Chemical Ecology of Fruit Bat Foraging Behavior in Relation to the Fruit Odors of Two Species of Paleotropical Bat-Dispersed Figs (Ficus hispida and Ficus scortechinii)

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作者
Robert Hodgkison
Manfred Ayasse
Elisabeth K. V. Kalko
Christopher Häberlein
Stefan Schulz
Wan Aida Wan Mustapha
Akbar Zubaid
Thomas H. Kunz
机构
[1] University of Ulm,Institute of Experimental Ecology
[2] Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology,Institut für Organische Chemie
[3] Department of Biology,Pusat Pengajian Sains Sekitaran dan Sumber Alam, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi
[4] Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,undefined
[5] Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina Braunschweig,undefined
[6] Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,undefined
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关键词
Seed dispersal syndromes; Frugivory; Old world tropics; Co-evolution; Olfaction; Foraging ecology; Moraceae; Chiroptera; Pteropodidae; Fruit scent; Sensory ecology;
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摘要
We investigated the fruit odors of two bat-dispersed fig species in the Paleotropics, in relation to the foraging behavior of fruit bats, to test the following hypotheses: 1) fruit odor plays a critical role for detection and selection of ripe figs by fruit bats; 2) bat-dispersed fig species are characterized by the same, or similar, chemical compounds; and 3) total scent production, in bat-dispersed figs, increases when fruits ripen. We performed bioassays to test the effect of both natural and synthetic fig fruit odors on the foraging behavior of the short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis)—an important disperser of figs within the study area. Fruit bats responded to both visual and chemical (olfactory) cues when foraging for figs. However, the strongest foraging reaction that resulted in a landing or feeding attempt was almost exclusively associated with the presence of a ripe fruit odor—either in combination with visual cues or when presented alone. Fruit bats also used fruit odors to distinguish between ripe and unripe fruits. By using gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (MS), a total of 16 main compounds were identified in the ripe fruit odor of Ficus hispida and 13 in the ripe fruit odor of Ficus scortechinii—including alcohols, ketones, esters, and two terpenes. Additional compounds were also recorded in F. hispida, but not identified—four of which also occurred in F. scortechinii. Total scent production increased in both species when fruits ripened. Both natural and synthetic fruit odors resulted in feeding attempts by bats, with no feeding attempts elicited by unscented controls. Reaction rates to natural fruit odors were higher than those to synthetic blends.
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页码:2097 / 2110
页数:13
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  • [1] Chemical ecology of fruit bat foraging behavior in relation to the fruit odors of two species of paleotropical bat-dispersed figs (Ficus hispida and Ficus scortechinii)
    Hodgkison, Robert
    Ayasse, Manfred
    Kalko, Elisabeth K. V.
    Haeberlein, Christopher
    Schulz, Stefan
    Mustapha, Wan Aida Wan
    Zubaid, Akbar
    Kunz, Thomas H.
    JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY, 2007, 33 (11) : 2097 - 2110