Gradients of Bat Diversity in Atlantic Forest of South America: Environmental Seasonality, Sampling Effort and Spatial Autocorrelation

Patterns and correlates of potential range shifts of bat species in China in the context of climate change

Climate change may diminish biodiversity; thus, it is urgent to predict how species' ranges may shift in the future by integrating multiple factors involving more taxa. Bats are particularly sensitive to climate change due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. However, few studies have considered geographic variables associated with roost availability and even fewer have linked the distributions of bats to their thermoregulation and energy regulation traits. We used species distribution models to predict the potential distributions of 12 bat species in China under current and future greenhouse gas emission scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) and examined factors that could affect species' range shifts, including climatic, geographic, habitat, and human activity variables and wing surface-to-mass ratio (S-MR). The results suggest that Ia io, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, and Rhinolophus rex should be given the highest priority for conservation in future climate conservation strategies. Most species were predicted to move northward, except for I. io and R. rex, which moved southward. Temperature seasonality, distance to forest, and distance to karst or cave were the main environmental factors affecting the potential distributions of bats. We found significant relationships between S-MR and geographic distribution, current potential distribution, and future potential distribution in the 2050s. Our work highlights the importance of analyzing range shifts of species with multifactorial approaches, especially for species traits related to thermoregulation and energy regulation, to provide targeted conservation strategies.

Morphological variation of the brachial plexus in four phyllostomid bat species (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae)

Despite the remarkable morphological modifications that occurred in the thoracic limbs of bats, information about the brachial plexus in this group is still scarce. The present study aimed to describe the origin, structure, and distribution of these peripheral nerves in four Phyllostomidae species. Both antimeres of six Artibeus lituratus, five Desmodus rotundus, seven Glossophaga soricina, and five Phyllostomus hastatus-all adult males from the Adriano Lúcio Peracchi Collection (UFRRJ)-were dissected. After complete exposure of the structure, we found that the brachial plexus of D. rotundus and P. hastatus is formed by the same roots (C5-T1), whereas the fourth cervical spinal nerve and the second thoracic spinal nerve are present in G. soricina (C4-T1) and A. lituratus (C5-T2), respectively. There was intraspecific variation and asymmetry in the origin of the structure and the combinations of nerve segments forming terminal branches. The distribution to the target muscles and patagium, however, was not subject to significant variation in our sample. Data presented here support the presence of two prevailing conditions in distribution of nerves to the bat muscles, and the innervation of the membranes seems to be explained by embryogenesis. Although the brachial plexus in phyllostomid bats is similar to that of other terrestrial Laurasiatheria, aspects identified in these bats, apparently unique to Chiroptera, may be related to anatomical changes in the thoracic limbs functionally linked to flight.

Changing with the times: Seasonal environmental gradients unveil dynamic bat assemblages and vulnerability

Uncovering the temporal and spatial dynamics of biological communities in response to biotic and abiotic drivers is essential to predict the effects of environmental change on biodiversity. Similarly, estimating species vulnerability in the face of such dynamics is crucial for implementing effective conservation actions. We explored how bat diversity changes over the year across an altitudinal gradient and identified the environmental drivers that shape bat communities. By analysing species' marginality within the biophysical niche space, we evaluated bats' vulnerability to foreseeable environmental changes. Our results suggest that altitude, the proportion of forest cover and shrub cover are the main drivers shaping bat communities year-round. Additionally, while some bat species are restricted to a single ecological assemblage (or ecological preferences group), others show greater plasticity throughout the year. Importantly, we found that although bats associated with highland habitats and forests could be particularly vulnerable to environmental changes (in particular Myotis mystacinus), this vulnerability correlates poorly with their national conservation status. We suggest that species' ecological plasticity is critical for the resilience of biological communities exposed to environmental changes and should be considered when planning tailored conservation strategies.

