Análisis del nicho trófico de la comunidad de murciélagos del Parque Nacional Laguna Lachuá: un enfoque ecomorfológico

Trophic Niche Analysis of the Bat Community at Laguna Lachua National Park, Guatemala: an Eco morphological Approach One way to classify and describe the trophic structure of a bat community is to identify groups of species based on the obtaining and utilization of trophic resources. Twenty four bat species were documented at Laguna Lachua National Park, Coban, Alta Verapaz, corresponding to 84% of the asymptote (28.45 species) estimated by the asymptotic Clench model. Food consumption could not be documented for three species. Hence, wing morphology and food items consumed were related only for 21 bat species in order to explore interspecific morphological and ecological relationships within the assemblage. The species were grouped in four functional ensembles supported by the principal component analysis of the wing parameters (wing loading, aspect ratio, wing tip shape index) and diet: narrow-space aerial insectivorous (4 species), gleaning insectivorous (4 species), carnivores (1 species) and frugivorous (12 species). The resource partitioning in the frugivorous species is mainly given by the food consumption; all the species in this group has similar characteristics and capability of flight, with smooth differences on flight speed and maneuverability.  Most of the species fed primarily on four plant genera: Piper, Ficus, Cecropia and Vismia. Fruit consumption reveals a group of species that fed mainly on Piper and Vismia and other group that fed mainly on Ficus and Cecropia (≥ 0.5). In contrast, the resource partitioning in the insectivorous species is mainly given by the foraging strategy; the food consumption in this group does not reveal any particular pattern. Most of the species fed primarily on coleopterans, supporting their diets with other less common items. The results indicate that different foraging strategies and trophic selection allows the coexistence within species and plays a great role in the structure of local bat communities. Key words: Eco morphological; trophic niche; bat; Laguna Lachua National Park