This study used visual analysis to determine the percent volume and percent frequency of orders of insects in the guano of the Antillean ghost-faced bat (Mormoops blainvillei), sooty mustached bat (Pteronotus quadridens), and Puerto Rican mustached bat (Pteronotus portoricensis). The most common orders for all three species were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, although the relative proportions of these orders differed among species. Variation in diet was primarily due to species, but season, habitat, and sex also affected the composition of insects in the feces. In addition, species-level identification of prey was achieved through molecular techniques that examined mitochondrial DNA isolated from fragments of arthropods contained within the guano of M. blainvillei and P. quadridens. A total of 18 and 6 species of insect were identified to species for M. blainvillei and P. quadridens, respectively, and nine of these species were either pests of agricultural crops or vectors of human disease.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study used visual analysis to determine the percent volume and percent frequency of orders of insects in the guano of the Antillean ghost-faced bat (<i>Mormoops blainvillei</i>), sooty mustached bat (<i>Pteronotus quadridens), and Puerto Rican mustached bat (<i>Pteronotus portoricensis</i>). The most common orders for all three species were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, although the relative proportions of these orders differed among species. Variation in diet was primarily due to species, but season, habitat, and sex also affected the composition of insects in the feces. In addition, species-level identification of prey was achieved through molecular techniques that examined mitochondrial DNA isolated from fragments of arthropods contained within the guano of <i>M. blainvillei</i> and <i>P. quadridens</i>. A total of 18 and 6 species of insect were identified to species for <i>M. blainvillei</i> and <i>P. quadridens</i>, respectively, and nine of these species were either pests of agricultural crops or vectors of human disease.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rolfe, Ashley K."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Allen Kurta, Ph.D. Chair","Daniel Clemans, Ph.D.","Jamin Eisenbach, P.h.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:44Z","subjects":["bats","diet","mormoopidae","pest species","Puerto Rico","polymerase chain reaction","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/349","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Allen Kurta, Ph.D. Chair","Daniel Clemans, Ph.D.","Jamin Eisenbach, P.h.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rolfe, Ashley K."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2011-10-26T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["bats","diet","mormoopidae","pest species","Puerto Rico","polymerase chain reaction","Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/349"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study used visual analysis to determine the percent volume and percent frequency of orders of insects in the guano of the Antillean ghost-faced bat (Mormoops blainvillei), sooty mustached bat (Pteronotus quadridens), and Puerto Rican mustached bat (Pteronotus portoricensis). The most common orders for all three species were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, although the relative proportions of these orders differed among species. Variation in diet was primarily due to species, but season, habitat, and sex also affected the composition of insects in the feces. In addition, species-level identification of prey was achieved through molecular techniques that examined mitochondrial DNA isolated from fragments of arthropods contained within the guano of M. blainvillei and P. quadridens. A total of 18 and 6 species of insect were identified to species for M. blainvillei and P. quadridens, respectively, and nine of these species were either pests of agricultural crops or vectors of human disease.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Diet of three mormoopid bats (mormoops blainvillei, pteronotus quadridens, and pteronotus portoricensis ) on Puerto Rico"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Allen Kurta, Ph.D. Chair","Daniel Clemans, Ph.D.","Jamin Eisenbach, P.h.D."],"dc:creator":["Rolfe, Ashley K."],"dc:date.available":["2011-10-26T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study used visual analysis to determine the percent volume and percent frequency of orders of insects in the guano of the Antillean ghost-faced bat (Mormoops blainvillei), sooty mustached bat (Pteronotus quadridens), and Puerto Rican mustached bat (Pteronotus portoricensis). The most common orders for all three species were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, although the relative proportions of these orders differed among species. Variation in diet was primarily due to species, but season, habitat, and sex also affected the composition of insects in the feces. In addition, species-level identification of prey was achieved through molecular techniques that examined mitochondrial DNA isolated from fragments of arthropods contained within the guano of M. blainvillei and P. quadridens. A total of 18 and 6 species of insect were identified to species for M. blainvillei and P. quadridens, respectively, and nine of these species were either pests of agricultural crops or vectors of human disease.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/349"],"dc:subject":["bats","diet","mormoopidae","pest species","Puerto Rico","polymerase chain reaction","Biology"],"dc:title":["Diet of three mormoopid bats (mormoops blainvillei, pteronotus quadridens, and pteronotus portoricensis ) on Puerto Rico"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:44Z"}