Digest: American bats that predominantly feed on plants are more diverse than their generalist relatives
Omnivory has been hypothesized to be a macroevolutionary sink. A new study by Ochoa-Sanz et al. (2025) tests this hypothesis in Phyllostomidae, a highly ecologically and species-diverse bat family comprising species with different feeding habits, including omnivores and plant specialists. Plant specialists have higher speciation rates than omnivorous bat species, while balanced omnivores have higher speciation rates than plant-predominant ones. Part of the explanation for these differences might be related to the evolution of omnivory during periods of resource scarcity.
Authors
- Nícholas F. de Camargo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6859-8780)
- Daiana Cardoso Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1612-6452)
- Geraldo de Brito Freire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3082-7274)
- Hernani F. M. Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7040-8317)
- Sarah Silva Machado
- Fabrícius M. C. B. Domingos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2069-9317)
- Joaquim S. Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6604-6878)
Institutions
- Universidade de Brasília (BR)
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Paraná (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Evolution
- Published
- 2025-11-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf227
- Primary Topic
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00