Environmental Seasonality Regulates Community Evenness in Neotropical Bat Communities

Evenness is a key community property that provides insights into resource acquisition and ecosystem functioning. However, it is unclear how other community properties influence evenness after integrating the effect of environmental gradients. Using 49 neotropical bat communities, we tested the hypothesis that evenness increases in communities that have low species richness and low biomass because the negative effect of richness and biomass on evenness is regulated by environmental seasonality. We selected among path models to determine how temperature seasonality, the most important gradient across study sites, affected richness and biomass as drivers of evenness. Employing three indices of evenness, we found that more seasonal climate reduces species richness, and lower richness increases evenness. Moreover, a decline in biomass with increasing seasonality also increases evenness. A decrease in resource specialization and rarity as sites become more seasonal may explain the negative relationship between seasonality, richness and evenness. Moreover, the negative effect of biomass on richness and evenness may be due to an expansion of niche space and a positive effect of smaller body size on diversification rates, which may allow more species packing and greater richness. We believe our results bring us closer to a unified theory of which factors control evenness in a community.

Broad-scale gradients of resource utilization by phyllostomid bats in Atlantic Forest: patterns of dietary overlap, turnover and the efficacy of ecomorphological approaches

Identifying mechanisms that promote coexistence at the local level is enigmatic for many organisms. Numerous studies have indirectly demonstrated that biotic interactions may not cause deterministic patterns reflective of the coexistence of interacting bat species. Nonetheless, demonstration of the partitioning of resources by phyllostomid bats by directly examining diet matrices may illuminate a mechanism of coexistence. I examined the dietary overlap of phyllostomid bats across 23 sites in the Atlantic Forest of South America. I also examined components of beta diversity (turnover and nestedness) of resources among species as well as the degree to which morphology can act as a surrogate for dietary similarity in each community. Bats exhibited high overlap. Nonetheless, dietary beta diversity was more related to turnover than nestedness of items suggesting substantive species-specific affinities. Niche breath and dietary overlap were positively related to the number of species and the number of resources consumed in communities. Accordingly, changes in richness across Atlantic Forest may be facilitated by increases in resources available at the community level. There were positive, yet weak relationships between morphological and dietary distance. The relationship between morphology and diet was invariant relative to geography, species richness, number of dietary resources, average diet breadth and average dietary overlap indicating that in the Atlantic Forest morphology is a consistent surrogate of dietary relationships of species. Atlantic Forest is one of the most anthropogenically modified tropical forests in the world. This in combination with distinct climatic seasonality likely causes higher dietary overlap, weaker ecomorphological relationships and persistence of only the most general bat species.

Temporal changes in the potential geographic distribution of Histiotus velatus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), the "decade effect"

We investigated how the potential distribution of Histiotus velatus is affected by the addition of new records over decades (decade effect). Assuming that (1: hypothesis of the effect of the decade) the addition of new occurrence records over time increases the potential size of the species distribution; and (2: Wallacean distance hypothesis) over the years, the new points added are increasingly distant from the research centers. Considering the geographic knowledge gap of this species, our objective is to report a new record of this species and estimate its potential distribution in South America through environment niche models (ENMs). For this, we compiled records of occurrence of species, selected from 1900 to 2015. We used 19 bioclimatic variables available in the WorldClim database to estimate the potential distribution of the species, and we used three modeling algorithms: Maximum Entropy (MXT), Random Forest (RDF), and Support Vector Machine. To test the Wallacean distance hypothesis, we calculated the Euclidian distance from occurrences to bat research centers in Brazil, located using a national researchers' information dataset ("Plataforma Lattes"). To test the hypothesis of the decade effect, we used the beta regression analysis, taking conservative and non-conservative approaches. The results showed that the predicted area expanded and retracted with the addition of new occurrences over the decades, with an improvement in the accuracy of models. Most records are located in the southeastern region of Brazil, but algorithms predicted areas in regions where there are no records. Only the conservative approach has had a positive relationship over the decades. The distance from new points does not increase over the years of research centers.

Relative contributions of ecological drift and selection on bat community structure in interior Atlantic Forest of Paraguay

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.

Bat assemblages of protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ABSTRACT We analyzed the bat assemblages found in protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is the best-sampled region of the Atlantic Forest. We selected 24 strict nature reserves and nine sustainable-use protected areas. We used data from inventories and complemented with data from the literature. We compared strict and sustainable-use protected areas, and tested whether the bat assemblages varied between habitat types. We tested the effect of geographic distance on the dissimilarity between bat assemblages, as well as the relationship between species composition and the size, mean altitude of the protected area, and capture effort. We compiled a total of 34,443 capture records, involving 67 species. Three species were captured only once, which raises cause for concern. Bat assemblages did not vary between protected area categories, but did vary among habitats with less than 1,000 captures. Assemblages were more similar to one another in geographically proximate areas. The size of the protected area and capture effort did not affect the composition of the bat assemblages, but altitude did influence this parameter. The Atlantic Forest is a priority biome for research and conservation, and reliable data on species distributions are essential for the development of conservation strategies.

The importance of productivity and seasonality for structuring small rodent diversity across a tropical elevation gradient

Photosynthetic productivity is a key determinant of the abundance and distribution of biodiversity around the world. The effect of this productivity on the distribution patterns of mammals is frequently invoked; however, it is seldom measured directly. In this study, we used Sherman live traps set in dry and rainy seasons across a 2300-m elevation gradient in southwestern Mexico to assess small rodent species distributions, and to relate these patterns to habitat structure, climate, and a well-accepted measure of photosynthetic productivity: the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). While habitat structure and climate helped explain some of the patterns observed, NDVI proved to be the most important contributing variable for most of the distribution models. We also found that partitioning the gradient-distribution model by trapping season revealed strong differences in terms of the effect of NDVI and the other explanatory variables. For example, lower elevations were associated with seasonal and year-round reductions in rodent diversity and were composed almost exclusively of granivore-based species assemblages. By contrast, the middle and upper elevations were more species rich, less affected by seasonality, and characterized by omnivorous species. Our results suggest that the positive productivity-diversity relationship found may be due, at least in part, to increased food resources and niche opportunities at more productive elevations. Increased diversity at the higher elevations may also be partially due to reductions in competition that result from productivity increases, as well as from the broader spectrum of feeding guild representation that it and the lack of seasonality allow.

How do bat, rodent, and marsupial communities respond to spatial and environmental gradients? Insights from a deconstruction of mammal beta diversity from the Atlantic Forest of South America

Space and environment are fundamental in influencing the community structure. However, their relative influences vary according to species' biological characteristics. Here we test whether differences in life-history traits mainly linked to dispersal abilities influence bat, rodent and marsupial beta diversity along spatial and environmental gradients. We expect bat beta diversity to be weakly related with space in comparison to dispersal-limited rodents and marsupials. Using data from communities distributed along the Atlantic Forest of South America, we calculated the total beta diversity and its turnover and nestedness components for each group. We estimated the strength of correlation of beta diversity and its components along spatial and environmental gradients, comparing their importance within and between groups. Space had the higher influence on rodent and marsupial beta diversity. For bats, both gradients influenced similarly their community composition. Between taxa, the influence of these gradients did not differ for rodents and marsupials, while bats presented a stronger relationship with environment compared to non-volant small mammals. Also, all groups presented a similar influence of the spatial gradients on their community structure, despite their differences in dispersal abilities. Our results suggest that differences in biological characteristics partially influence the community structure of these mammals, with their responses along space likely reflecting similar biogeographical dynamics affecting their distribution. Overall, our results improve the understanding of the processes structuring these communities, highlighting the benefits of comparative analyses within a beta diversity perspective to better understand the influence of multiple processes on the community assembly along geographical gradients.

Bats of the Serra da Bocaina National Park, southeastern Brazil: an updated species list and a distribution extension for Trinycteris nicefori (Sanborn, 1949)

Abstract: The Serra da Bocaina National Park (SBNP) is a large remnant of Atlantic Forest located within an endangered biodiversity hotspot, which contributes to the connectivity among protected areas in the region. Despite the ecological importance of the SBNP, its bat fauna is poorly-known, and no comprehensive inventory is available. The present study provides an updated list of the bat species found in the SBNP. The four-year study was based on a capture-mark-recapture approach at four sites within the park, in the municipality of Paraty, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A total of 22 bat species were recorded, representing two families, Phyllostomidae (n = 19 species) and Vespertillionidae (n = 3). This added 14 species to the known bat fauna of the SBNP, which is hereby updated to 24 species, including Dermanura cinerea Gervais, 1856, Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas, 1901), and Myotis ruber (É. Geoffroy, 1806), which are listed as endangered in Rio de Janeiro state. The specimen of Trinycteris nicefori (Sanborn, 1949) captured in the present study is the first record of the occurrence of this species in Rio de Janeiro state. This record extends the geographic range of the species by approximately 650 km to the southeast. Additional inventories, in particular at poorly-studied Atlantic Forest sites, combined with environmental suitability analyses, and taxonomic and biogeographic data, are urgently required to elucidate the distribution of many Brazilian bat species, such as T. nicefori.

Bat richness (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in an area of montane Atlantic Forest in the Serra da Mantiqueira, state of Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil

Abstract: In recent years there has been an increase in research interest in remnants of Atlantic Forest above 500 m a.s.l., such as in the Serra da Mantiqueira, which is considered a priority area for conservation. The chiropterofauna of the Serra da Mantiqueira remains relatively under-studied, and here we present a list of bat species from the "Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Cachoeira do Tombo", a private conservation unit located in an area of montane Atlantic Forest in the Serra da Mantiqueira. Bats were captured with mist nets along trails and near a diurnal roost. A total of 498 individuals of 19 bat species belonging to the families Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae and Molossidae were captured. Phyllostomidae were captured only along the trails, Molossidae were captured only in the diurnal roost and Vespertilionidae were captured in both. The species accumulation curves did not show stabilizing trends. However, 80% of the expected richness was sampled and the species richness of bats found is similar to other studies previously carried out in the region. In contrast to other inventories carried out in the Atlantic Forest, Desmodus rotundus was the species most frequently captured along the trails. A large number of individuals of Molossus aztecus sheltering in man-made structures were caught, constituting an unusual event. Additionally, here we report cohabitation of this species with Molossus molossus for the first time. Our results show that this area, which appears on the map of environmental conflicts for the state of Minas Gerais, has a rich chiropterofauna and also further corroborate the importance of using mist-nets at roosts to increase the probability of capturing the richness and abundance of insectivorous bats present in the area.

Phylogenetic community structure of North American desert bats: influence of environment at multiple spatial and taxonomic scales

Numerous processes influence community structure. The relative importance of these processes is thought to vary with spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales: density-dependent interactions are thought to be most important at small scales; at intermediate scales, environmental conditions may be the most influential factor; and biogeographic processes are thought to be of greater importance at larger scales. Additionally, the stress-dominance hypothesis suggests that communities experiencing harsher environmental conditions will be predominantly structured by habitat filtering, whereas communities experiencing more favourable conditions will be structured predominantly by density-dependent interactions such as competition. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of environmental factors on phylogenetic community structure (PCS) of North American desert bats at multiple spatial and taxonomic scales. We also examined whether the stress-dominance hypothesis is upheld in desert bats across an environmental gradient. Phylogenetic community structure metrics were calculated using species pools that differed in spatial (from all deserts to individual deserts) and taxonomic (all bat taxa, a single family and a single genus) scales. We calculated mean temperature, precipitation and seasonality for each site to determine whether environmental gradients were related to degree of community structure. At the largest spatial and taxonomic scales, communities were significantly phylogenetically clustered while degree of clustering decreased at the smallest spatial and taxonomic scales. Climatic data, particularly mean temperature and temperature seasonality, were important predictors of PCS at larger scales and under harsher conditions, but at smaller scales and in less stressful conditions there was a weaker relationship between PCS and climate. This suggests that North American deserts, while harsh, are not uniform in the challenges they present to the faunas residing in them. Overall, the relationship between PCS and climatic data at large spatial and taxonomic scales, and in harsher conditions, suggests the influence of habitat filtering has been important in North American desert bat community assembly and that other processes have been important at smaller scales.

