三种旧大陆狐蝠科蝙蝠舌长度及结构比较

为探讨旧大陆食果和食蜜蝙蝠的食性类型不同是否造成其取食器官舌长度及结构的差异,本研究以2种食果蝙蝠犬蝠（Cynopterus sphinx）和棕果蝠（Rousettus leschenaultii）以及1种食蜜蝙蝠长舌果蝠（Eonycteris spelaea）为研究对象,比较了这3个物种间舌的差异。犬蝠、棕果蝠和长舌果蝠伸入直径为2 cm试管的最大舌长度L1（包括伸入试管的吻部和吻部以外的舌长）,分别为（29.19?0.52）mm、（35.05?0.82）mm、（49.34?1.64）mm;伸出吻端外部的舌长L3分别为（16.25?0.53）mm、（19.25?0.79）mm、（31.88?1.56）mm;与体重转换后的最大舌长度,即转换L1分别为（8.57?0.17）mm/3√g、（7.90?0.27）mm/3√g、（12.41?0.40）mm/3√g;与体重转换后的伸出吻端外部的舌长,即转换L3分别为（4.77?0.16）mm/3√g、（4.34?0.22）mm/3√g、（8.01?0.38）mm/3√g;与体重转换后的解剖舌长分别为（5.56?0.16）mm/3√g、（5.35?0.14）mm/3√g、（6.65?0.38）mm/3√g。此5个参数种间比较均差异显著,食蜜类的长舌果蝠的5个参数均显著长于食果类犬蝠和棕果蝠的。通过比较3种蝙蝠的舌结构发现,长舌果蝠的舌尖尖细且具有毛刷状丝状乳头结构,舌面及两侧凹槽较多;犬蝠和棕果蝠的舌尖钝圆,舌面乳头和凹槽较少而平缓。本文结果表明,旧大陆食蜜蝙蝠与食果蝙蝠在舌长度和舌结构上存在明显差异,可能与捕食行为上的差异有关。     

海南岛发现长舌果蝠

2019年7月于海南岛儋州市石花水洞网捕到1只蝙蝠,形态特征、头骨特征及线粒体Cyt b基因序列鉴定证实其为长舌果蝠(Eonycteris spelaea),该物种为海南岛蝙蝠分布新记录种。其主要鉴别特征为:中等体型,前臂长69.6 mm;第二指无爪;有一短尾,尾长12.9 mm,明显突出于股膜之后;肛腺发达;头骨较大,头骨和吻部相对较长,颅全长35.2 mm,吻长11.4 mm。本文报道了海南岛长舌果蝠的外部形态、头骨特征以及基于Cyt b基因序列的系统发育树结果,并与该物种已报道的数据进行了比较。     

云南西双版纳蝙蝠咬合力及生态位分化

咬合力与动物咀嚼系统的形态特征以及食物硬度有关,是评价动物取食行为的重要指标之一。本文于2012年4月在云南西双版纳对食果、食蜜和食虫3种食性的12种蝙蝠咬合力进行研究,使用咬合力探测仪测量蝙蝠手持状态下的咬合力,分析不同食性蝙蝠咬合力的差异,并与其体型（体重、前臂长、头长）进行相关分析。结果表明,3种食性蝙蝠的咬合力存在显著差异,食果蝙蝠咬合力最大,其次为食蜜蝙蝠,食虫蝙蝠咬合力最小;但是去除体重因素的影响之后,不同食性蝙蝠的咬合力则差异不显著。蝙蝠咬合力与体重、前臂长、头长均呈显著正相关。本文研究结果表明,体重是影响蝙蝠咬合力的主要因素,食性在一定程度上也对咬合力产生影响,食蜜蝙蝠吻部延长,头长上的特化导致其咬合力的减弱。     

