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TÍTULO

THE DRIVERS OF THE PHYLOGENETIC STRUCTURE OF PHYLLOSTOMID BATS IN THE PANTANAL WETLAND

Resumo

Phyllostomid bat species have one of the greatest functional diversity between mammals and the functional and phylogenetic structure of your communities can be influenced by vegetation features and resources availability. If Habitat and resources use are phylogenetically related, then is expected that these factors influence the phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages. We ask here if phyllostomid assemblages are phylogenetically structured in response to vegetation structure and resources and if the response of these features have phylogenetic signal. We use diet data based in fecal samples of bats captured in regions with distinct inundation intensities. In the same sites of bat capture, we quantify the vegetation structure, vegetation (fruits and floral) resources and arthropod resources. Results showed that proportions of plant resources consumed by phyllostomids in the Pantanal wetland have a phylogenetic signal, and that available vegetal resources influence the phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages. The vegetation resources show a wet-dry gradient and the most consumed plants by the two major phyllostomid clades respond in an opposite way. Stenodermatinae tends to consume wet soil related fruits and floral resources while phyllostominae consume more dry soil related plant resources. Our results indicate that the use of different habitats based on variation of vegetal resources is the main driver of phylogenetic structure of phyllostomid assemblages in the Pantanal wetland.

Palavras-chave

Frugivory, insectivory, nectarivory, phylogenetic signal, vegetal resources