Patterns of Species Richness and Turnover for the South American Rodent Fauna

Understanding the spatial distribution of species sheds light on the group’s biogeographical history, offers clues to the drivers of diversity, and helps to guide conservation strategies. Here, we compile geographic range information for South America’s diverse rodents, whose 14 families comprise ~50% of the continent’s mammalian species. The South American rodent fauna is dominated by independent and temporally staggered radiations of caviomorph and sigmodontine groups. We mapped species richness and turnover of all rodents and the principal clades to identify the main predictors of diversity patterns. Species richness was highest in the Andes, with a secondary hotspot in Atlantic Forest and some regions of considerable richness in Amazonia. Differences in richness were evident between the caviomorphs and sigmodontines, the former showing the greatest richness in tropical forests whereas the latter show—and largely determine—the all-rodent pattern. Elevation was the main predictor of sigmodontine richness, whereas temperature was the principal variable correlated with richness of caviomorphs. Across clades, species turnover was highest along the Andes and was best explained by elevational relief. In South America, the effects of the familiar latitudinal gradient in species richness are mixed with a strong longitudinal effect, triggered by the importance of elevation and the position of the Andes. Both latitudinal and elevational effects help explain the complicated distribution of rodent diversity across the continent. The continent’s restricted-range species—those seemingly most vulnerable to localized disturbance—are mostly distributed along the Andes and in Atlantic Forest, with the greatest concentration in Ecuador. Both the Andes and Atlantic Forest are known hotspots for other faunal and floral components. Contrasting patterns of the older caviomorph and younger sigmodontine radiations underscore the interplay of both historical and ecological factors in determining present-day diversity patterns.

Influence of forest composition and age on habitat use by bats in southwestern British Columbia

Habitat use by bats in forests varies with environmental variables, clutter, and prey availability, but few studies have looked at habitat use as a function of forest composition and forest age across a range of elevations. We examined factors influencing habitat use of forest-dwelling bats in southwestern British Columbia using ultrasonic detection. We measured activity of three bat foraging guilds in four forest types and three age classes from May to August 2000 and 2001. Habitat use varied with forest composition and stand age, but not always as we predicted. Activity of open-habitat foragers (large bats) was greatest in higher elevation forests and in young forests. In contrast, activity of the long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis (H. Allen, 1864)), a gleaner, was greater in lower elevation black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook.) and cedar–hemlock stands. Myotis evotis activity also increased with increasing forest age. Activity of edge and gap insectivores (genus Myotis Kaup, 1829) was greater in black cottonwood stands and old Interior Douglas-fir stands than in other forest types. The probability of detecting foraging Myotis was highest in black cottonwood stands. Myotis activity did not show a clear pattern with forest age. Our results demonstrate the importance of black cottonwood riparian forests to foraging Myotis, as well as the importance of older, low-elevation forests.

