Forschungsprojekt Blumenfledermäuse

Englisch Summary:

In my PhD – project I want to determine how a key life history factor such as the migration between two different ecosystems (coastal dry forests vs deserts) and the inherent diet shift due to the change in the floristic composition affect the intestinal microbiome of nectar-feeding bats. I will compare the migrating Leptonycteris yerbabuenae with the non-migrating Glossophaga soricina from the same subfamily, one of the most abundant and widely distributed nectar-feeding bat species in the entire Neotropics.

Research objectives:

1. Determine the effect of migration and cyclic diet changes on the gastrointestinal microbiome of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae

2. Compare the annual changes of the gastrointestinal microbiome between a migratory (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) and a non-migratory nectar-feeding bat (Glossophaga soricina)

Over the last year I undertook three field expeditions in Mexico. The first one in April to Callejones (Colima) and Chamela-Cuixmala (Jalisco), the second to the Pinacate Volcano (Sonora) in May and the last again to Chamela Cuixmala in November-December.

Main goal of these expeditions was to get microbiome (fecal), pollen and tissue samples for my project. In Callejones, we collected samples from the Lesser Long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) and from Pallas’ Long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina). We captured bats within banana plantations and along the Coahuayana River on the border between the states of Colima and Michoacán and were able to catch a total 27 bats. In Chamela-Cuixmala, we were only able to capture 9 Lesser Long-nosed bats, before we had to postpone further field work. This was mainly due to local disagreements about land ownership of the beach from which we were supposed to sail from. These problems led to certain security concerns and we therefore had to suspend the sampling after only few days. During the remaining time of the visit, we explored the area for other possible roosts. We were able to rediscover a cave that had not been assessed for more than 40 years. This large cave is locally known as “La Fábrica” and hosts a big mixed colony of Lesser-long nosed bats and the insectivorous Macrotus waterhousii.

The field trip to the Pinacate volcano was a great success and we captured and sampled more than 90 animals. As females are in May either pregnant or lactating, we focused on working with females who were not pregnant to reduce the impact on the animals. This was already the second year for the Pinacate sampling, and my upcoming third and last visit in May 2017 will conclude the field work.

In November/December 2016, we visited again the Chamela-Cuixmala site. This time everything worked flawlessly and we captured bats over 15 nights on Don Panchito Island. We caught a total of 126 animals and collected samples from all individuals. Originally we had planned another visit to Callejones, but we had to cancel that part due to security concerns in the area.

At the moment, I am processing the samples collected during the past year. In March 2017, I analyzed the already available pollen samples and right now I am starting with processing of the microbiome samples.