DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m37pvmd39
title: Data for: Reflections of Grinnellian and Eltonian niches on the distribution of phyllostomid bats in Atlantic Forest of South America

description: Abstract Aim:  Ecological niches are complex and the product of
 interactions with biotic and abiotic environments across the entire
 geographic range of species.  One recent distinction is between
 Grinnellian niche characteristics that reflect influences at large spatial
 scales such as climate and Eltonian niche characteristics that reflect
 influences at the local level such as distribution of resources and how
 they are shared among species.  Aims of this research were to
 estimate Grinnellian and Eltonian niche characteristics of phyllostomid
 bats distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest, examine degree of
 phylogenetic non-independence of distribution and niche characteristics,
 and estimate relative contribution of niche characteristics to
 distribution of bats across this large Neotropical region.\
 Location:  The Atlantic Forest Taxon: Phyllostomid bats
 Methods:  Canonical correlation analysis was used to characterize
 association between Grinnellian and Eltonian niche
 characteristics.  Phylogenetic non-independence was estimated
 with phylogenetic eigenvector regression.  Variation partitioning
 was used to distinguish relative contributions of different niche
 characteristics to distribution of bats. Results:  Grinnellian
 and Eltonian niche characteristics were strongly and significantly
 associated.  Phylogenetic signal was weak for Grinnellian and
 strong for Eltonian niche characteristics.  Both suites accounted
 for significant unique variation in distribution of phyllostomid bats in
 the Atlantic Forest.  Grinnellian niche characteristics accounted
 for more than five times the variation in distribution than Eltonian
 characteristics. Main Conclusions:  Distinct Grinnellian and
 Eltonian perspectives on the niche provide valuable insights into the
 distribution of species.  The degree to which these two different
 set of characteristics account for distribution is likely scale dependent
 with Grinnellian characteristics more important at geographic spatial
 scales and Eltonian characteristics more important at local spatial
 scales.  Grinnellian and Eltonian niches are important
 corollaries of α- and β- niches and their associated traits and
 similarities and differences in the two distinct concepts should be better
 explored across different taxa and geographic domains.
description: To construct a database on dietary patterns of bats across a
 number of communities in the Atlantic Forest, I began with a Web of
 Science search using the terms “Atlantic Forest and Bat and Diet”.  This
 search was conducted on 3 August 2020.  Based on the studies identified, I
 examined the literature cited sections of each to obtain additional
 records.  I also queried each library of each state and national
 university in the states of Brazil that overlapped the Atlantic Forest.  I
 examined all theses and dissertations related to bats and perused the
 literature cited sections of these documents to obtain additional
 records.  I also included literature discovered serendipitously during
 this search.  Dietary data from these literature sources resulted from
 substantive sampling effort, were obtained in all seasons, and were
 presented in the form of a bat species by dietary item matrix for each of
 the 35 sites generated from fecal analysis of bats at each site.