Data from: Island bat diets: does it matter more who you are or where you live?

Differences in body size, echolocation call frequency, and location may
result in diet partitioning among bat species. Comparisons among island
populations are one way to evaluate these competing hypotheses. We
conducted a species-level diet analysis of three Rhinolophus and one
Hipposideros species on the Philippine islands of Cebu, Bohol, and
Siquijor. We identified 655 prey (MOTUs) in the guano from 77 individual
bats. There was a high degree of overlap among species’ diets despite
differences in body size and call frequency. For example, the diet of the
3 g-Hipposideros pygmaeus (mean CF = 102 kHz) exhibited a diet overlap
higher than expected by chance with all three Rhinolophus species, even
the 13 g-Rhinolophus inops (mean CF = 54 kHz). We observed more
convergence in diet between Rhinolophus species and H. pygmaeus than
between Rhinolophus species themselves, which may be explained by the
broad diet of H. pygmaeus. There was less dietary overlap between
Rhinolophus virgo from two islands than between R. virgo and congeners
from Cebu. These data suggest that location causes convergence in diet,
but specific species characteristics may drive niche specialization. The
complex interplay between location and the perceptual ability of each
species leads to a situation where simple explanations, for example, body
size, do not translate into predictable prey partitioning. In particular,
our observations raise interesting questions about the foraging strategy
and adaptability of the tiny H. pygmaeus.