Reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus Gray 1838 (Chiroptera) at the southern limit of its geographic range

Abstract

Reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus Gray 1838 (Chiroptera) at the southern limit of its geographic range. Biota Neotropica. 16(4): e20160231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1676-0611- BN-2016-0231 Abstract: Bats of the Phyllostomidae family exhibit different reproductive patterns in Neotropical regions and the strategy adopted depends on the regional climate. Here we studied the reproductive biology of Artibeus fimbriatus at the southern limit of their distribution in Brazil. This region has no rainy season, and the climate is characterized by high temperatures and variable photoperiods. We examined 129 A. fimbriatus females over several months, and used histological procedures where necessary in order to determine whether bats were pregnant. Females exhibited a long reproductive period and were pregnant from June until February. The reproduction events were found to be dependent on the photoperiod, but independent of annual accumulated precipitation. Our results show that at the southern limit of their distribution, A. fimbriatus exhibit seasonal-dependent reproductive patterns, with parturition events occurring during spring and summer, in which the days are longer and temperature is warmer.Keywords: Phyllostomidae; Photoperiod; Reproduction; Seasonal. Biologia reprodutiva de Artibeus fimbriatus Gray 1838 (Chiroptera) no limite sul de sua distribuição geográficaResumo: Os morcegos Phyllostomidae apresentam diferentes padrões reprodutivos no Neotropico e a estratégia adotada depende do clima regional. Neste trabalho nós estudamos a biologia reprodutiva de A. fimbriatus no Brasil, na região que determina o limite sul de sua distribuição geográfica, onde não há estação chuvosa e o clima é caracterizado por variações na temperatura e fotoperíodo. Nós examinamos 129 fêmeas de A. fimbriatus e utilizamos procedimentos histológicos, quando necessário, para classificar as fêmeas como prenhe ao longo dos meses. As fêmeas exibem um longo período reprodutivo e estão grávidas de junho até fevereiro. Nossos resultados mostram que as fêmeas de A. fimbriatus apresentam uma estratégia reprodutiva que é dependente da sazonalidade com os nascimentos ocorrendo quando os dias são mais longos e a temperatura é maior (primavera e verão), no limite sul de sua distribuição geográfica.

Climatic correlates of migrant Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) phenology in north-eastern South Africa

“…sodalis) at summer maternity sites indicates that physiology and development are reliable cues for migration (Pettit and O'Keefe 2017). For example, changes in the seasons cues preparation for migration, including fattening in the European migratory common noctule bat Nyctalus noctula (Voight et al 2019) and reproduction in the fringed fruit-eating bat Artibeus fimbriatus (Lima and Fabián 2016). The narrow departure dates of M. natalensis at the Madimatle cave supports the results that photoperiod is the strongest predictor of activity for this species, but arrival, which was variable between years, is likely modulated by unpredictable climatic events before and during migration from the hibernation site, such as cold snaps, heavy rainfall or high winds (Pettit and O'Keefe 2017).…”

Reproduction of Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest fragment in southern Brazil

“…Thus, four main reproductive strategies are recognized for bats in the Neotropical Region (Fleming et al, 1972): seasonal monoestry (1), with only one pregnancy per year in a given season (Zortéa, 2003); seasonal polyestry (2), with two annual pregnancies and frequency presenting two peaks in a rapid succession (Bernard, 2002); extensive reproductive period followed by a short period of inactivity (3), with more than one progeny per year in different pregnancies (Willig, 1985); and continuous or non-seasonal polyestry (4), with pregnancy in different months over a year and reproduction all year round (Trajano, 1984). Bats reproductive strategies variation along different areas are connected with endogenous and exogenous factors (Willig, 1985;Klose et al, 2006;Lima & Fabián, 2016), such as resource availability, which is directly affected by environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation (Tamsitt & Valdivieso, 1963). According to Durant et al (2013), reproductive phenologies of populations are strongly molded by environmental variation because the phenomenon of natural selection tends to favor individuals that time energetically demanding portions of their life cycle to correspond with periods of high resource availability.…”