Influence of abiotic variables on the bat fauna of a granitic cave and its surroundings in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract In the present study we analyzed the bat assemblage of the granitic cave Gruta do Riacho Subterrâneo and its surroundings (Itu, São Paulo state, Brazil) aiming to verify the influence of seasonality on its species composition and population abundances. Five samplings were carried out with three days of duration each, along the period from October 2013 to September 2014. Captures of bats were performed by setting mist nets in cave entrances, its interior and surroundings, making a total capture effort of 6,090 m2.h. Our results indicate that this cave is shelter for a rich bat assemblage with fifteen species captured. Carollia perspicillata, Desmodus rotundus and Myotis sp. were the most abundant species. A comparison of the assemblage composition with that of other caves of São Paulo state revealed that its composition is very similar and typical of the Atlantic Forest Atlantic cave chiropterofauna independently of cave lithology. A multiple regression analysis performed to check for the existence of correlation between the seasonal fluctuation of the climatic variables temperature, pluviosity and air humidity did not reveal significant relationships among these and the changes in the abundance of bats. However, the analysis of canonical correspondence including these variables and also moonlight luminosity indicated a significant relationship of the changes in bat abundance with the air relative humidity. Changes in bat abundances are probably related to the seasonality in food availability. The accumulation curve obtained from the relationship between the accumulated richness of species and the number of samples showed that more samplings are required to reach the asymptote of species richness. Considering that Gruta do Riacho Subterrâneo is the largest granitic cave in Brazil and that it shelters a high number of bat species, including common and rare species, we suggests the preservation of this cave for maintenance of bat diversity in São Paulo state.

Null model analysis on bat species co-occurrence and nestedness patterns in a region of the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

This study aimed to test through null models analysis the co-occurrence and nestedness patterns of bat species in a region of the Atlantic Rainforest. Data from 10 communities were tabulated in presence-absence matrices. Two metrics have been used to test the co-occurrence patterns: C-Score, which calculates the “checkerboard” pattern testing the interspecific competition between pairs of species, and V-Ratio, which calculates the covariance between species. All analyses were performed with EcoSim software. For nestedness analyses, we utilized the NODF metric through the Aninhado software. None of all the C-Score results showed a significant pattern of species association, indicating a higher coexistence among bat species. For V-Ratio, three results indicated nonrandom associations of species. The communities are highly nested, with poor species sites being subsets of richer sites. The diversification in this group allows the coexistence of species, decreasing the niche overlap. Nested pattern is common in mammal communities, and the significance of our results is in accordance with the results of the co-occurrence test. Competitive interactions may lead to differences in abundance of species in communities. However, as the method of bat sampling is considered biased, the results using binary data, as in our study, seems to be the most trustful method.

Structure of three subtropical bat assemblages (Chiroptera) in the Andean rainforests of Argentina

I evaluated bat assemblages in terms of species richness, relative abundance, trophic guild structure, and seasonal changes at three sites along of the Southern Yungas forests. A total of 854 individuals were captured, representing 25 species of three families, with an effort of 27,138 m of mist net opened per hour. Subtropical assemblages showed a similar structure to those from tropical landmark, with a dominance of frugivorous Phyllostomid; in addition, a few species were abundant, followed by a long tail of less common species. However, subtropical sites differed due to the dominance of the genus

Assessing human-bat interactions around a protected area in northeastern Brazil

BACKGROUND

Bats are key components to the Neotropical forests. Unfortunately, their bad reputation is a major obstacle in their conservation as it creates fear and hostility towards them. Understanding this reputation acquired by bats and studying interactions between bats and humans has shown fundamental promise when creating strategies to forge a non-antagonistic coexistence between both parts and in the promotion of bat conservation in areas with ever-rising human occupation.

METHODS

Ninety people were surveyed from three villages that were situated around a Biological Reserve in the state of Paraiba; located in Northern Brazil. The survey was completed using semi-structured interviews addressing villager's knowledge of the biology and ecology of bats, their interactions with bats, potential medicinal uses, and their socioeconomic situation. Additionally, we sampled the bats that reside in or visit these villages.

RESULTS

Bats were often considered harmful, dangerous and carriers of disease. Bats were often connected to hematophagia, as well. The respondents believe that impacts such as the deforestation are forcing bats into urban environments. With this research, we were able to register one of the few records of bats in popular medicine in Brazil.

CONCLUSION

The folklore and superstition surrounding bats can form an obstacle that affects their conservation. Environmental education is an important step in order to create a harmonious coexistence between humans and bats and to mitigate the impending conflicts between humanity and nature.

