making by Artibeus jamaicensis (Chiroptera: Phyllostoma-tidae) with comments on plants used by bats for tents. Biotropica 8:265–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodwin, R. E. 1979. The bats of Timor: systematics and ecology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 163:73–122.Google Scholar
Hartshorn, G. S. 1983. Plants. Pp. 118–157 in Janzen, D. H. (ed.). Costa Rican natural history. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 816 pp.Google Scholar
Herwitz, S. R. 1981. Regeneration of selected tropical tree species in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. University of California Publications in Geography 24:1–109.Google Scholar
Koepcke, J. 1984. Blattzelte’ als Schlafplätze der Fledermaus Ectophylla macconnelli (Thomas, 1901) (Phyllostomidae) im tropischen Regenwald von Peru. Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen 31:123–126.Google Scholar
Kunz, T. H. 1982. Roosting ecology of bats. Pp. 1–55 in Kunz, T. H. (ed.). Ecology of bats. Plenum Press, New York. 425 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Timm, R. M. 1984. Tent construction by Vampyressa in Costa Rica. Journal of Mammalogy 65:166–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Timm, R. M. (in press) Tent construction by bats of the genera Artibeus and Uroderma. Fieldiana: Zoology, New Series.Google Scholar
Timm, R. M. & Mortimer, J. 1976. Selection of roost sites by Honduran white bats, Ectophylla alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomatidae). Ecology 57:385–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar