New Lit Alert: Urban tolerance is phylogenetically constrained and mediated by pre-adaptations in African bats

Urban tolerance is phylogenetically constrained and mediated by pre-adaptations in African bats

G.E. Marsden, D Vosloo, M.C. Schoeman

Abstract

With increasing urbanization, particularly in developing countries, it is important to understand how local biota will respond to such landscape changes. Bats comprise one of the most diverse groups of mammals in urban areas, and many species are threatened by habitat destruction and land use change. Yet, in Africa, the response of bats to urban areas is relatively understudied. Therefore, we collated data on urban presence, phylogenetic relationship, and ecological traits of 54 insectivorous bats in Africa from available literature to test if their response to urbanization was phylogenetically and/or ecologically driven. Ancestral state reconstruction of urban tolerance, defined by functional group and presence observed in urban areas, suggests that ancestral African bat species could adapt to urban landscapes, and significant phylogenetic signal for urban tolerance indicates that this ability is evolutionarily conserved and mediated by pre-adaptations. Specifically, traits of high wing loading and aspect ratio, and flexible roosting strategies, enable occupancy of urban areas. Therefore, our results identify the traits that predict which bat species will likely occur in urban areas, and which vulnerable bat clades conservation efforts should focus on to reduce loss of both functional and phylogenetic diversity in Africa. We, additionally, highlight several gaps in research that should be investigated in future studies to provide better monitoring of the impact urbanization will have on African bats.

Read the study

Marsden, G. E., Vosloo, D., & Schoeman, M. C. (2023). Urban tolerance is phylogenetically constrained and mediated by pre‐adaptations in African bats. Ecology and Evolution, 13(3), e9840.

If you’re an author on this paper or just found it really interesting, consider writing a post telling us more about it! Contact Kristin for more details and to become a contributor.

Featured image: © Wynand Uys, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

• Author
• Recent Posts

Olivia Weklar

Junior Laboratory Associate at New York University

Olivia is a lab technician in Kristin's lab at NYU. She loves all urban creatures, big and small!

Latest posts by Olivia Weklar (see all)

• New Lit Alert: Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus) - August 3, 2023
• New Lit Alert: Variation in Pheidole nodus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) functional morphology across urban parks - August 1, 2023
• Urban Observation: Groundhogs in Central Park - July 27, 2023