Phyllostomid bats as a model to test zoogeographic units in Ecuador

Abstract

Nine Zoogeographic Units (ZU) have been hypothesized for Ecuador, with seven of these units located within the continental portion of the country. Each ZU was dened by climate, topography, elevation, and vegetation type. In spite of their historical ap- plication, the validity of ZUs has not been tested. The goal of the present study was to treat the ZUs as hypotheses and test their validity. For this purpose, species of the bat family Phyllostomidae were used as a model. A total of 13,262 validated bat records, representing 109 species and six feeding guilds (with conrmed taxonomic identications and geographic information), were analyzed using multivariate statistical analyses and geographic modeling. Results obtained from the Multidimensional Scaling Analysis, Detrended Correspondence Analysis, and Pairwise comparisons provided evidence that the ZUs as proposed were valid, based on information from phyllostomid bats, although no species was restricted to the Temperate Forests and High Andes. In addi- tion, geographic models showed that Tropical Eastern Forests and Subtropical Eastern Forests were the most likely areas to be inhabited by phyllostomids. Bat species in the High Flying Frugivore and Insecti-Carnivore trophic guilds displayed a clear spatial pattern highly related to ZUs. The ndings of this study provide important informa- tion regarding the validity of these ZUs for establishing priorities concerning research, conservation, and management in this group of mammals.