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 pres...

脊椎动物的迁徙现象广泛存在。然而蝙蝠迁徙领域的研究长期未受到足够重视，直至近数十年间人类才逐步积累起相关认知。迁徙过程中，生物会因能量需求攀升与空气动力学约束，出现行为与生理层面的显著变化。例如，已有研究证实鸟类会在迁徙启动前发生饮食结构的调整。而就蝙蝠而言，目前尚不清楚其在迁徙期间是否会出现饮食变化，尽管已有文献记录了其与繁殖季相关的特异性饮食偏好。现有研究表明，高脂饮食及其后续引发的大量脂肪沉积，确实能够提升迁徙蝙蝠的飞行续航距离。部分蝙蝠物种可被划归为长距离迁徙类群，在夏季与冬季栖息位点之间的迁徙途中，最远可覆盖2000公里的行程。纳氏伏翼（Pipistrellus nathusii，蝙蝠科Vespertilionidae）作为欧洲长距离迁徙蝙蝠，每年都会沿波罗的海沿岸从欧洲东北部飞往欧洲中部与南部进行冬眠。本研究pres...