Modelling the Potential Geographic Distribution of an Endangered Pollination Corridor in Mexico and the United States

Every spring endangered Mexican long‐nosed bats (Leptonycteris nivalis) migrate up to 1200 km from central Mexico to southern United States. Evidence suggests that L. nivalis follows the blooms of paniculate agave plants (genus Agave, subgenus Agave). Paniculate agave inflorescences are adapted to attract bats, and studies have indicated that Leptonycteris spp. played a key role in Agave speciation. We test the hypothesis of the Agave migratory corridor by (1) modelling the distribution of the relevant Agave species; and (2) testing whether bat records are significantly related to Agave species richness as predicted by our models.