A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Molecular evidence of bird-eating behavior in Nyctalus aviator
Tekijät: Heim O., Puisto A., Fukui D., Vesterinen E.
Kustantaja: Springer Verlag
Julkaisuvuosi: 2019
Journal: Acta ethologica
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: Acta Ethologica
Vuosikerta: 22
Numero: 3
Aloitussivu: 223
Lopetussivu: 226
Sivujen määrä: 4
ISSN: 0873-9749
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-019-00319-5
Verkko-osoite: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10211-019-00319-5
Rinnakkaistallenteen osoite: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/41255308
Insectivorous bats consume a large variety of food items. Previous observations of feathers found in feces led to the hypothesis that the birdlike noctule (Nyctalus aviator, Vespertilionidae) could prey on birds. To test the hypothesis, we analyzed fecal samples from six species (Barbastella pacifica, Murina hilgendorfi, Myotis frater, N. aviator, Plecotus sacrimontis, and Vespertilio sinensis) collected from central Hokkaido, Japan, via DNA barcoding. We identified the presence of the Middendorff’s grasshopper warbler (Locustella ochotensis) in the diet of a pregnant individual of N. aviator. All the other samples proved negative regarding bird prey DNA. This is the first time that the consumption of a bird by N. aviator is confirmed with molecular evidence. Our findings add invaluable insight into the diet of this bat and its potentially opportunistic foraging behavior.
Ladattava julkaisu This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |