Do mosquitoes influence bat activity in coastal habitats?

Gonsalves, Leroy; Lamb, Susan; Webb, Cameron E.; Law, Bradley; Monamy, Vaughan

doi:10.1071/wr12148

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Large estuarine areas (primarily coastal saltmarsh and mangrove forests) that represent important larval habitats for Ae . vigilax throughout the austral summer are also present [17]. Sampling was undertaken 1-2 km from estuarine habitats in Narrabeen Coastal Blackbutt Forest where adult Ae .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In systems where mosquitoes are highly abundant, particularly during summer months [17], mosquitoes potentially represent a small sized (~5 mm) prey resource for insectivorous bats. In the study area, activity of only small bats of the Vespadelus genus ( V. vulturnus and V. pumilus ) was positively correlated with the abundance of Ae .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the study area, activity of only small bats of the Vespadelus genus ( V. vulturnus and V. pumilus ) was positively correlated with the abundance of Ae . vigilax [17]. Additionally, V. vulturnus shifted foraging ranges relative to changes in the distribution and abundance of Ae .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We concurrently measured the abundance of mosquitoes and other insects through the course of one field season to provide data on the availability of prey and predicted that consumption of Ae . vigilax would be restricted to smaller bats that are influenced by the abundance of mosquitoes [17,18]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mosquito Consumption by Insectivorous Bats: Does Size Matter?

et al. 2013

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Insectivorous bats have often been touted as biological control for mosquito populations. However, mosquitoes generally represent only a small proportion of bat diet. Given the small size of mosquitoes, restrictions imposed on prey detectability by low frequency echolocation, and variable field metabolic rates (FMR), mosquitoes may not be available to or profitable for all bats. This study investigated whether consumption of mosquitoes was influenced by bat size, which is negatively correlated with echolocation frequency but positively correlated with bat FMR. To assess this, we investigated diets of five eastern Australian bat species (Vespadelus vulturnus Thomas, V. pumilus Gray, Miniopterus australis Tomes, Nyctophilus gouldi Tomes and Chalinolobus gouldii Gray) ranging in size from 4-14 g in coastal forest, using molecular analysis of fecal DNA. Abundances of potential mosquito and non-mosquito prey were concurrently measured to provide data on relative prey abundance. Aedes vigilax was locally the most abundant mosquito species, while Lepidoptera the most abundant insect order. A diverse range of prey was detected in bat feces, although members of Lepidoptera dominated, reflecting relative abundance at trap sites. Consumption of mosquitoes was restricted to V. vulturnus and V. pumilus, two smaller sized bats (4 and 4.5 g). Although mosquitoes were not commonly detected in feces of V. pumilus, they were present in feces of 55 % of V. vulturnus individuals. To meet nightly FMR requirements, Vespadelus spp. would need to consume ~600-660 mosquitoes on a mosquito-only diet, or ~160-180 similar sized moths on a moth-only diet. Lower relative profitability of mosquitoes may provide an explanation for the low level of mosquito consumption among these bats and the absence of mosquitoes in feces of larger bats. Smaller sized bats, especially V. vulturnus, are likely to be those most sensitive to reductions in mosquito abundance and should be monitored during mosquito control activities.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mosquito Consumption by Insectivorous Bats: Does Size Matter?

et al. 2013

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“…Bats -Riparian zones provide numerous benefits for insectivorous bats, including favorable open habitats in the middle of a wooded area, water availability, and emergent aquatic insects as food resource [53,57,[64][65][66][67][68][69]. Yoshikura et al (2011) found that species richness and total abundance of two tree-roosting specialists (Myotis ikonnikovi, Murina ussuriensis) and the Japanese largefooted bat (M. macrodactylus) were significantly higher in riparian habitats than those in non-riparian habitats [70].…”

Section: Impacts Of Aquatic Resource Subsidies On Specific Terrestriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Riparian Zone: Effects of Resource Availability at Land-water Interface

Xiang¹,

Zhang²,

Richardson³

2017

Riparian Ecology and Conservation

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Riparian zone provides a variety of resources to organisms, including availability of water and subsidies. Water availability in riparian areas influences species distribution and trophic interaction of terrestrial food webs. Cross-ecosystem subsidies as resource flux of additional energy, nutrients, and materials benefit riparian populations and communities (e.g. plants, spiders, lizards, birds and mammals). However, aquatic ecosystems and riparian zones are prone to anthropogenic disturbances, which change water availability and affect the flux dynamics of cross-system subsidies. Yet, we still lack sufficient empirical studies assessing impacts of disturbances of land use, climate change and invasive species individually and interactively on aquatic and riparian ecosystems through influencing subsidy resource availability. In filling this knowledge gap, we can make more effective efforts to protect and conserve riparian habitats and biodiversity, and maintain riparian ecosystem functioning and services.

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Should invertebrates receive greater inclusion in wildlife research journals?

et al. 2015

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Invertebrates are among the most diverse organisms on Earth, significantly contribute to ecosystem function and integrity, and possess high potential as bioindicators. By definition, invertebrates also are wildlife. Yet, inclusion of invertebrates in peer-reviewed wildlife journals has not been investigated. As such, our objective was to assess inclusion of invertebrates in prominent wildlife journals published in the last decade. Based on our review and first-hand experience, we also aimed to provide recommendations for integration of invertebrates into wildlife science, education, and peer-reviewed literature. We performed a systematic literature review by manually searching all issues and articles from Wildlife Society Bulletin. We analyzed data derived from our review to elucidate trends in the inclusion of invertebrates in these journals. We identified 4,916 articles that involved animal taxa, of which 122 (2.5%) included invertebrates and <1% included invertebrates as focal taxa. Our results indicated invertebrates are included in a minute portion of articles in top wildlife journals. We recommend a paradigm shift to a less taxonomically homogenized and vertebrate-centric approach to wildlife science and education, integrating invertebrates into wildlife studies, and publishing results of those studies in wildlife journals to facilitate effective management of all wildlife species. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.

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Do mosquitoes influence bat activity in coastal habitats?

Cited by 28 publications

References 57 publications

Mosquito Consumption by Insectivorous Bats: Does Size Matter?

Mosquito Consumption by Insectivorous Bats: Does Size Matter?

Importance of Riparian Zone: Effects of Resource Availability at Land-water Interface

Should invertebrates receive greater inclusion in wildlife research journals?

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