三种蝙蝠舌头转录组的比较分析

舌头通常具有味觉、消化和免疫等重要功能。由于不同的食物含有不同的营养成分,我们推测舌头中和食性相关的基因在不同食性的动物中可能具有表达差异。为了检验此假说,本研究选取三种蝙蝠(大长舌果蝠(Eonycteris spelaea)、中华菊头蝠(Rhinolophus sinicus)和大足鼠耳蝠(Myotis ricketii))为研究对象,利用RNA高通量测序技术获得了三种蝙蝠舌头的转录组数据。比较转录组分析显示,在三种蝙蝠舌头中,表达量普遍最高的基因主要具有免疫功能,说明这些基因对于维持舌头正常的功能起到不可或缺的作用;另一方面,相对于食虫的中华菊头蝠和大足鼠耳蝠,与糖类代谢相关的基因在食蜜的大长舌果蝠中显著高表达,提示这些基因在这三种蝙蝠的舌头中具有表达差异。我们的研究不仅丰富了蝙蝠的转录组资源,还证实了舌头中参与糖类代谢的基因表达差异可能和蝙蝠食性分化紧密相关。     

蝙蝠的食果性,食蜜性

1食果性吃果实、花、蜜和花粉的习性存在于生活在热带和亚热带的骗幅中。旧大陆大骗幅亚目（Megachir0Ptera）中的食果蜗除狐幅科（PteroPodidae）外似乎都专一地食果或食蜜。管鼻果幅属（Nyctimene）和果幅属（Rousettus）可能偶尔食虫,而且在犬幅属（Cyn0Pterus）、短吻果蝇属（Penthetor）、斑翅果幅属（Balionycterls）和大长舌果幅属（Eonyteris）编幅胃中也发现了昆虫的肢节,但这也有可能是在食果、花和蜜时偶尔吞入的。在新大陆,这种以植物为食的习性在叶口幅科（Phyllostomidae）的大多数种独立进化而来。几乎无须怀疑,叶…     

中国安氏长舌果蝠的分类记述

1992年3月和1999年12月,分别从云南南部西双版纳勐腊补崩和麻木树采到6号长舌果蝠,经与我国已记载过的翼手目(Chiroptera)狐蝠科(Pteropodidae)长舌果蝠亚科(Macroglossinae)的种类比较:其舌甚长,舌尖具刷状突起,舌面中央有三尖形乳突(tridentate papillae)、前臂长47.31～51.01mm与长舌果蝠(Eonycteris spelaea)相似,但第二指具爪,翼膜止于第三趾趾基,上唇前缘无沟槽,鼻孔不突出,尾极短、隐于毛被中;头骨后部明显向后下方倾斜,齿槽后延线明显超过人字嵴上缘达及顶间骨上缘水平,牙齿非常长而细弱,与长舌果蝠明显有别,这些特征与印度东北部和东南亚一带的安氏长舌果蝠(Macroglossus sobrinus)一致,为我国翼手目狐蝠科长舌果蝠亚科的属、种新纪录,本文对这一属、种作比较详细的记述;另对已记录的长舌果蝠(Eonycteris spelaea),根据新的资料作补充记述。     

棕果蝠微卫星位点的筛选及其对近缘种的通用性

棕果蝠在我国热带和亚热带地区分布广、种群数量大,对龙眼、荔枝等水果种植业造成巨大危害。近年来,棕果蝠在国内被大范围捕杀,造成其种群数量急剧下降。为了获得用于研究棕果蝠的种群结构和遗传多样性的分子标记,我们利用探针富集法构建了棕果蝠部分微卫星基因组文库,筛选出棕果蝠的4 个高度多态性位点;并结合前期本研究组已经发表的棕果蝠微卫星位点,共检测了10 个棕果蝠特异的微卫星标记在其它4 种果蝠(短耳犬蝠、犬蝠、大长舌果蝠、小长舌果蝠)内的通用性,为不同果蝠种群遗传学研究提供了更多的微卫星分子标记。     

基于核基因RAG2部分序列探索菊头蝠总科、蝙蝠科和鞘尾蝠科物种的系统发育关系

采用PCR技术获得了翼手目(菊头蝠总科、蝙蝠科以及鞘尾蝠科)16种19个个体的核基因重组激活基因2(Recombination activating gene,RAG2)部分序列,长度为730～760 bp.结合从Genbank中提取的翼手目3科14个体的RAG2序列,通过构建贝叶斯(Bayesian inference,BI)和最大似然树对翼手目种属间的系统进化关系进行研究.研究表明:在菊头蝠总科中,菊头蝠科和蹄蝠科是两个独立的科,且在蹄蝠科中,大蹄蝠、中蹄蝠、普氏蹄蝠3种之间的亲缘关系非常近;蝙蝠科中的南蝠属与棕蝠属是姊妹群;长翼蝠亚科应提升为长翼蝠科.此外,鞘尾蝠科与犬吻蝠科形成姊妹群关系.     

中国安氏长舌果蝠的分类记述

1992年3月和1999年12月，分别从云南南部西双版纳勐腊补崩和麻木树采到6号长舌果蝠，经与我国已记载过的翼手目（Chiroptera)狐蝠科（Pteropodidae)长舌果蝠亚科（Macroglossinae)的种类比较：其舌甚长，舌尖具刷状突起，舌面中央有三尖形乳突（tridentate papillae）、前臂长47.31～51.01 mm与长舌果蝠（Eonycteris spelaea）相似，但第二指具爪，翼膜止于第三趾趾基，上唇前缘无沟槽，鼻孔不突出，尾极短、隐于毛被中；头骨后部明显向后下方倾斜，齿槽后延线明显超过人字嵴上缘达及顶间骨上缘水平，牙齿非常长而细弱，与长舌果蝠明显有别，这些特征与印度东北部和东南亚一带的安氏长舌果蝠（Macroglossus sobrinus）一致，为我国翼手目狐蝠科长舌果蝠亚科的属、种新纪录，本文对这一属、种作比较详细的记述；另对已记录的长舌果蝠（Eonycteris spelaea），根据新的资料作补充记述。     

广东省翼手目新纪录——宽耳犬吻蝠及其回声定位叫声特征

2013年6月和9月在广东省英德市郊碧落洞(24°06'56.9'N,113°21'10.0'E,海拔88 m)分别捕捉到5号和1号蝙蝠标本(均为雌性)。上述蝙蝠体型较大,前臂长60.4~63.3 mm,胫骨长18.0 mm,颅全长24.8 mm,颅基长23.9 mm;耳大,双耳前基部在额部相联,上唇肥厚且具24~26个硬瘤,尾从尾膜后缘伸出一半,毛色土褐,双色;颅骨大,腭缘缺刻深,长大于宽。经鉴定为宽耳犬吻蝠Tadarida insignis,为广东省翼手目新纪录。本文给出了宽耳犬吻蝠的外形和头骨特征,并与来自安徽、山东和日本的标本进行了对比;同时对其回声定位信号进行了分析。标本保存于广东省昆虫研究所。     

Immunohistochemical evidence of cone-based ultraviolet vision in divergent bat species and implications for its evolution

We characterized Fos-like expression patterns in the primary visual cortex (V1) by binocular flicking stimulation with UV light to investigate cone-based UV vision in four bat species representing four lineages: Hipposideros armiger and Scotophilus kuhlii, insectivores using constant frequency (CF) or frequency modulation (FM) echolocation, respectively, and Rousettus leschenaultii and Cynopterus sphinx, cave-roosting and tree-roosting fruit bats, respectively. The optic centre processing the visual image, V1, appears more distinctly immunostaining in S. kuhlii and C. sphinx after 1 h of UV light stimuli while in H. armiger and R. leschenaultii, staining was no more distinct than in corresponding controls. Our immunohistochemical evidence supports differences in the distribution of cone-based UV vision in the order Chiroptera and supports our earlier postulate that due to possible sensory tradeoffs and roosting ecology, defects in the short wavelength opsin genes have resulted in loss of UV vision in CF but not in FM bats. In addition, fruit bats roosting in caves have lost UV vision but not those roosting in trees. Our results thus confirm that bats are a further mammalian taxon that has retained cone-based UV sensitivity in some species.     

