Publications

intestinal disaccharidases in five species of phyllostomoid bats.	1. intestinal disaccharidases were studied in nectarivorous (leptonycteris curasoae and glossophaga soricina), frugivorous (artibeus jamaicensis and sturnira lilium), and insectivorous (pteronotus personatus) adult bats. 2. adult bats lacked measurable lactase activity. with the exception of trehalase activity, which was present only in p. personatus, nectar- and fruit-eating bats exhibited higher disaccharidase activities standardized by intestinal nominal area than insect-eating p. personatus. ...	1992	1451428
seasonal changes in the diets of migrant and non-migrant nectarivorous bats as revealed by carbon stable isotope analysis.	three species of nectar-feeding bats migrate from tropical and subtropical mexico into the sonoran and chihuahuan deserts during the spring and summer months. we examined geographic and seasonal changes in the diet of one migrant species, leptonycteris curasoae, using carbon stable isotope techniques to determine the relative importance of c3 and cam (cactaceae, agavaceae) plants in its diet. we also examined the diet of a non-migratory nectar-feeding bat, glossophaga soricina, from southern mex ...	1993	28313861
migration and evolution of lesser long-nosed bats leptonycteris curasoae, inferred from mitochondrial dna.	we used sequence variation within 297 bp of control region mitochondrial dna (mtdna) amplified from 53 lesser long-nosed bats, leptonycteris curasoae (phyllostomidae: glossophaginae) captured at 13 locations in south-western united states and mexico and one site in venezuela to infer population structure and possible migration routes of this endangered nectar- and fruit-eating species. phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony and upgma confirmed species and subspecies distinctions within le ...	1996	8688955
comparative pollination biology of venezuelan columnar cacti and the role of nectar-feeding bats in their sexual reproduction.	the floral biology, reproductive system, and visitation behavior of pollinators of four species of columnar cacti, stenocereus griseus, pilosocereus moritzianus, subpilocereus repandus, and subpilocereus horrispinus, were studied in two arid zones in the north of venezuela. our results support the hypothesis that venezuelan species of columnar cacti have evolved toward specialization on bat pollination. additional information on the floral biology of a fifth species, pilosocereus lanuginosus, wa ...	1997	21708646
reproductive biology and the process of domestication of the columnar cactus stenocereus stellatus in central mexico.	pollination biology, breeding system, and floral phenology of the columnar cactus stenocereus stellatus were studied in wild, wild managed in situ and cultivated populations of central mexico, in order to examine whether these aspects have been modified under domestication and whether they determine reproductive barriers between wild and manipulated individuals. individuals of both wild and manipulated populations are self-incompatible, indicating that artificial selection has not modified the b ...	1999	10205073
pollination ecology of agave macroacantha (agavaceae) in a mexican tropical desert. ii. the role of pollinators.	we did a series of observational studies and manipulative experiments on the guild of nocturnal visitors of agave macroacantha, including (1) a description of the hourly patterns of visits by moths and bats, (2) an evaluation of the relative contribution of bats and moths to flowering success, and (3) an evaluation of the pollination efficiency of the different bat species. scapes exposed to moths but excluded to bats yielded approximately 50% fewer fruits than those exposed to both pollinator g ...	2000	10898779
hovering flight mechanics of neotropical flower bats (phyllostomidae: glossophaginae) in normodense and hypodense gas mixtures.	existing estimates of flight energetics in glossophagine flower bats, the heaviest hovering vertebrate taxon, suggest disproportionately high expenditure of mechanical power. we determined wingbeat kinematics and mechanical power expenditure for one of the largest flower bats (leptonycteris curasoae martinez and villa) during hovering flight in normodense and hypodense gas mixtures. additional experiments examined the effects of supplemental oxygen availability on maximum flight performance. bat ...	2002	12409493
the pollination biology of two paniculate agaves (agavaceae) from northwestern mexico: contrasting roles of bats as pollinators.	paniculate agaves from tropical deserts depend on nectar-feeding bats for their reproduction, while species from extratropical areas near the northern limit of leptonycteris curasoae are pollinated by diurnal and nocturnal insects and birds. agave angustifolia is a paniculate agave with a broad distribution in mexico whose range coincides with the distribution of l. curasoae, while a. subsimplex has a narrow distribution in sonora within the range of nectar-feeding bats. we studied the pollinati ...	2003	21659200
effects of habitat disruption on the activity of nectarivorous bats (chiroptera: phyllostomidae) in a dry tropical forest: implications for the reproductive success of the neotropical tree ceiba grandiflora.	in the tropical dry forest of the central pacific coast of mexico the pollination and reproductive success of the bombacaceous tree ceiba grandiflora was negatively affected by habitat disruption. two of the three bat species that function as effective pollinators for this species ( glossophaga soricina and musonycteris harrisoni) visited flowers found in trees in disturbed habitats significantly less than trees found in undisturbed habitats. a similar pattern was observed for the effective bat ...	2003	12721830
low turnover rates of carbon isotopes in tissues of two nectar-feeding bat species.	stable isotopes of carbon are commonly used to characterize dietary preferences in animals. because turnover rates of carbon isotopes are related to metabolic rate, we wanted to determine the rates at which carbon isotopes are exchanged in tissues of two species of nectar-feeding bats (leptonycteris curasoae and glossophaga soricina), both of which have relatively high mass-specific metabolic rates. to test the hypothesis that isotope turnover is higher in nectar-feeding bats, because of their h ...	2003	12624176
