Evolution of Body Size in Bats
Evolution of Body Size in Bats
This chapter examines the macroevolution and macroecology of bat body mass. Bat body mass extends from under 2 g to over 1 kg and shows a typical right-hand skew on a logarithmic scale. In common with other mammalian clades, there is a strong phylogenetic signal in bat body masses where a species' body mass is influenced by the mass of its closest ancestor. Evidence suggests that body mass has evolved to be either smaller or larger in different lineages, with the ancestral mass of modern bats estimated to be around 19 g. There is little evidence that body mass has influenced the diversification rate of bats.
Keywords: bats, body size, body mass, macroevolution, macroecology
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