Topic
Microchiroptera
About: Microchiroptera is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 122 publications have been published within this topic receiving 5244 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: It is clear that the authors do not know enough about bat biology; they are doing too little in terms of bat conservation; and there remain a multitude of questions regarding the role of bats in disease emergence.
Abstract: Bats (order Chiroptera, suborders Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera) are abundant, diverse, and geographically widespread. These mammals provide us with resources, but their importance is minimized and many of their populations and species are at risk, even threatened or endangered. Some of their characteristics (food choices, colonial or solitary nature, population structure, ability to fly, seasonal migration and daily movement patterns, torpor and hibernation, life span, roosting behaviors, ability to echolocate, virus susceptibility) make them exquisitely suitable hosts of viruses and other disease agents. Bats of certain species are well recognized as being capable of transmitting rabies virus, but recent observations of outbreaks and epidemics of newly recognized human and livestock diseases caused by viruses transmitted by various megachiropteran and microchiropteran bats have drawn attention anew to these remarkable mammals. This paper summarizes information regarding chiropteran characteristics and information regarding 66 viruses that have been isolated from bats. From these summaries, it is clear that we do not know enough about bat biology, that we are doing too little in terms of bat conservation, and that there remain a multitude of questions regarding the role of bats in disease emergence.
1,514 citations
TL;DR: A phylogenetic analysis of bat relationships using DNA sequence data from four nuclear genes and three mitochondrial genes indicates that microbat families in the superfamily Rhinolophoidea are more closely related to megabats than they are to other microbats, which implies that echolocation systems either evolved independently in rhinlophoids and otherMicrobat monophyly is uncorroborated by molecular data.
Abstract: Bats (order Chiroptera) are one of the few orders of mammals that echolocate and the only group with the capacity for powered flight The order is subdivided into Microchiroptera and Megachiroptera, with an array of characteristics defining each group, including complex laryngeal echolocation systems in microbats and enhanced visual acuity in megabats The respective monophylies of the two suborders have been tacitly assumed, although microbat monophyly is uncorroborated by molecular data Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of bat relationships using DNA sequence data from four nuclear genes and three mitochondrial genes (total of 8,230 base pairs), indicating that microbat families in the superfamily Rhinolophoidea are more closely related to megabats than they are to other microbats This implies that echolocation systems either evolved independently in rhinolophoids and other microbats or were lost in the evolution of megabats Our data also reject flying lemur (order Dermoptera) as the bat sister group, indicating that presumed shared derived characters for flying lemurs and bats are convergent features that evolved in association with gliding and flight, respectively
327 citations
TL;DR: Large animalivorous bats include carnivorous, piscivorous and insectivorous microchiropterans, which are thought to be capable of eating hard prey items (durophagus) and are probably non- discriminating, aurally less sophisticated insect generalists while the carnivorous and non-duphagus insectivory bats may be more discriminating and aurally more sophisticated in what they eat.
Abstract: Large animalivorous bats include carnivorous, piscivorous and insectivorous microchiropterans. Skull proportions and tooth morphology are examined and interpreted functionally. Four wide- faced bats from four families are convergent in having wide skulls, large masseter muscle volumes and stout jaws, indicating a powerful bite. Three of the four also have long canine teeth relative to their maxillary toothrows. Carnivorous bats have more elongate skulls, larger brain volumes and larger pinnae. The wide-faced bats are all oral emitters and have heads positively tilted relative to the basicranial axis. The carnivorous species are nasalemitting bats and have negatively tilted heads. The orientation of the head relative to the basicranial axis affects several characters of the skull and jaws and is not correlated with size. The speculation that the type of echolocation may be more of a determinant of evolutionary change than the feeding mechanism is addressed. Wide-faced bats are thought to be capable of eating hard prey items (durophagus) and are probably non- discriminating, aurally less sophisticated insect generalists while the carnivorous and non-durophagus insectivorous bats may be more discriminating and aurally more sophisticated in what they eat.
120 citations
TL;DR: The question of whether the bat suborder Megachiroptera (megabats) is most closely related to the other suborder of bats, Microchiroptera, was investigated in this paper.
Abstract: Whether the bat suborder Megachiroptera (megabats) is most closely related to the other suborder of bats, Microchiroptera (microbats), or whether Megachiroptera is the sister group of order Primate...
114 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 |