Cranial variation of the greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from the central Balkans

Budinski, İvana; Jojić, Vida; Jovanović, Vladimir; Čabrilo, Olivera Bjelić; Paunović, Milan; Vujošević, Mladen

doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2014.09.001

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In R. ferrumequinum , BM was not significantly associated with MMT > 0°C in either sex, except for the relationship between BM and latitude in males (Table ), indicating that body size in this species does not follow James's rule. The discrepancy between our findings and those of the three previous studies (Budinski et al, ; Kryštufek, ; Wu et al, ), which identified an inverse of James's rule, may have three explanations. First, the three previous studies used linear measurements [FAL and cranial size in Kryštufek (); FAL in Wu et al (); and cranial size in Budinski et al ()] as the index of body size, rather than BM.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In bats, some studies have indicated that larger body sizes were found in cooler environments, consistent with the predictions of Bergmann's rule/James's rule (Bogdanowicz, ; Burnett, ; Dietz et al, ; Kelly et al, ; Storz et al, ). However, several studies have shown the inverse of James's rule in the greater horseshoe bat, and have suggested that resource rules (relating to resource abundance, availability, and size) may be used to explain this pattern (Budinski et al, ; Kryštufek, ; Wu et al, ). In R. ferrumequinum , BM was not significantly associated with MMT > 0°C in either sex, except for the relationship between BM and latitude in males (Table ), indicating that body size in this species does not follow James's rule.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, several studies have shown the inverse of James's rule in the greater horseshoe bat, and have suggested that resource rules (relating to resource abundance, availability, and size) may be used to explain this pattern (Budinski et al, 2015;Kryštufek, 1993;Wu et al, 2014). In R. ferrumequinum, BM was not significantly associated with MMT > 0°C in either sex, except for the relationship between BM and latitude in males (Table 2), indicating that body size in this species does not follow James's rule.…”

Section: Patterns and Causes Of Bm Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…De Paz () found that body size in R. ferrumequinum (based on external, cranial and dental measurements) correlated positively with longitude from west to east throughout the Europe, North Africa and western Asia. In addition, skull size in greater horseshoe bats increased with increases in the temperature of the warmest month in the central Balkans (Budinski et al, ) and with decreases in latitude in south‐eastern Europe (Kryštufek, ). Previously, we found that FAL for both sexes of R. ferrumequinum was significantly negatively correlated with latitude, based on 23 global populations (including 13 Chinese populations) (Wu et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bergmann's rule/James's rule has been shown in several bat species, including Antrozous pallidus (Kelly, Friedman, & Santana, 2018), Rhinolophus mehelyi (Dietz, Dietz, & Siemers, 2006), Cynopterus sphinx (Storz et al, 2001), Myotis daubentonii (Bogdanowicz, 1990) and Eptesicus fuscus (Burnett, 1983). However, analyses of other bat species, such as Pipistrellus kuhlii (Tomassini et al, 2014), R. ferrumequinum (Budinski et al, 2015;De Paz, 1995;Wu et al, 2014), Plecotus auritus and P. austriacus (Postawa, Zagorodniuk, & Bachanek, 2012) have failed to support James's rule. In most previous studies of Bergmann's rule in bats, linear measurements (for instance, of the wing and cranium) were used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The patterns and possible causes of global geographical variation in the body size of the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)

Jiang

Wang

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Geographical variations in endotherm body size (e.g. Bergmann's rule/James's rule and Allen's rule) have long been tested. However, the patterns and causes of geographical variation in body size within bat species, especially within widespread hibernating species, are little known. Here, we evaluated the possible causes of geographical size variation patterns in the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), a bat species widely distributed across the Palearctic. Location Palearctic. Methods We collected body size data (body mass and forearm length) from 1,172 adult bats via direct measurements or from the literature. We used high‐resolution environmental data for the sampled sites. We applied multiple linear regressions and an information‐theoretic approach on separate female and male datasets to estimate the support for various hypotheses. Results Temperature and latitude failed to predict body mass in both females and males. The best model showed that populations with longer forearms in both sexes were associated with higher mean temperatures (in the warmest quarter) and lower mean temperatures (in the coldest quarter). The independent contribution of these temperature parameters to forearm length in both sexes was higher than that of all other variables. Main conclusion The observed relationship between temperature and body mass was not consistent with James's rule, and thus failed to support the heat conservation hypothesis. Our results are consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule and indicated that direct heat dissipation from the wing may be the most likely mechanism underlying geographical variation in forearm length. We suggest that the evaluation of the relative importance of multiple causal mechanisms may improve our understanding of patterns of geographical variation in endotherms.

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