蝙蝠は熱帯雨林の節足類と草食動物を制限する

Margareta B Kalka¹, Adam R Smith, Elisabeth K V Kalko

¹Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apdo. 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama. mbkalka@gmail.com

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|April 5, 2008

まとめ

コウモリと鳥は,熱帯雨林の昆虫集団と植物の被害を大幅に制御しています. 特にコウモリを除外すると,節足類と草食動物の数が劇的に増加し,これまで過小評価されていた生態学的影響が明らかになった.

科学分野:

エコロジーエコロジーエコロジー
トロピカル生物学トロピカル生物学
捕食者と獲物のダイナミクス

背景:

節足類の豊富さと草食性のトップダウン制御は,生態系において極めて重要です.
以前の研究では,鳥とコウモリの効果を組み合わせて,個々の影響を隠していたことが多かった.

研究の目的:

鳥の捕食とコウモリの捕食が,節足類の多量と草食に及ぼす影響を実験的に分割する.
パナマの熱帯雨林におけるコウモリと鳥の直接的・間接的な生態学的役割を定量化するために.

主な方法:

低地熱帯雨林の植物から鳥とコウモリを除外する実験.
節足類の繁殖に及ぼす直接的な影響の測定.
植物草食に対する間接的な影響の測定.

主要な成果:

鳥を除外すると,節足類の数が65%増加し,草食動物は67%増加しました.
蝙蝠を除外すると,節足類の数が153%増加し,草食動物は209%増加しました.
この2つの捕食者は,関節足類の個体数と植物への被害に大きな影響を与えます.

結論:

蝙蝠は,以前は排除研究で見過ごされていた実質的な生態学的効果を発揮します.
捕食者の影響の分割は,森林の生態系を調節する際にコウモリと鳥の重要かつ独特な役割を明らかにします.

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