Cloning and Molecular Evolution of the Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Gene (Aldh2) in Bats (Chiroptera)

Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) and New World fruit bats (Phyllostomidae) ingest significant quantities of ethanol while foraging. Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2, encoded by the Aldh2 gene) plays an important role in ethanol metabolism. To test whether the Aldh2 gene has undergone adaptive evolution in frugivorous and nectarivorous bats in relation to ethanol elimination, we sequenced part of the coding region of the gene (1,143 bp, ~73 % coverage) in 14 bat species, including three Old World fruit bats and two New World fruit bats. Our results showed that the Aldh2 coding sequences are highly conserved across all bat species we examined, and no evidence of positive selection was detected in the ancestral branches leading to Old World fruit bats and New World fruit bats. Further research is needed to determine whether other genes involved in ethanol metabolism have been the targets of positive selection in frugivorous and nectarivorous bats.     

Flight is the key to postprandial blood glucose balance in the fruit bats Eonycteris spelaea and Cynopterus sphinx

Excessive sugar consumption could lead to high blood glucose levels that are harmful to mammalian health and life. Despite consuming large amounts of sugar‐rich food, fruit bats have a longer lifespan, raising the question of how these bats overcome potential hyperglycemia. We investigated the change of blood glucose level in nectar‐feeding bats (Eonycteris spelaea) and fruit‐eating bats (Cynopterus sphinx) via adjusting their sugar intake and time of flight. We found that the maximum blood glucose level of C. sphinx was higher than 24 mmol/L that is considered to be pathological in other mammals. After C. sphinx bats spent approximately 75% of their time to fly, their blood glucose levels dropped markedly, and the blood glucose of E. spelaea fell to the fast levels after they spent 70% time of fly. Thus, the level of blood glucose elevated with the quantity of sugar intake but declined with the time of flight. Our results indicate that high‐intensive flight is a key regulator for blood glucose homeostasis during foraging. High‐intensive flight may confer benefits to the fruit bats in foraging success and behavioral interactions and increases the efficiency of pollen and seed disposal mediated by bats.     

Enriching agroecosystems with fruit-producing tree species favors the abundance and richness of frugivorous and nectarivorous bats in Veracruz, Mexico

We evaluated how the abundance and richness of frugivorous and nectarivorous bat species differs among three types of common agroecosystems (diversified coffee plantations, simple coffee plantations and pastures) in Veracruz, Mexico, that represent a gradient of structural and floristic complexity. Using mixed effects models we demonstrated that both the richness and the total abundance of bats was higher in the diversified coffee plantations. We detected similar patterns on comparing the abundance of the four most abundant bat species. Neither season nor the season-agroecosystem interaction had any effect on the comparisons made. Using multiple regressions we found that the richness of plants that are useful to both people and bats had the most explanatory power for the richness and total abundance of frugivorous and nectarivorous bats, as well as for the abundance of Carollia sowelli, Glossophaga soricina and Sturnira spp. Our results indicate that agroecosystems value for conservation of fruit and nectar-eating bats increases as the fruit-bearing trees increases. For the effective conservation of these guilds of bats in tropical agroecosystems, a strategy of diversification with fruit-bearing species is highly recommended; such a strategy would benefit both agricultural producers and wildlife.     

Drinking and Flying: Does Alcohol Consumption Affect the Flight and Echolocation Performance of Phyllostomid Bats?

