Vespertilionidae is the most diverse chiropteran family, and its diversity is concentrated in warmregions of the World; however, due to physiological and behavioral adaptations, these bats alsodominate bat faunas in t...Vespertilionidae is the most diverse chiropteran family, and its diversity is concentrated in warmregions of the World; however, due to physiological and behavioral adaptations, these bats alsodominate bat faunas in temperate regions. Here we performed a comparative study of vespertili-onid assemblages from two broad regions of the New World, the cold and harsh Patagonia, versusthe remaining temperate-to-subtropical, extra-Patagonian eco-regions of the South AmericanSouthern Cone. We took an ecomorphological approach and analyzed the craniodental morpho-logical structure of these assemblages within a phylogenetic framework. We measured 17 cranio-dental linear variables from 447 specimens of 22 currently recognized vespertilionid species of thestudy regions. We performed a multivariate analysis to define the morphofunctional space, andcalculated the pattern and degree of species packing for each assemblage. We assessed the im-portance of phylogeny and biogeography, and their impact on depauperate （Patagonian） versusrich （extra-Patagonian） vespertilionid assemblages as determinants of morphospace structuring.We implemented a sensitivity analysis associated to small samples of rare species. The morpho-logical patterns were determined chiefly by the evolutionary history of the family. The Patagonianassemblage can be described as a structurally similar but comparatively depauperate ecomorpho-logical version of those assemblages from neighboring extra-Patagonian eco-regions. ThePatagonian assemblage seems to have formed by successively adding populations from Northernregions that eventually speciated in the region, leaving corresponding sisters （vicariants） in extra-Patagonian eco-regions that continued to be characteristically richer. Despite being structurallyakin, degree of species packing in Patagonia was comparatively very low, which may reflect the ef-fect of limited dispersal success into a harsh region for bat survival.展开更多
文摘Vespertilionidae is the most diverse chiropteran family, and its diversity is concentrated in warmregions of the World; however, due to physiological and behavioral adaptations, these bats alsodominate bat faunas in temperate regions. Here we performed a comparative study of vespertili-onid assemblages from two broad regions of the New World, the cold and harsh Patagonia, versusthe remaining temperate-to-subtropical, extra-Patagonian eco-regions of the South AmericanSouthern Cone. We took an ecomorphological approach and analyzed the craniodental morpho-logical structure of these assemblages within a phylogenetic framework. We measured 17 cranio-dental linear variables from 447 specimens of 22 currently recognized vespertilionid species of thestudy regions. We performed a multivariate analysis to define the morphofunctional space, andcalculated the pattern and degree of species packing for each assemblage. We assessed the im-portance of phylogeny and biogeography, and their impact on depauperate （Patagonian） versusrich （extra-Patagonian） vespertilionid assemblages as determinants of morphospace structuring.We implemented a sensitivity analysis associated to small samples of rare species. The morpho-logical patterns were determined chiefly by the evolutionary history of the family. The Patagonianassemblage can be described as a structurally similar but comparatively depauperate ecomorpho-logical version of those assemblages from neighboring extra-Patagonian eco-regions. ThePatagonian assemblage seems to have formed by successively adding populations from Northernregions that eventually speciated in the region, leaving corresponding sisters （vicariants） in extra-Patagonian eco-regions that continued to be characteristically richer. Despite being structurallyakin, degree of species packing in Patagonia was comparatively very low, which may reflect the ef-fect of limited dispersal success into a harsh region for bat survival.
