Abstract
Neotropical bats of the genus Carollia are widely studied due to their abundance, distribution and relevance for ecosystems. However, the ecomorphological boundaries of these species are poorly differentiated, and consequently correspondence between their geographic distribution, ecological plasticity and morphological variation remains unclear. In this study, patterns of cranial and mandibular morphological variation were assessed for Carollia brevicauda, C. castanea and C. perspicillata from Colombia. Using geometric morphometrics, morphological variation was examined with respect to: differences in intraspecific variation, morphological modularity and integration, and biogeographic patterns. Patterns of intraspecific variation were different for each species in both cranial and mandibular morphology, with functional differences apparent according to diet. Cranial modularity varied between species whereas mandibular modularity did not. High cranial and mandibular correlation reflects Cranium-Mandible integration as a functional unit. Similarity between the biogeographic patterns in C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata indicates that the Andes do not act as a barrier but rather as an independent region, isolating the morphology of Andean populations of larger-bodied species. The biogeographic pattern for C. castanea was not associated with the physiography of the Andes, suggesting that large body size does not benefit C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata in maintaining homogeneous morphologies among populations.
Highlights
Morphological innovation plays a central role in the speciation and diversification of mammals (Dumont et al, 2012)
The goal of this study is to provide a quantitative evaluation of cranial and mandibular morphology in Carollia species, focusing on (1) the magnitude and mode of intraspecific shape variation, which is poorly understood, and (2) the influence of the Andes on the distribution of shape variation in populations located in each biogeographic region
Sample sites and specimen selection A total of 286 specimens of Carollia (C. brevicauda = 108; C. castanea = 82; C. perspicillata = 96) from 143 different localities in Colombia were evaluated for this study
Summary
Morphological innovation plays a central role in the speciation and diversification of mammals (Dumont et al, 2012). The family Phyllostomidae (Chiroptera) has undergone considerable adaptive radiation, occupying a wide variety of ecological niches associated to diet, comprising frugivorous, insectivorous, nectarivorous, carnivores, and hematophagous guilds (Dumont, 1997). Among these guilds, frugivory is the most related to morphological innovation and ecological diversification in phyllostomid bats (Freeman, 2000). Frugivorous species display one of the highest degrees of morphological plasticity (Dumont, 1997; Rojas et al, 2012)
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