Greg

Agave Tequila Symbiosis with Leptonycteris Nivalis

Leptonycteris nivalis (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Agave Tequilana (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) = **Introduction** =

In desert ecosystems, much of the activity goes on during the night time. Part of this night time charade includes the feeding and migration of bats. Some of these bats have specific food sources that they rely upon during their migrations. With these food sources becoming more limited with the destruction of these ecosystems these bats and other desert dwelling creatures have been steadily decreasing in numbers.

= **Organisms involved** =

// [|Agave Tequilana] // is commonly referred to as the “blue agave”. It is responsible for the production of the well known distilled spirit, tequila**.** The plant is native to Jalisco, Mexico where it grows at high altitudes upwards of 1,500 meters. The core of the plant produces large amounts of sugars which makes it economically important for tequila production. The life cycles of wild and commercial varieties of Agave tequilana vary however wild plants will grow a tall central stalk shooting up roughly five feet in the air. This shoot produces yellow flowers filled with nectar and uses up most of the precious sugars that were held in the base of the plant originally. It takes wild varieties about five years to do this and this is also the reason that agave are commonly referred to as ‘ Century Plants ’ however this particular variety only takes a fraction of a century. // [|Leptonycteris] // //[|nivalis]//or The Mexican Long Nosed Bat (also referred to as the Greater Long Nosed Bat) may be found throughout Mexico, the southern United States particularly Big Bend Texas, and in Guatemala. This bat thrives in temperate forests but has run into trouble with habitat destruction in recent years especially in Mexico. They are a migrating species that travels north to Texas in order to time their arrival with the summer blooming of particular desert plants like //Agave tequilana// which is a major source of food. These bats are rarely found to be far from their food sources of cacti and agave (Arita et al.). Their more specific habitats types of habitats that they may be found in include, caves, mines, abandoned buildings, and cliff sides. = **Biological Interaction** =

The flowers of //Agave tequilana// are pollinated by the //Leptonycteris nivalis// and the agave depends upon the bats to spread the plants genetics along their migratory routes. The bat migrates to the northern deserts of Mexico and the southern border of Texas to coordinate its arrival with the bloom of the agave plants it depends upon for nectar. There are several other species of related bats that also feed and pollinate the agaves including Leptonycteris curasoae, the Lesser Long-Nosed Bat. They are more widespread than the Mexican Long-Nosed Bat and also make summer migratory trips to the southern border of the United States. The bats rely on the agave for their pungent nectar as a major source of food that they are able to smell out along their migratory journeys towards the north in the summers. The agave depend upon the bats that feed upon them to transfer their genetic material in order to successfully proliferate. Only bats of the genus Leptonycteris are able to pollinate the agave due to their special tongue. Their tongue can extend to up to a third of their body length while remaining flexible. This enables them to get to the hard to reach nectar in the flowers of the agave while remaining hovering in flight. = **Impact/Importance** =

Fewer and fewer bats are being seen migrating to Texas each summer. Since these bats are nocturnal, live in hidden habitats, and are generally secretive creatures by nature it makes counting them difficult and less than accurate. Their recent decrease in population could be due to lack of food found along their migratory routes or because local farmers, in an effort to reduce vampire bat attacks on livestock, scare caves of bats away not knowing what species of bat’s habitat they are disturbing (Kunz and Pierson 1994). Due to the cultivation of this one species of agave for tequila production, a great lack of diversity has been introduced because the plants’ shoots are used to create new plants in order to ensure they are genetic copies. This is dangerous as it leaves the agave with a lack of natural defenses against disease and pests. Multiple types of fungi, bacteria, and the agave weevil have plagued and spread amongst Mexico’s agave fields since the 1990s. “A 1997 survey conducted by Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council estimated that 27% of the country's agave crop was infected with at least one of the diseases.” (Chadwick). With that in mind, it is important that wild agaves remain successful in the wild in order to ensure that a viable genetic bank is accessible for the tequila industry in case of mass disease. Despite the agave and the bat relying on each other, one can not forget all of the other desert dwellers that rely upon the agave for survival. This includes a range of species of lizards, bees, moths, birds, and mice which would all be indirectly affected by the disappearance of the agave. The Long-Nosed bat is considered to be on the list of endangered species in the U.S. however it is not in Mexico where populations are larger. In the future it would be wise for Mexico to recognize the bats in the same way or at least to protect their food sources in order to stop their constant decline due to habitat and food source destruction.

=Current Research=

Current research is also being done to determine how environmental factors play into forming the habitat range of this bat and others in Mexico (Arita). Recent research was done on //Leptonycteris nivalis// in 2004 to determine the relationship between its food sources and local environmental factors. (Moreno-Valdez et al.) It was found that the time where the highest populations of bats are found is during the period of time when the agave is in bloom. The bats also time their lactation with the bloom of the agave indicating that it is important in regards to their reproduction and the livelihood of their offspring. The bat is hardly ever found very far from its food sources of agave and cacti.

=References=

ARITA, H. T., AND K. SANTOS DEL PRADO. 1999. Conservation biology of nectar-feeding bats in Mexico. Journal of Mammalogy 80:31-11.

Chadwick, Ian. "In Search of the Blue Agave: Tequila and the Heart of Mexico." // Portal to Ian Chadwick's Web Sites //. In Search of the Blue Agave, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 May 2011. < [[@http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/defined|[]]]

KUNZ, T. H., AND E. D. PIERSON. 1994. Bats of the world: an introduction. Pp. 1-46 in Walker's bats of the World (R. M. Nowak, ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.

Moreno-Valdez, Arnulfo, William L. Grant, and Rodney E. Honeycutt. "COLONY DYNAMICS OF LEPTONYCTERIS NIVALIS (MEXICAN LONG-NOSED BAT) RELATED TO FLOWERING AGAVE IN NORTHERN MEXICO." // LINUS, Your LMU Library Catalog //. Journal of Mammology, 2004. Web. 05 May 2011. < @http://0-proquest.umi.com.linus.lmu.edu/pqdlink?Ver=1 >.

Page authored by Greg Trapp, student of Dr. Michelle Lum at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.