Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstr, 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
BMC Evol Biol. 2010 Jun 4;10:165. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-165.
Bats of the family Phyllostomidae show a unique diversity in feeding specializations. This taxon includes species that are highly specialized on insects, blood, small vertebrates, fruits or nectar, and pollen. Feeding specialization is accompanied by morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations. Several attempts were made to resolve the phylogenetic relationships within this family in order to reconstruct the evolutionary transitions accompanied by nutritional specialization. Nevertheless, the evolution of nectarivory remained equivocal.
Phylogenetic reconstructions, based on a concatenated nuclear-and mitochondrial data set, revealed a paraphyletic relationship of nectarivorous phyllostomid bats. Our phylogenetic reconstructions indicate that the nectarivorous genera Lonchophylla and Lionycteris are closer related to mainly frugivorous phyllostomids of the subfamilies Rhinophyllinae, Stenodermatinae, Carolliinae, and the insectivorous Glyphonycterinae rather than to nectarivorous bats of the Glossophaginae. This suggests an independent origin of morphological adaptations to a nectarivorous lifestyle within Lonchophyllinae and Glossophaginae. Molecular clock analysis revealed a relatively short time frame of about ten million years for the divergence of subfamilies.
Our study provides strong support for diphyly of nectarivorous phyllostomids. This is remarkable, since their morphological adaptations to nutrition, like elongated rostrums and tongues, reduced teeth and the ability to use hovering flight while ingestion, closely resemble each other. However, more precise examinations of their tongues (e.g. type and structure of papillae and muscular innervation) revealed levels of difference in line with an independent evolution of nectarivory in these bats.
吸血蝠科的蝙蝠在食性特化方面表现出独特的多样性。该类群包括高度特化为昆虫、血液、小型脊椎动物、果实或花蜜和花粉的物种。食性特化伴随着形态、生理和行为上的适应。为了重建伴随营养特化的进化转变，人们曾多次尝试解决该科内的系统发育关系。然而，食蜜性的进化仍然存在争议。
基于核和线粒体数据集的串联分析，对吸血蝠科内的系统发育关系进行了重建，结果显示食蜜蝙蝠为并系关系。我们的系统发育重建表明，食蜜属 Lonchophylla 和 Lionycteris 与主要以水果为食的吸血蝠亚科 Rhinophyllinae、 Stenodermatinae、Carolliinae 和以昆虫为食的 Glyphonycterinae 关系更为密切，而不是与 Glossophaginae 中的食蜜蝙蝠关系更为密切。这表明 Lonchophyllinae 和 Glossophaginae 内对食蜜生活方式的形态适应是独立起源的。分子钟分析显示，亚科之间的分化时间大约在 1000 万年左右。
我们的研究为食蜜的吸血蝠科的二系性提供了强有力的支持。这很了不起，因为它们适应营养的形态特征，如伸长的吻和舌头、减少的牙齿以及在摄取时能够进行悬停飞行的能力，彼此之间非常相似。然而，对它们舌头的更精确检查（例如乳头的类型和结构以及肌肉神经支配）显示出与这些蝙蝠中独立进化的食蜜性相一致的差异程度。
Zotero 插件
