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High-throughput sequencing offers insight into mechanisms of resource partitioning in cryptic bat species

High-throughput sequencing offers insight into mechanisms of resource partitioning in cryptic bat species
High-throughput sequencing offers insight into mechanisms of resource partitioning in cryptic bat species
Sympatric cryptic species, characterized by low morphological differentiation, pose a challenge to understanding the role of interspecific competition in structuring ecological communities. We used traditional (morphological) and novel molecular methods of diet analysis to study the diet of two cryptic bat species that are sympatric in southern England (Plecotus austriacus and P. auritus) (Fig. 1). Using Roche FLX 454 (Roche, Basel, CH) high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and uniquely tagged generic arthropod primers, we identified 142 prey Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) in the diet of the cryptic bats, 60% of which were assigned to a likely species or genus. The findings from the molecular study supported the results of microscopic analyses in showing that the diets of both species were dominated by lepidopterans. However, HTS provided a sufficiently high resolution of prey identification to determine fine-scale differences in resource use. Although both bat species appeared to have a generalist diet, eared-moths from the family Noctuidae were the main prey consumed. Interspecific niche overlap was greater than expected by chance (Ojk= 0.72, P < 0.001) due to overlap in the consumption of the more common prey species. Yet, habitat associations of nongeneralist prey species found in the diets corresponded to those of their respective bat predator (grasslands for P. austriacus, and woodland for P. auritus). Overlap in common dietary resource use combined with differential specialist prey habitat associations suggests that habitat partitioning is the primary mechanism of coexistence. The performance of HTS is discussed in relation to previous methods of molecular and morphological diet analysis. By enabling species-level identification of dietary components, the application of DNA sequencing to diet analysis allows a more comprehensive comparison of the diet of sympatric cryptic species, and therefore can be an important tool for determining fine-scale mechanisms of coexistence.
556-570
Razgour, Orly
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Clare, Elizabeth L.
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Zeale, Matt R.K.
b7c850ac-773e-4b00-9bca-a8e880ab3d19
Hanmer, Julia
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Schnell, Ida Baerholm
e8fc8d43-4821-4ccc-9564-02381a871b7e
Rasmussen, Morten
add6a98b-839b-458e-8abf-99e85cc95637
Gilbert, Thomas P.
a48f98e3-6a47-4b46-9054-610e54657d5f
Jones, Gareth
0a6ac21d-b3cd-4aa9-b316-5ffd861e3c5a
Razgour, Orly
107f4912-304a-44d5-99f8-cdf2a9ce6f14
Clare, Elizabeth L.
1680f0dc-f2d1-43a1-ba6c-5b4a3516e706
Zeale, Matt R.K.
b7c850ac-773e-4b00-9bca-a8e880ab3d19
Hanmer, Julia
6d86aa33-7e0e-4a90-8d54-efae75298d3e
Schnell, Ida Baerholm
e8fc8d43-4821-4ccc-9564-02381a871b7e
Rasmussen, Morten
add6a98b-839b-458e-8abf-99e85cc95637
Gilbert, Thomas P.
a48f98e3-6a47-4b46-9054-610e54657d5f
Jones, Gareth
0a6ac21d-b3cd-4aa9-b316-5ffd861e3c5a

Razgour, Orly, Clare, Elizabeth L., Zeale, Matt R.K., Hanmer, Julia, Schnell, Ida Baerholm, Rasmussen, Morten, Gilbert, Thomas P. and Jones, Gareth (2011) High-throughput sequencing offers insight into mechanisms of resource partitioning in cryptic bat species. Ecology and Evolution, 1 (4), 556-570. (doi:10.1002/ece3.49).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Sympatric cryptic species, characterized by low morphological differentiation, pose a challenge to understanding the role of interspecific competition in structuring ecological communities. We used traditional (morphological) and novel molecular methods of diet analysis to study the diet of two cryptic bat species that are sympatric in southern England (Plecotus austriacus and P. auritus) (Fig. 1). Using Roche FLX 454 (Roche, Basel, CH) high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and uniquely tagged generic arthropod primers, we identified 142 prey Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) in the diet of the cryptic bats, 60% of which were assigned to a likely species or genus. The findings from the molecular study supported the results of microscopic analyses in showing that the diets of both species were dominated by lepidopterans. However, HTS provided a sufficiently high resolution of prey identification to determine fine-scale differences in resource use. Although both bat species appeared to have a generalist diet, eared-moths from the family Noctuidae were the main prey consumed. Interspecific niche overlap was greater than expected by chance (Ojk= 0.72, P < 0.001) due to overlap in the consumption of the more common prey species. Yet, habitat associations of nongeneralist prey species found in the diets corresponded to those of their respective bat predator (grasslands for P. austriacus, and woodland for P. auritus). Overlap in common dietary resource use combined with differential specialist prey habitat associations suggests that habitat partitioning is the primary mechanism of coexistence. The performance of HTS is discussed in relation to previous methods of molecular and morphological diet analysis. By enabling species-level identification of dietary components, the application of DNA sequencing to diet analysis allows a more comprehensive comparison of the diet of sympatric cryptic species, and therefore can be an important tool for determining fine-scale mechanisms of coexistence.

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Accepted/In Press date: 13 September 2011
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 November 2011
Published date: December 2011
Organisations: Environmental

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Local EPrints ID: 394301
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/394301
PURE UUID: 7b0bba7d-8125-4c3e-b3df-f0a56e1eb9a0
ORCID for Orly Razgour: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3186-0313

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Date deposited: 13 May 2016 11:12
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 00:20

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Contributors

Author: Orly Razgour ORCID iD
Author: Elizabeth L. Clare
Author: Matt R.K. Zeale
Author: Julia Hanmer
Author: Ida Baerholm Schnell
Author: Morten Rasmussen
Author: Thomas P. Gilbert
Author: Gareth Jones

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