Physiological constraint to food ingestion in a new world nectarivorous bat

We investigated the intake response of the nectarivorous Pallas's long-tongued bat Glossophaga soricina to different nectar concentrations to test the hypothesis that bats show compensatory feeding. Bats were offered sucrose solutions between 146 and 1,168 mmol L(-1). Contrary to our expectations, long-tongued bats did not show compensatory feeding, suggesting that volumetric food intake is physiologically constrained. Energy intake was lower at the most dilute solutions (146-584 mmol L(-1)) and then remained relatively constant at more concentrated diets (876 and 1,168 mmol L(-1)). The shape of the observed intake response was very similar to the one predicted by a model dependent on intestinal morphology and in vitro sucrase activity. However, the model predicted higher volumetric food intake at the lower concentrations tested, which suggests that the intestines of the bats were not functioning to their full capacity. Rates of sucrose hydrolysis and water processing probably constrain food intake in long-tongued bats as diets get more dilute.