A Fly on the Cave Wall: Parasite Genetics Reveal Fine-scale Dispersal Patterns of Bats.

Dispersal influences the evolution and adaptation of organisms, but it can be difficult to detect. Host-specific parasites provide information about the dispersal of their hosts and may be valuable for examining host dispersal that does not result in gene flow or that has low signals of gene flow. We examined the population connectivity of the buffy flower bat, (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), and its associated obligate ectoparasite, (Diptera: Streblidae), across a narrow oceanic channel in The Bahamas that has previously been implicated as a barrier to dispersal in bats.