Nectar feeding behavior in the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx (Pteropodidae)

• Autorzy: Elangovan V. , Marimuthu G. , Kunz T. H.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Nectar feeding behavior of the short-nosed bat, Cynopterus sphinx, was observed under natural conditions in South India. Nectar production of 'steady-state' flowers of Musa x paradisiaca and 'big-bang' flowers of Bassia latifolia was quantified. Cynopterus sphinx typically foraged alone on flowers of M. x paradisiaca and as groups on B. latifolia, largely in response to the availability of these floral resources. Peak visits on flowers of M. x paradisiaca by C. sphinx occurred at 2000 h and on B. latifolia at 2100 h. Peak visits coincided with the maximum nectar production and sugar concentration of these floral resources. In addition to feeding on nectar early in the evening, C. sphinx acquired additional energy by feeding on carbohydrate-rich fruit. In return for these food resources, C. sphinx provides important pollination and seed-dispersal services to the plants that they visit nightly, and thus can profoundly influence the co-evolution of plants and bats.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Chiropterologica
• Rocznik: 2000
• Tom: 02
• Numer: 1
• Opis fizyczny: p.1-5,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Elangovan V.

• Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamarai University, Madurai 625 021, India

autor

Marimuthu G.

autor

Kunz T. H.

Bibliografia

• Adlridge, H. D. J. N., and R. M. Brigham. 1988. Load carrying and maneuverabiity in an insectivorous bat — a test of the 5% "rule" of radiotelemetry. Journal of Mammalogy, 69: 379-382.
• Balasingh, J., S. S. Isaac, and R. Subbaraj. 1993. Tent roosting by the frugivorous bat Cynopterus sphinx (Vahl 1797) in South India. Current Science, 65: 418.
• Balasingh, J., A. J. Koilraj, and T. H. Kunz. 1995. Tent construction by the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in Southern India. Ethology, 100: 210-229.
• Bhat, H. R. 1994. Observations on the food and feeding behavior of Cynopterus sphinx (Vahl) (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) at Pune, India. Mammalia, 58: 363-370.
• Bhat, H. R., and T. H. Kunz. 1995. Altered flower/fruit clusters of the kitul palm used as roosts by the short-tailed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Journal of Zoology (London), 234: 597-604.
• Dubois, M., K. A. Gilles, P. A. Roberts, and F. Smith. 1956. Calorimetric method for determina­tion of sugars and related substances. Analytical Chemistry, 25: 350-356.
• Elangovan, V., G. Marimuthu, and T. H. Kunz. In press. Temporal patterns of resource use by the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae). Journal of Mammalogy.
• Faegri, K„ and L. van der Pijl. 1979. The principles of pollination ecology. 3rd ed. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 244 pp.
• Fleming, T. H. 1982. Foraging strategies of plantvisiting bats. Pp. 287-325, in Ecology of bats (T. H. Kunz, ed.). Plenum Press, New York, xviii + 425 pp.
• Gentry, A. H. 1974. Flowering phenology and diversity in tropical Bignoniaceae. Biotropica, 6: 64-68.
• Heithaus, E. R. 1982. Coevolution between bats and plants. Pp. 327-367, in Ecology of bats (T. H. Kunz, ed.). Plenum Press, New York, xviii + 425 pp.
• Howell, D. J. 1979. Flock foraging in nectar-feeding bats: advantages to the bats and to the host plants. The American Naturalist, 114: 23-49.
• Law, B. S. 1992. The maintenance of nitrogen requirements of the Queensland blossom bat (Syconycteris australis). Physiological Zoology, 65: 634-648.
• Marimuthu, G., K. E. Rajan, A. J. Koilraj, S. S. Isaac, and J. Balasingh. 1998. Observations on the foraging behavior of a tent-roosting megachiropteran Cynopterus sphinx. Biotropica, 3: 321-324.
• Nassar, J. M., N. Ramirez, and O. Linares. 1997. Comparative pollination biology of Venezuelan columnar cacti and the role of nectar-feeding bats in their sexual reproduction. American Journal of Botany, 84: 918-927.
• Ruby, J., P. T. Nathan, J. Balasingh, and T. H. Kunz. In press. Chemical composition of fruits and leaves eaten by the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology.
• Sazima, I., and M. Sazima. 1977. Solitary and group foraging: two flower-visiting patterns of the lesser spear-nosed bat, Phyllostomus discolor. Biotropica, 9: 213-215.
• Sokal, R. R., and F. J. Rohlf. 1995. Biometry. 3rd ed.
• W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, 887 pp.
• Start, A. N., and A. G. Marshall. 1976. Nectari- vorous bats as pollinators of trees in W. Malaysia. Pp. 141-149, in Tropical trees: variation, breeding and conservation (J. Burley and B. T. Styles, eds.). Academic Press, London, 243 pp.
• Storz, J., and T. H. Kunz. 1999. Cynopterus sphinx.
• Mammalian Species, 613: 1-8.
• Subramanya, S., and T. R. Radhamani. 1993. Pollination by birds and bats. Current Science, 65: 201-209.

Uwagi

Rekord w opracpwaniu