Morphology, Echolocation and Resource Partitioning in Insectivorous Bats

Abstract

(1) Two hypotheses are tested in this paper: (i) wing morphology and echolocation-call ''design'' can determine foraging site selection and foraging behaviour in bats, (ii) echolocation-call ''design'' should be compatible with wing morphology (because some combinations of morphology and echolocation call would be maladaptive). (2) In support of our first hypothesis, significant correlations were established between wing morphology, echolocation call design, manoeuvrability and habitat use. (3) In support of our second hypothesis, significant correlations were established between those morphological parameters that improve manoeuvrability (low wingloading, low aspect ratio and high wingtip shape index) and echolocation calls that are resistant to acoustic clutter in support of our second hypothesis. (4) There was an association between foraging habitat and diet: bats that fed in the same habitats tended to take the same types of prey, while species foraging in different habitats had significantly different diets. (5) There was also a significant correlation between prey and predator size; large bats took insects over a range of sizes while small bats fed only on small prey.