genetic population structure and mobility of two nectar-feeding bats from venezuelan deserts: inferences from mitochondrial dna.	glossophaga longirostris and leptonycteris curasoae are nectar-feeding bats associated with arid zones in northern south america. despite their close phylogenetic relationship, sympatric condition and niche similarities, morphological and ecological evidence suggest that these species differ in dispersal capabilities. using mitochondrial dna, we tested the hypothesis that these species exhibit different levels of population structure that are congruent with their particular movement capabilities ...	2003	14629399
nitrogen stress causes unpredictable enrichments of 15n in two nectar-feeding bat species.	we estimated the effect of nitrogen stress on the nitrogen isotope enrichments in wing membrane and blood of two nectar-feeding bats (glossophaga soricina and leptonycteris curasoae) by offering a nitrogen-poor diet with a high delta(15)n and delta(13)c. before the experiment, bats were sustained on a normal diet with a low delta(15)n and delta(13)c. under this first food regime, the fractionation of nitrogen isotopes averaged 3.1 per thousand delta(15)n for blood and 4.4 per thousand delta(15)n ...	2004	15073206
geographic differentiation in the pollination system of the columnar cactus pachycereus pecten -aboriginum.	the pollination biology of the cactus pachycereus pecten-aboriginum was studied in a tropical location in western mexico (ca. 18° n latitude) to compare with data from a northern population (ca. 28° n latitude). throughout this range, the nectar-feeding bat leptonycteris curasoae is resident within the tropics but migratory in its northern range. the hypothesis was tested that if a predictable bat presence has been an important force in the evolution of pollination systems in columnar cacti, p. ...	2004	21653440
pollination ecology of stenocereus queretaroensis (cactaceae), a chiropterophilous columnar cactus, in a tropical dry forest of mexico.	flowers of columnar cacti are animal-pollinated, often displaying a chiropterophylic syndrome. this study examined if the columnar cactus stenocereus queretaroensis, a tropical species endemic to western mexico, is bat-pollinated, by studying its pollination biology and the foraging behavior of potential pollinators. flowers were produced in winter through spring, peaking in april. anthesis was nocturnal, and stigma and anther turgidity began around 2200 hours. production of nectar secretion and ...	2005	21652428
[digestibility of columnar cacti pollen grains in the glosophagine bats glossophaga longirostris and leptonycteris curasoae (chiroptera: phyllostomidae)].	we examined the protoplasmic assimilation of columnar cacti pollen grains in two species of venezuelan desert glosophagine bats, glossophaga longirostris and leptonycteris curasoae, by determining the amount of empty (digested) pollen grains found in their fecal samples. to determine the amount of empty pollen grains, the fecal samples were stained to differ between empty and full (non-digested) pollen grains. the number of empty and full pollen grains observed in the fecal samples were correcte ...	2005	17354440
reproductive ecology of five sympatric agave littaea (agavaceae) species in central mexico.	we studied a community of agave species that coexist in the metztitlán canyon in central mexico. during 2001, 2002, and 2003, we analyzed floral traits and rosette allometry in five species belonging to the subgenus littaea: a. celsii albicans, a. xylonacantha, a. difformis, a. striata, and agave sp.; and observed floral visitors for each species. we report the first evidence of bat visitation in the subgenus littaea and find that bats (leptonycteris curasoae, choeronycteris mexicana, and glosso ...	2005	21646153
effectiveness of bats as pollinators of stenocereus stellatus (cactaceae) in wild, managed in situ, and cultivated populations in la mixteca baja, central mexico.	stenocereus stellatus is an endemic, self-incompatible, columnar cactus found in central mexico where many of its wild populations have been fragmented. as an economically important species of fruit-producing cactus, s. stellatus occurs in wild, managed in situ, and cultivated populations. the objectives of this study were to determine the effective pollinators of s. stellatus, to compare pollinator visits and reproductive parameters among the three types of populations, and to determine if nect ...	2006	21642113
seasonal sebaceous patch in the nectar-feeding bats leptonycteris curasoae and l. yerbabuenae (phyllostomidae: glossophaginae): phenological, histological, and preliminary chemical characterization.	many species of bats secrete a wide variety of substances, frequently associated with olfactory communication. we characterized a seasonal phenomenon of dorsal sebaceous secretion in the curaçaoan long-nosed bat, leptonycteris curasoae, in venezuela, and the lesser long-nosed bat, leptonycteris yerbabuenae, in mexico. the phenology of the sebaceous patch was determined, a histological analysis of the affected area was conducted using specimens of l. curasoae from venezuela, and finally, a prelim ...	2008	18602804
the intake responses of three species of leaf-nosed neotropical bats.	flower-visiting bats encounter nectars that vary in both sugar composition and concentration. because in the new world, the nectars of bat-pollinated flowers tend to be dominated by hexoses, we predicted that at equicaloric concentrations, bats would ingest higher volumes of hexoses than sucrose-containing nectars. we investigated the intake response of three species of neotropical bats, leptonycteris curasoae, glossophaga soricina and artibeus jamaicensis, to sugar solutions of varying concentr ...	2008	18183405
trypanosoma evansi kdna minicircle found in the venezuelan nectar-feeding bat leptonycteris curasoae (glossophaginae), supports the hypothesis of multiple origins of that parasite in south america.	trypanosoma evansi is a mammal generalist protozoon which causes negative effects on health and productivity in bovine and equine herds in south america, europe, asia and africa. by molecular methods, we screened the presence of that parasite together with other trypanosome species in 105 bats of 10 species collected in arid zones of northern venezuela. the first molecular approach was fluorescent fragment length barcoding (fflb), which relies on amplification of relative small regions of rrna g ...	2013	23111094