Ecology

• Global climate and productivity

• Species diversity
• Island biogeography
• Niche partitioning
 Discussion readings
• Stevens RD, Cox SB, Strauss RE, Willig MR 2003 Patterns of
functional diversity across an extensive environmental gradient:
vertebrate consumers, hidden treatments and latitudinal trends.
ECOLOGY LETTERS 6: 1099-1108
• Aguirre LF, Herrel A, van Damme R, et al. 2002 Ecomorphological
analysis of trophic niche partitioning in a tropical savannah bat
community. P ROY SOC LOND B BIO 269: 1271-1278.
• Giannini NP, Kalko EKV 2004 Trophic structure in a large assemblage
of phyllostomid bats in Panama. OIKOS 105: 209-220.
• Bernard E, Fenton MB 2002 Species diversity of bats (Mammalia :
Chiroptera) in forest fragments, primary forests, and savannas in
central Amazonia, Brazil. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 80:
1124-1140.
• Freeman PW 2000 Macroevolution in Microchiroptera: Recoupling
morphology and ecology with phylogeny. EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
RESEARCH 2: 317-335.
 Source of the seasons

Earth’s axis
tilts 23.5o
100,000 y period
Orbital cycles influence
temperature
41,000 y period

22,000 y period
Ice ages can be predicted from orbital
cycles
Ice sheets influence species ranges
Greenhouse emissions may lead to
accelerated warming
Global atmospheric patterns
Ocean currents
Surface ocean temperatures
Pacific coast Atlantic coast
Rain shadows
Temperature and precipation create biomes
Biome distribution
 Global primary productivity

Annual productivity increases with mean temperature and rainfall

 Energy flow
• Only 1% of energy
from sun is trapped
by plants during
photosynthesis
• Approximately
10% of energy is
passed to next
trophic level
 Energy pyramid

Food chain length depends on primary productivity

and ecological efficiency of each trophic level
Bat species diversity
Bat species
diversity by
latitude
 Reasons for tropical diversity
• Energy stability: more solar energy allows
for more diversity
• Greater specialization: individual
abundance decreases as diversity increases
• Habitat diversity is greater so there are
more niches to fill
 Species range patterns
• Tropical species
have smaller
ranges than
expected
• Temperate
species have
larger ranges
than expected
Restricted vs widespread species
Gleaners have
restricted ranges
 Body size and species abundance
• Bergman’s rule: species
become larger away from
the equator - bats do not
show this

Percent species
• Body mass does not
correlate with abundance
in bats. Other mammals
show negative correlation
between body mass and
abundance.

Log body mass

Island biogeography

How many species do we expect on the island?

Island biogeography

• S = equilibrium
number of species
• I = immigration rate
• E = extinction rate
Island biogeography predictions
Area effect
Island biogeography predictions
Distance effect
Species-area relationships
 Habitats

Bat species-area
patterns

Larger areas sustain more species

Tropical forests
 Area and distance
effect for Polynesian
megachiroptera
 Bat wing shape has been used to define
feeding guilds

• Wing loading =
mass/wing area
• Aspect ratio =
wingspan2/wing area
– Low AR =
short, broad wings
– High AR =
long, narrow wings
Niche partitioning
 Niche
Temperate
space
expansion
Tropical