Structure of the Interaction Networks Between Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and Ectoparasite Flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) on a Latitudinal Gradient

Júnior, Leandro De Freitas; Araújo, Walter Santos de; Falcão, Luiz Alberto Dolabela

doi:10.3161/15081109acc2020.22.1.018

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The high host specificity resulted also in a highly modular interaction network. The calculated modularity ( Q = 0.78) is considerably higher than commonly detected, for instance, in pollination networks (mean modularity Q = 0.52 ( n = 51), Olesen et al ., 2007) or in other host–parasite networks (e.g., bat–bat flies: Q = 0.61, Fagundes et al ., 2017, mean modularity Q = 0.65 ( n = 69), Júnior et al ., 2020, or Neotropical fish – endoparasites: Q = 0.65, Bellay et al ., 2015). Reducing the host species to members of the bat family Phyllostomidae allowed us to use high‐quality predictor variables (body mass, relative abundance and roosting preferences) in a subsequent analysis, which were shown to affect parasitism by bat flies (Patterson et al ., 2007, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat–bat fly interactions in Central Panama: host traits relate to modularity in a highly specialised network

Hiller

Vollstädt

Brändel

et al. 2021

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Recently, network approaches have gained increasing popularity in studies of species interactions. These analyses provide important information about structural and functional organisation, as well as on the dynamics of species interactions. Common model systems for network studies include seed dispersal, pollination, and also parasite interactions. Bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) are obligate blood‐sucking ectoparasites of bats. Resource partitioning allows multiple fly species to co‐occur on a single host individual, making them an ideal model system for network analyses. Between 2013 and 2018 in Central Panama, 6528 bats from 53 species were examined for the presence of bat flies. Thereof, we collected a total of 6077 bat flies belonging to 52 species. The resulting interaction network showed a significantly higher specificity (H2' = 0.97) and modularity (Q = 0.78) than expected by chance, indicating a very high host specificity of the bat flies. To investigate parasite interactions in the context of host size, host abundance and roosting preferences, we pooled parasite identifications on genus level. The majority of our identified modules were associated with bats using persistent roosting structures. Neither host size nor host abundance appeared to affect module structure. Further, module structure appeared not to be host‐phylogeny driven, instead modules were often composed of species known to share roosting structures. Their high host‐specificity could put bat flies at risk of extinction in changing environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat–bat fly interactions in Central Panama: host traits relate to modularity in a highly specialised network

Hiller

Vollstädt

Brändel

et al. 2021

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…Although the number of studies on interactions between bats and their ectoparasitic flies has increased in recent years, the vast majority are still carried out at local or regional scales (e.g., Biz et al, 2021; Fagundes et al, 2017; Hiller et al, 2020; Salinas‐Ramos et al, 2018; Tlapaya‐Romero et al, 2021; Trujillo‐Pahua & Ibáñez‐Bernal, 2020). Fewer studies have provided data gathered on larger scales (but see Eriksson et al, 2019; Júnior et al, 2020; Saldaña‐Vázquez et al, 2019). Júnior et al (2020) provide extremely relevant information on network structures for bats and ectoparasites on a global scale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fewer studies have provided data gathered on larger scales (but see Eriksson et al, 2019;Júnior et al, 2020;Saldaña-Vázquez et al, 2019). Júnior et al (2020) provide extremely relevant information on network structures for bats and ectoparasites on a global scale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network and parasitological analyses reveal latitudinal gradient in bats‐ectoparasitic fly interactions across the Neotropic

Biz,

Bastazini,

Carvalho

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Ecological interactions between parasites and their hosts play a fundamental role in evolutionary processes. Selection pressures are exerted on parasites and their hosts, usually resulting in high levels of specificity. Such is the case of ectoparasitic bat‐flies, but how large‐scale spatial gradients affect the dynamics of their interactions with their bat hosts is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated interaction patterns between bats and their ectoparasitic flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae), both presenting their peak of diversity in the Neotropical region, along a latitudinal gradient. Using network analyses and parasitic indices, grounded on the latitudinal diversity gradient pattern, we evaluated how spatial gradients affect species interactions and parasitic indices at the biogeopraphic scale, with increasing species richness in interaction networks closer to the tropics, leading to increases in network modularity, size, and specialization, and to a decrease in nesting and connectivity. We conducted a literature review, focusing on studies done in the Neotropical region, and own data. We obtained a bat richness of 97 species parasitized by 128 species of ectoparasitic flies, distributed into 57 interaction networks between latitudes 29° S and 19° N in the Neotropic. Network metrics and parasitic indices varied along the latitudinal gradient, with changes in the richness of bats and their ectoparasitic flies and in the structure of their interactions; network specialization, modularity, and connectance increase with latitude, while network size decreases with latitude. Regions closer to the equator had higher parasite loads. Our results show that interaction network metrics present a latitudinal gradient and that such interactions, when observed at a local scale, hide variations that only become perceptible at larger scales. In this way, ectoparasites such as bat flies are not only influenced by the ecology and biology of their hosts, but also by other environmental factors acting directly on their distribution and survival.

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“…and Myotis spp.). In modular networks, owing to high species specificity, modules are often created by phylogenetically related bat species with similar parasitic fauna (Mello et al ., 2011 ; Krasnov et al ., 2012 ; Freitas Júnior et al ., 2020 ). According to Wenzel et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studying networks of interactions aids in the search for patterns of abundance, distribution and specialization of species, their degree of redundancy and their vulnerability to extinction (Tylianakis et al ., 2007 ; Clayton et al ., 2015 ; Zarazúa-Carbajal et al ., 2016 ). In addition, networks can provide detailed information on ecological systems, helping elucidate how biological communities are organized, and how species are connected, underscoring the implications of these interactions for the ecosystem (Poulin, 2010 ; Freitas Júnior et al ., 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bat–parasite interaction networks in urban green areas in northeastern Brazil

Bezerra

Bocchiglieri

2022

Parasitology

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Interaction networks can provide detailed information regarding ecological systems, helping us understand how communities are organized and species are connected. The goals of this study were to identify the pattern of interaction between bats and ectoparasites in urban green areas of Grande Aracaju, Sergipe, and calculate connectance, specialization, nesting, modularity and centrality metrics. Bats were captured using 10 mist nets inside and on the edges of the fragments, and the collected ectoparasites were stored in 70% alcohol. All analyses were performed using R software. The interaction network consisted of 10 species of bats and 13 ectoparasites. Connectivity was considered low (0.12). The specialization indices for ectoparasites ranged from 0.50 to 1.00, and the value obtained for the network was 0.96, which is high. The observed nesting metric was low (wNODF = 1.47), whereas the modularity was high (wQ = 0.74), indicating that the studied network had a modular topology. All centrality metrics had low values. The observed modularity may have been caused by the evolutionary history of the bats and ectoparasites involved and the high specificity index of the interactions. The low centrality values may be associated with low connectivity and a high degree of specialization. This study provides relevant information on bat–parasite interactions in an urban environment, highlighting the need for further studies to improve our understanding of host–parasite interaction networks.

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Structure of the Interaction Networks Between Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and Ectoparasite Flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) on a Latitudinal Gradient

Cited by 13 publications

References 67 publications

Bat–bat fly interactions in Central Panama: host traits relate to modularity in a highly specialised network

Bat–bat fly interactions in Central Panama: host traits relate to modularity in a highly specialised network

Network and parasitological analyses reveal latitudinal gradient in bats‐ectoparasitic fly interactions across the Neotropic

Bat–parasite interaction networks in urban green areas in northeastern Brazil

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