Seasonal ecology of a migratory nectar-feeding bat at the edge of its range

Abstract

Migratory species that cross geopolitical boundaries pose challenges for conservation planning because threats may vary across a species’ range and multi-country collaboration is required to implement conservation action plans. The lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) is a migratory pollinator bat that was removed from the Endangered Species List in the United States in 2018 and from threatened status in Mexico in 2013. The seasonal ecology and conservation status of the species is well understood in the core part of its range on mainland Mexico and in the southwestern United States, but relatively little is known about the species on the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico, a part of its range range separated by the Gulf of California. We studied the seasonal ecology of lesser long-nosed bats on the Baja peninsula at 8 focal roosts along a 450-km north-to-south transect to test hypotheses about migratory or residential status of the species on the Baja peninsula. We provide evidence of an extensive population of lesser long-nosed bats on the Baja peninsula that is primarily seasonally migratory and includes 2 mating roosts with males on the southern part of the peninsula. Seasonal ecology of lesser long-nosed bats was closely associated with the flowering and fruiting season of the cardón (Pachycereus pringlei), the dominant columnar cactus on the peninsula. However, we discovered that some female lesser long-nosed bats arrive and give birth at southern roosts in mid-February, about 2 months earlier than other migratory populations in more northern Sonoran Desert habitats. We documented the loss of nearly a third of the known maternity roosts during the study, demonstrating that action to protect key roosts remains a high priority. Migratory pollinators are particularly vulnerable to climate and land-use changes and we recommend continued monitoring and research to guide effective range-wide conservation of the species.Las especies migratorias o con rangos de distribución amplios que incluyen fronteras geopolíticas, representan desafíos particulares para la planificación de estrategias de conservación, ya que las amenazas así como las tendencias poblacionales pueden variar a lo largo de su rango geográfico y se requiere la colaboración de múltiples países para implementar planes de acción que permitan su conservación. El murciélago magueyero menor (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) es un murciélago polinizador migratorio que recientemente fue sacado de la lista de especies en peligro en los Estados Unidos en 2018 y en México en 2013. La ecología estacional y el estatus de conservación de esta especie, ha sido bien estudiado en el centro de su rango de distribución en México continental, pero se sabe muy poco acerca de la especie en la Península de Baja California en el noreste de México, región que está separada del resto del rango por el golfo de California. Nosotros estudiamos la ecología estacional del murciélago magueyero menor, en ocho cuevas a lo largo de un transecto de 450 km n...

A review of the major threats and challenges to global bat conservation

“…As one example, a bi‐national consortium of researchers, NGOs, landowners, and government agencies worked on local and range‐wide conservation programs to protect and recover populations of the lesser long‐nosed bat ( Leptonycteris yerbabuenae ), a migratory species that depends on caves and forms large aggregations (>10,000 bats) across its migratory range from Mexico into the southwestern United States . Conservation measures in both Mexico and the United States, including roost protection measures and research efforts to obtain better estimates of population size and trends, resulted in removal of the species from the Mexican endangered species list in 2013 followed by removal from the Endangered Species Act in the United States in 2018 …”

“…159 Conservation measures in both Mexico and the United States, including roost protection measures and research efforts to obtain better estimates of population size and trends, resulted in removal of the species from the Mexican endangered species list in 2013 followed by removal from the Endangered Species Act in the United States in 2018. [160][161][162] In the immediate term, conservation of cavedwelling bats requires identifying and protecting key roost sites of vulnerable populations before local, regional, or global populations spiral toward extinction (e.g., UNEP/EUROBATS Conservation of Key Underground Sites Database). 163 At local to regional scales, correlates of bat diversity, such as land-use change and cave complexity, can be used to help identify priority caves.…”

New records on distribution and habitat of the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) in Honduras

“…Thus, populations of long-nosed bats in Honduras are probably resident; there are shelters where they reproduce, food resources that they seek at night, and altitudinal migration can be expected. Although this species has been widely studied in Mexico and the southern United States (Frick et al 2018), its behavior in Honduras is practically unknown. Studies regarding their food, shelter, and distribution in the country are needed.…”

Mammals diversity of mount sawal wildlife reserve, Ciamis, West Jawa

“…The diversity of mammal species is linear to the balance of the ecosystem, this is related to the role and function of mammals that are important in maintaining the food chain and the energy cycle in the ecosystem. Several studies have revealed that the mammals naturally acts as a seed disperser, pollinator, controls insect populations and as prey [19][20][21].…”