relationship between spatial working memory performance and diet specialization in two sympatric nectar bats空间工作记忆性能和饮食专业化之间的关系在两个分布区重叠的花蜜蝙蝠.pdfVIP

Relationship between Spatial Working Memory Performance and Diet Specialization in Two Sympatric Nectar Bats ¨ 1,2 2,3 Mickael Henry *, Kathryn E. Stoner 1 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR 406 Abeilles Environnement, Site Agroparc, Avignon, France, 2 Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, ´ ´ ´ Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Morelia, Mexico, 3 Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Texas A M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, United States of America Abstract Behavioural ecologists increasingly recognise spatial memory as one the most influential cognitive traits involved in evolutionary processes. In particular, spatial working memory (SWM), i.e. the ability of animals to store temporarily useful information for current foraging tasks, determines the foraging efficiency of individuals. As a consequence, SWM also has the potential to influence competitive abilities and to affect patterns of sympatric occurrence among closely related species. The present study aims at comparing the efficiency of SWM between generalist (Glossophaga soricina) and specialist (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) nectarivorous bats at flowering patches. The two species differ in diet – the generalist diet including seasonally fruits and insects with nectar and pollen while the specialist diet is dominated by nectar and pollen yearlong – and in some morphological traits – the specialist being heavier and with proportionally longer rostrum than the generalist. These bats are found sympatrically within part of their range in the Neotropics. We habituated captive individuals to feed on artificial flower patches and we used infrared video recordings to monitor their ability to r