Background

In the wild, frugivorous and nectarivorous bats often eat fermenting fruits and nectar, and thus may consume levels of ethanol that could induce inebriation. To understand if consumption of ethanol by bats alters their access to food and general survival requires examination of behavioural responses to its ingestion, as well as assessment of interspecific variation in those responses. We predicted that bats fed ethanol would show impaired flight and echolocation behaviour compared to bats fed control sugar water, and that there would be behavioural differences among species.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We fed wild caught Artibeus jamaicensis, A. lituratus, A. phaeotis, Carollia sowelli, Glossophaga soricina, and Sturnira lilium (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) sugar water (44 g of table sugar in 500 ml of water) or sugar water with ethanol before challenging them to fly through an obstacle course while we simultaneously recorded their echolocation calls. We used bat saliva, a non-invasive proxy, to measure blood ethanol concentrations ranging from 0 to >0.3% immediately before flight trials. Flight performance and echolocation behaviour were not significantly affected by consumption of ethanol, but species differed in their blood alcohol concentrations after consuming it.

Conclusions/Significance

The bats we studied display a tolerance for ethanol that could have ramifications for the adaptive radiation of frugivorous and nectarivorous bats by allowing them to use ephemeral food resources over a wide span of time. By sampling across phyllostomid genera, we show that patterns of apparent ethanol tolerance in New World bats are broad, and thus may have been an important early step in the evolution of frugivory and nectarivory in these animals.     

两种果蝠对光叶桑(Morus macroura)果实的取食及种子传播

从2005年3月到2006年5月,在中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园沟谷雨林保护区内研究了两种果蝠——棕果蝠(Rousettus leschenaulti)和犬蝠(Cynopterus sphinx)取食光叶桑(Morus macroura) 果实的行为、夜栖息地分布、散布种子方式及范围等。借助月光对果蝠的行为进行直接观察,发现它们的取食活动一般在天黑20~40 min开始,取食高峰发生在22: 00~22: 30 和23:00~23:30之间,这两个取食高峰期平均取食次数(平均值±标准误)为(13.5±2.5)和(15.0±2.3)次,最低的取食频率发生在19: 00~19: 30和20: 30~21: 00之间,分别取食(0.2±0.2)和(0.7±0.5)次。果蝠很少在母树上取食成熟的果实,相反它们用嘴叼下果实并携带到夜栖息地去进食,通常这些夜栖息地是具有密闭树冠、密集枝条的树种。夜栖息地在母树周围的分布根据环境中适合它们栖息的树种和分布而决定,不同母树周围其夜栖息地分布具有非常大的变异与空间异质性。钝叶榕(Ficus curtipes)、铁力木(Mesua ferrea) 和糖胶树(Alstonia scholaris) 是果蝠最喜爱的夜栖息地。在同样的情况下,尽管需要飞行更远的距离,两种果蝠都比较喜欢寻找具有许多枝条和小枝并且有复杂树冠的树木作为夜栖息地。两种果蝠取食光叶桑果实时,一部分种子通过消化道消化后被排泄出来,另外的一部分伴随着咀嚼后的果渣被吐出来,通过这两种方式,散布了大量的种子,再加上在飞行中也有排泄的习性,它们传播的种子在空间上更广泛。     

Old World fruit bats can be long-distance seed dispersers through extended retention of viable seeds in the gut

Seed dispersal and pollination by animals play a crucial role in the maintenance of forest ecosystems worldwide. Frugivorous bats are important pollen and seed dispersers in both the Palaeo- and Neotropics, and at least 300 plant species are known to rely on Old World fruit bats (Megachiroptera, Pteropodidae) for their propagation. However, rapid food transit times (generally less than 30 minutes) in frugivorous bats have been thought to limit their ability to disperse seeds to just a few tens of kilometres. Here we demonstrate regular daytime (greater than 12 hours) retention of food and viable fig seeds (Ficus, Moraceae) in the gut of the Old World fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx: a behaviour not previously reported for any frugivorous bat. Field observations indicate that this behaviour also occurs in other genera. Old World fruit bats are highly mobile and many species undertake considerable foraging and migration flights. Our findings indicate that Old World fruit bats have the potential to disperse small seeds hundreds of kilometres. This necessitates a reappraisal of their importance in transporting zoochorous seeds to remote areas and facilitating gene flow between isolated populations of plants, both within mainlands and across ocean barriers.     

