2020
DOI: 10.1111/mec.15769
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Predator preferences shape the diets of arthropodivorous bats more than quantitative local prey abundance

Abstract: Although most predators are generalists, the majority of studies on the association between prey availability and prey consumption have focused on specialist predators. To investigate the role of highly generalist predators in a complex food web, we measured the relationships between prey consumption and prey availability in two common arthropodivorous bats. Specifically, we used high‐throughput amplicon sequencing coupled with a known mock community to characterize seasonal changes in little brown and big bro… Show more

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Cited by 31 publications
(35 citation statements)
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“…However, the overall preference for Ramshorn snails was stronger as even at low relative abundances they were often consumed more than expected under random feeding ( Fig 3 ). Relative abundance independent feeding is observed in other systems as well [ 65 67 ] and this could represent a more common trait of generalist predator populations.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 77%
“…However, the overall preference for Ramshorn snails was stronger as even at low relative abundances they were often consumed more than expected under random feeding ( Fig 3 ). Relative abundance independent feeding is observed in other systems as well [ 65 67 ] and this could represent a more common trait of generalist predator populations.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 77%
“…The temporal separation we observed could instead reflect the variable activity patterns of the preferred prey of each phonic group (Rydell et al, 1996). For example, low-frequency bats prey more heavily on beetles (e.g., Clare et al, 2014b;Wray et al, 2021), while Myotis mainly depredate small-bodied moths and flies (e.g., Clare et al, 2014a;O'Rourke et al, 2021).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 88%
“…The remaining eight bat species we sampled are considered predominately generalist insect consumers [64], and we found that Myotis species consumed the most diverse prey items. A large proportion of the OTUs detected in samples from M. grisescens and M. sodalis were comprised of aquatic species, including Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, including 168 and 167 representatives in the diet of the two species, respectively.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 91%