AUTHOR=de la Peña-Cuéllar Erika , Benítez-Malvido Julieta 

TITLE=Sex-Biased Habitat Use by Phyllostomid Bats on Riparian Corridors in a Human Dominated Tropical Landscape

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.741069

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2021.741069

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Some animal species exhibit sex-specific patterns as an adaptation to their habitats, however, adaptability to a human-dominated landscape is commonly explored without considering intraspecific sexual differences. Differences between males and females lead to a sexual segregation in habitat use. In southern Mexico, we explored sex-specific responses to landscape modification of six common species of phyllostomid bats: <italic>Artibeus jamaicensis</italic>, <italic>A. lituratus</italic>, <italic>Sturnira lilium</italic>, <italic>Carollia perspicillata</italic>, <italic>Glossophaga soricina</italic>, and <italic>Platyrrhinus helleri</italic> using riparian corridors within continuous forest and cattle pastures. Furthermore, we explored sex related responses to vegetation attributes (i.e., tree height and basal area) and seasonality (i.e., wet and dry seasons). Overall, capture rates were significantly skewed toward females and riparian corridors in pastures. Females of <italic>G. soricina</italic> exhibited a strong positive relationship with greater tree height and basal area. Seasonality was important for <italic>A. lituratus</italic> and <italic>S. lilium</italic> females, only. The results indicate a sexual driven response of bats to habitat modification. The high energetic demands of females associated to reproduction could lead to foraging into riparian corridors in pastures. The presence of large trees along riparian corridors in pastures may help maintaining a diverse and dynamic bat community in modified tropical landscapes.</p>