Collaborative Research: Higher-Level Relationships Among Microchiropteran Bats Based On Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Morphology, and Echolocation Call Structure

几乎五分之一的现存哺乳动物是回声定位的小翼目蝙蝠。这些动物扮演着各种重要的生态角色。大多数物种捕食夜间昆虫，而其他物种则对植物授粉或种子传播至关重要。人类对蝙蝠种群和物种日益增加的影响对农业和有害生物管理产生了严重影响。尽管以前有很多研究，但生物学家对不同蝙蝠群之间的关系仍然没有多少共识。特别值得关注的是高级蝙蝠群（例如属和科）之间的关系。如果没有这些知识，就很难解释不同蝙蝠群体在翅膀结构、声纳能力和生态方面的广泛差异。对蝙蝠多样性的清晰认识，对于确定保护重点很重要，也取决于解决蝙蝠之间的关系。在这项研究中，蝙蝠关系的问题将通过详细分析线粒体基因的DNA结构，解剖结构和各种蝙蝠的回声定位呼叫（声纳信号）的结构来解决。这些研究的目的是找出可以用来评估历史关系的相似点和不同点。本研究收集的数据将用于各种计算机辅助分析，旨在产生关于小翼手目蝙蝠家族之间和家族内部关系的可测试假设。小翼目蝙蝠与其他哺乳动物谱系的关系也将被研究。这项研究将为理解蝙蝠的结构设计、行为和生态学提供一个新的框架。

Van Den Bussche DEB 9873657Almost one-fifth of living mammal species are echolocating bats of the suborder Microchiroptera. These animals play a variety of important ecological roles. Most species prey on nocturnal insects, while others are essential for plant pollination or seed dispersal. Increasing human impact on bat populations and species has serious implications for agriculture and pest management. Despite many previous studies, there is still little agreement among biologists concerning relationships among the different groups of bats. Of particular concern are relationships among higher-level bat groups (e.g., genera and families). Without such knowledge, it is difficult to interpret the wide ranges of variation in wing architecture, sonar capabilities, and ecology seen in different bat groups. A clear understanding of bat diversity, important for setting conservation priorities, also depends upon resolving the relationships of bats. In this study, the problem of bat relationships will be addressed through detailed analyses of DNA structure of mitochondrial genes, anatomy, and structure of the echolocation calls (sonar signals) of a wide variety of bat species. The objective of these studies will be to identify similarities and differences that can be used to evaluate historical relationships. Data collected in this study will be employed in a variety of computer-assisted analyses designed to produce testable hypotheses of relationships among and within families of microchiropteran bats. The relationships of microchiropteran bats to other mammalian lineages will also be investigated. This study will provide a new framework for understanding the structural design, behavior, and ecology of bats.