Despite extensive focus on numerous mechanisms that potentially structure Neotropical bat communities, understanding of the relative importance of any is still illusive. Recently, it has been demonstrated that all mechanisms used to explain community organization can be conceptualized as one or a combination of the few higher-level processes of dispersal, drift, selection and speciation. These four higher-level processes have not been addressed equally by Neotropical bat community ecologists. In particular, predictions formulated from a hypothesis of ecological drift have not been tested for any Neotropical bat community. Herein we contrast efficacy of predictions based on the higher-level processes of drift and selection in describing community structure of bats in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Paraguay. Predictions apply to species-environment interactions, patterns of trait variation and beta-diversity, predictability of dominant competitors and responses to seasonality. At best, there was inconsistent support for the operation of either drift or selection within this bat community. Selection, however, had more various forms of support including strong species-environment relationships, predictable patterns of dominant competitors and strong responses to seasonality. Despite stronger support for selection, a number of predictions of drift were supported as well. It is likely that a combination of both of these processes operates across the variable environments experienced in Atlantic Forest. Predictions of both processes are difficult to make operational. Support for drift often comes from failure to demonstrate a significant pattern and should not be considered strong support of a prediction. Similarly, many predictions of selection predict phenotypic patterns among species without specifying a particular trait. This is problematic because the phenotype is multifaceted and a lack of pattern in one measured trait might mask a strong pattern in some other unmeasured trait. Distilling mechanisms of community organization into four higher level processes is a substantial innovation in community ecology. Nonetheless, efforts need to be made to develop a suite of mutually exclusive and falsifiable predictions to facilitate future and more rapid understanding of community organization.

尽管广泛关注可能构成新热带蝙蝠群落的众多机制，但对任何相对重要性的理解仍然是虚幻的。最近，已经证明，可以将用于解释社区组织的所有机制概念化为分散，漂移，选择和物种形成的几个高级过程中的一种或组合。新热带蝙蝠社区的生态学家并没有平等地解决这四个更高层次的过程。尤其是，尚未针对任何新热带蝙蝠群落对由生态漂流假设提出的预测进行检验。在这里，我们在描述巴拉圭东部大西洋森林中蝙蝠的群落结构时，对比了基于较高水平的漂移和选择过程的预测的功效。预测适用于物种与环境的相互作用，性状变异和β多样性的模式，主要竞争者的可预测性以及对季节性的响应。充其量，在这个蝙蝠社区中，对于漂流或选择操作的支持不一致。然而，选择具有多种形式的支持，包括牢固的物种与环境的关系，可预测的主要竞争者模式以及对季节性的强烈响应。尽管对选择的支持更强，但也支持许多关于漂移的预测。这两个过程的组合很可能在大西洋森林所经历的可变环境中运行。很难对这两个过程进行预测。对漂移的支持通常来自未能证明重要的模式，因此不应被视为对预测的有力支持。类似地，许多选择预测都预测物种之间的表型模式，而没有指定特定的性状。这是有问题的，因为表型是多方面的，一个测量性状缺乏模式可能会掩盖其他一些未测量性状的强模式。将社区组织提炼为四个更高层次的过程是社区生态学的重大创新。尽管如此，仍需要努力开发一套相互排斥且可伪造的预测，以促进对社区组织的未来和更快速的了解。选择的许多预测可以预测物种之间的表型模式，而无需指定特定的性状。这是有问题的，因为表型是多方面的，一个测量性状缺乏模式可能会掩盖其他一些未测量性状的强模式。将社区组织提炼为四个更高层次的过程是社区生态学的重大创新。尽管如此，仍需要努力开发一套相互排斥且可伪造的预测，以促进对社区组织的未来和更快速的了解。选择的许多预测可以预测物种之间的表型模式，而无需指定特定的性状。这是有问题的，因为表型是多方面的，一个测量性状缺乏模式可能会掩盖其他一些未测量性状的强模式。将社区组织提炼为四个更高层次的过程是社区生态学的重大创新。尽管如此，仍需要努力开发一套相互排斥且可伪造的预测，以促进对社区组织的未来和更快速的了解。将社区组织提炼成四个更高层次的过程是社区生态学的重大创新。尽管如此，仍需要努力开发一套相互排斥且可伪造的预测，以促进对社区组织的未来和更快速的了解。将社区组织提炼为四个更高层次的过程是社区生态学的重大创新。尽管如此，仍需要努力开发一套相互排斥且可伪造的预测，以促进对社区组织的未来和更快速的了解。