Feeding by the short‐tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) on fruit and possibly nectar

New Zealand's short‐tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata Gray, 1843) feeds on fruit, insects, and possibly nectar in North Island kauri (Agathis australis) forest. Fruits eaten by members of a colony of 500 bats in May included those of Freycinetia baueriana (Pandanaceae), Collospermum hastatum, and C. microspermum (Liliaceae). Pollen analyses of bat guano, and of the stomach contents of 4 short‐tailed bats from Omahuta Forest (Lat. 35°10'S) and 3 from Stewart Island and adjacent islands (Lat. 47°15'S), showed that most of the pollen was from flowers of Metrosideros and Leptospermum (Myrtaceae), Knightia excelsa (Proteaceae), and Collospermum, and that spores of the tree fern Cyathea (Cyatheaceae) were present also. Both Metrosideros and Knightia have abundant nectar. The partially extensile tongue of Mystacina is tipped with a brush of fine papillae, possibly to extract nectar and pollen; but the pollen and spores in the bat stomachs and guano could have come from insects eaten by the bats. Transverse ridges on the tongue may assist removal of juice from ripe fruits. These bats may disperse the small seeds of Freycinetia baueriana. The anatomical modifications of Mystacina for terrestrial and arboreal locomotion may have evolved primarily in response to its frugivorous and suspected nectarivorous habits.     

Asymmetric Contribution of Isotopically Contrasting Food Sources to Vertebrate Consumers in a Subtropical Semi‐arid Ecosystem

Habitat heterogeneity is a primary ecological factor that is particularly pronounced in arid ecosystems. The Tehuacán valley is a subtropical semi‐arid ecosystem in which several species of columnar cacti and agave (i.e., CAM plants) constitute the dominant elements accompanied by patches of trees and shrubs (i.e., C₃ plants). Vegetation in Tehuacán is isotopically heterogenous because CAM plants have less depleted δ¹³C values than C₃ plants. Fruits and flowers of cactus and agaves offer abundant food to vertebrates, but their leaves might be less attractive to insects than the leaves of C₃ plants. Therefore, we use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to test the hypothesis that C₃ and CAM food would contribute asymmetrically to different guilds of birds and bats. We predict that granivorous and frugivorous birds and nectarivorous and frugivorous bats will consume a CAM diet, whereas insectivorous birds and bats will consume a C₃ diet. Due to omnivory of bird and bat consumers, we predict that the importance of CAM food will decrease as the trophic level of the animal increases. Our results showed that CAM food predominated in plant‐eating birds and in some flower‐visiting bats, whereas C₃ food predominated in insect‐eating bats and birds and frugivorous bats. Habitat heterogeneity in Tehuacán is important for conservation due to the asymmetric role of CAM and C₃ food in the nutrition of different feeding guilds of vertebrates. Our study provides basic information to evaluate the potential impact of habitat loss on functional groups of consumers in a semi‐arid ecosystem.     

Ventilation and oxygen consumption in the hagfish, Myxine glutinosa L.

Ventilation was measured directly in the hagfish, Myxine glutinosa L., by means of an electro-magnetic blood flowmeter. Ventilatory flow and frequency increased from 0.86 ± 0.27 ml·min^?, and 18.2 ± 5.1·min^?, respectively, at 7°C to 1.70 ± 0.20 ml·min^?, and 70.1 ± 9.5·min^? at 15 ·C.Standard oxygen consumption,V?O₂, was measured in non-buried hagfish. V?O₂ was 0.57 ± 0.17μl O₂·g^?1·min^?1 at 7°C, and 0.85 ± 0.12μl O₂·g^?1·min^?1 at 15°C.