Data from: Diet of the insectivorous bat Pipistrellus nathusii during autumn migration and summer residence

Migration is widespread among vertebrates. Yet bat migration has received little attention and only in the recent decades knowledge of it has been gained. Migration can cause significant changes in behaviour and physiology, due to increasing energy demands and aerodynamic constraints. Dietary shifts, for examples, have been shown to occur in birds before onset of migration. For bats it is not known if a change in diet occurs during migration, although especially breeding season related dietary preference has been documented. It is known that fat-rich diets, and subsequent accumulation of high fat deposits, do increase the flight range of migratory bats. Some bat species can be regarded as long-distance migrants, covering up to 2,000 km on their way between summer and winter roosting areas. Pipistrellus nathusii (Vespertilionidae), a European long-distant migrant, travels each year along the Baltic Sea from north-eastern Europe to hibernate in central and southern Europe. This study presents data on the dietary habits of migrating Pipistrellus nathusii compared with dietary habits during the breeding season. We analysed faecal samples from bats on fall migration caught at the Ornithological Field Station in Pape, Latvia and from samples collected in North-Latvian summer roosts. We applied both morphological identification and molecular methods, as morphological methods also recognize life stages of prey and can contribute frequency data. The diets of bats on migration and breeding bats were similar, with Diptera and Lepidoptera comprising the major prey categories. However certain prey groups could be explained by the different hunting habitats used during migration vs. summer residence.

脊椎动物的迁徙行为广泛分布，但蝙蝠迁徙的相关研究长期以来未受足够重视，相关认知仅在近数十年间才逐步建立。
由于迁徙过程中能量需求攀升以及空气动力学约束的影响，迁徙会引发动物行为与生理状态的显著变化。例如，已有研究证实鸟类会在迁徙启动前发生饮食结构转变。
但目前尚不清楚蝙蝠在迁徙期间是否会出现饮食变化，尽管已有文献记录了蝙蝠在繁殖季相关的饮食偏好特征。
现有研究表明，高脂饮食及其后续的体脂大量积累，确实能够提升迁徙蝙蝠的飞行续航范围。
部分蝙蝠物种可被归类为长距离迁徙者，其在夏季与冬季栖息群之间的往返航程可达2000公里。
Nathusius伏翼（Pipistrellus nathusii，蝙蝠科Vespertilionidae）是欧洲长距离迁徙蝙蝠物种，每年沿波罗的海沿岸从欧洲东北部飞往中欧与南欧地区进行冬眠。
本研究获取了迁徙期Nathusius伏翼的饮食习性数据，并与繁殖季的饮食习性进行对比分析。
我们分析了两类粪便样本：一类是在拉脱维亚帕佩鸟类野外站捕获的秋季迁徙期Nathusius伏翼的粪便样本，另一类是在拉脱维亚北部夏季栖息群收集的样本。
本研究同时采用形态学鉴定与分子生物学方法进行分析，因为形态学鉴定不仅可以识别猎物的发育阶段，还能提供猎物的出现频率数据。
迁徙期与繁殖期的蝙蝠饮食结构整体相似，双翅目（Diptera）与鳞翅目（Lepidoptera）为主要猎物类群。不过部分猎物类群的差异，可通过迁徙期与夏季居留期间蝙蝠的捕食生境不同来解释。