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Bats, Birds, and Bugs: Metabarcoding trophic niches of invertebrate-eating flying vertebrates in West African lowland rice fields
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Resumo(s)
The knowledge about the diet of animal communities is essential to understand how communities
function. Bats and birds are two important groups of invertebrate predators, suppressing their
populations. However, the diet and the factors shaping it remain poorly understood for West African
species. In this study, we investigated these mechanisms in agricultural landscapes of Guinea-Bissau
using metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing. Specifically, we aimed to answer the following
questions: 1) how do dietary breadth and composition vary among predator species and groups? 2) how
does dietary overlap vary, and how do phylogenetic distances influence these overlaps? 3) how does
functional diversity influence dietary breadth and composition among predators?
We analysed the diet of 13 bat and eight bird species. Results revealed that Hemiptera (20.6%),
Blattodea (17.7%), Coleoptera (14.1%), Lepidoptera (12.9%), and Orthoptera (11.3%) were the most
consumed invertebrate orders, with termites (Blattodea, Termitidae) representing a significant
component. We found 53 potential crop pests and eight potential human, animal, and plant disease
vectors in the diet of both bats and birds. All predators have broad niches, with bats generally exhibiting
wider ones. There was a distinct trophic segregation between bats and birds, which is possibly explained
by the differences in foraging periods. Some bat species displayed significant dietary overlaps, which
indicate a low level of interspecific competition. However, we found no correlation between diet overlap
and phylogenetic distance. Habitat density preference and foraging strategies were the only traits
explaining bats' diet, mainly by influencing the consumption of Araneae, Psocodea, and Blattodea.
While weight and beak depth significantly shaped birds' diet, especially the consumption of Araneae.
These findings highlight the importance of species-specific traits in shaping trophic niches and inform
strategies to enhance the role of bats and birds in the provision of ecosystem services such as pest and
disease vector suppression.
Descrição
Tese de mestrado, Biologia da Conservação, 2025, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências
Palavras-chave
Conservação da biodiversidade Diversidade funcional Ecologia trófica Predação de invertebrados Serviços ecossistémicos Teses de mestrado - 2025