Effects of land use on bat diversity in a complex plantation–forest landscape in northeastern Brazil

In fragmented areas, the persistence of different species depends on their ability to use the surrounding matrix either as a corridor or as a foraging habitat. We assessed how species richness and abundance of Neotropical bats differ among forest fragments and rubber plantations under different management regimes. Our study site was located in a heterogeneous agricultural area in the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. By combining mist netting and acoustic monitoring as complementary techniques, we caught 28 phyllostomid species and recorded 21 aerial insectivorous species, which either forage in open space or close to forests. Open space species were equally abundant and diverse in all land use types. In contrast, assemblages of phyllostomid and aerial insectivorous forest species differed significantly among habitats, with the highest species richness recorded in forest fragments. We identified a number of forest specialists in forest fragments, which indicates a relatively intact bat fauna. In intensively used rubber-cacao plantation, we found surprisingly high bat abundance and diversity, despite the shortage of resources for bats. Our results also indicate that patches of secondary vegetation around rubber plantations are important landscape features for bats and might contribute to the persistence of highly diverse bat assemblages. We suggest that bats do not perceive plantations as a hostile matrix, but probably use them as corridors between forest fragments and patches of secondary vegetation.

Em áreas fragmentadas, a persistência de diferentes espécies depende da habilidade delas em usar a matriz ao redor como um corredor ou hábitat de forrageio. Nós avaliamos como a riqueza de espécies e abundância de morcegos neotropicais diferem entre fragmentos de mata e seringais sob diferentes regimes de manejo. Nossa área de estudo estava localizada em uma área agrícola heterogênea na Mata Atlântica da Bahia, nordeste do Brasil. Combinando capturas em redes com monitoramento acústico como técnicas complementares, capturamos 28 espécies de morcegos filostomídeos e 21 espécies de morcegos insetívoros aéreos, que forrageiam em espaço aberto ou perto de florestas. As espécies de espaço aberto foram igualmente abundantes e diversas em todas as categorias de uso da terra. Por outro lado, comunidades de filostomídeos e insetívoros aéreos de florestas diferiram significativamente entre hábitats, com a maior riqueza de espécies tendo sido registrada em fragmentos de mata. Identificamos muitos especialistas em florestas nos fragmentos de mata, o que sugere que a fauna de morcegos ainda está relativamente intacta. Em plantações mistas de cacau e seringais intensivamente usadas, encontramos uma abundância e riqueza de morcegos surpreendentemente altas, apesar da escassez de recursos para morcegos. Nossos resultados indicam que manchas de vegetação secundária ao redor de seringais são importantes elementos da paisagem para morcegos e podem contribuir para a persistência de comunidades altamente diversas. Sugerimos que morcegos não percebem as plantações como uma matriz hostil, mas provavelmente as usam como corredores entre fragmentos de mata e manchas de vegetação secundária.

Diversity of Malaysian insectivorous bat assemblages revisited

To what extent tropical forest persisted in the Malay-Thai Peninsula during the Last Glacial Maximum, or contracted southwards with subsequent post-glacial expansion, has long been debated. These competing scenarios might be expected to have left contrasting broad spatial patterns of diversity of forest-dependent taxa. To test for a post-glacial northward spread of forest, we examined latitudinal clines of forest-dependent bat species at 15 forest sites across Peninsular Malaysia. From captures of 3776 insectivorous forest bats, we found that low richness characterized the north of the study area: predicted richness of 9–16 species, compared with 21–23 in the south. Predicted species richness decreased significantly with increasing latitude, but showed no relationship with either seasonality or peninsula width. Analyses of beta-diversity showed that differences between communities were not related to geographical distance, although there was evidence of greater differences in species numbers between the most distant sites. Assemblages were consistently dominated by six cave-roosting species from the families Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae, while another 16 species were consistently rare. We suggest that these observed patterns are consistent with the hypothesized northward expansion of tropical rain forest since the Last Glacial Maximum, but emphasize that more surveys in the extreme north and south of the peninsula are required to support this assertion.