Temporal niche overlap of a riparian forest bat assemblage in subtropical Mexico

Resumen

Use of time as mediator of ecological interactions is important but has been poorly studied and has received less attention than other niche axes. We characterized and compared patterns of activity, and temporal activity overlap of a bat assemblage at a riparian forest from La Peregrina Canyon, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Bats were captured during twenty one-nights, distributed over a year, using mistnets. Nets were opened before sunset and closed 13 h later, being checked every 30 min. A total of 22 species were recorded, with Sturnira lilium, Desmodus rotundus, S. ludovici, Artibeus lituratus and Pteronotus davyi, as the most abundant species. The activity of D. rotundus was different from other abundant species, except with A. lituratus with whom had a high activity overlap. Within the assemblage, the highest temporal overlap was between S. lilium and S. ludovici. Among common guilds, frugivores showed a different pattern from that of insectivores and sanguinivores. Although riparian zones mainly provide roost, food and water, they also provide protection along streams, therefore are used as a flight corridor. This is the first study that analyzes temporal use by neotropical bats of a riparian habitat using null model analysis with different time resolutions.