The relative importance of forest cover and patch-level drivers for phyllostomid bat communities in the Amazonian Savannas

Carvalho, William Douglas de; Rosalino, Luís Miguel; Xavier, Bruna da Silva; Castro, Isaí Jorge de; Hilário, Renato Richard; Marques, Tiago Miranda; Toledo, José Júlio de; Vieira, Marcus Vinícius; Palmeirim, Jorge M.; Mustin, Karen

doi:10.1007/s10980-022-01565-y

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Further details about our bat capture methodology have been reported previously (Carvalho et al. 2021, 2023).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our sampling effort was 12 960 square meters of mistnet per hour for each station (sensu Straube & Bianconi 2002). Further details about our bat capture methodology have been reported previously (Carvalho et al 2021(Carvalho et al , 2023.…”

Section: Bat Capture Bat Fly Collection and Species Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All 10 sampling sites were equidistant from each other (by 2.5 km), as individuals of some bat species tend to travel up to 2.5 km per night in Amazonian savannahs (Bernard & Fenton 2003). The average vegetation height for the sampled forest patches was 7 m, with some trees exceeding 25 m in height (Carvalho et al 2023). The region is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate (according to Köppen's classification), featuring a wet season from December to July and a dry season from August to November, with local temperatures not varying greatly throughout the year (annual average = 27°C) (Tavares 2014).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

et al. 2023

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Bats are the second‐most diverse group of mammals in the world, and bat flies are their main parasites. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding these antagonistic interactions, especially since diverse factors such as seasonality and host sex can affect their network structures. Here, we explore the influence of such factors by comparing species richness and composition of bat flies on host bats, as well as specialization and modularity of bat–bat fly interaction networks between seasons and adult host sexes. We captured bats and collected their ectoparasitic flies at 10 sampling sites in the savannahs of Amapá State, northeastern region of the Brazilian Amazon. Despite female bats being more parasitized and recording greater bat fly species richness in the wet season, neither relationship was statistically significant. The pooled network could be divided into 15 compartments with 54 links, and all subnetworks comprised >12 compartments. The total number of links ranged from 27 to 48 (for the dry and wet seasons, respectively), and female and male subnetworks had 44 and 41 links, respectively. Connectance values were very low for the pooled network and for all subnetworks. Our results revealed higher bat fly species richness and abundance in the wet season, whereas specialization and modularity were higher in the dry season. Moreover, the subnetwork for female bats displayed higher specialization and modularity than the male subnetwork. Therefore, both seasonality and host sex contribute in different ways to bat–bat fly network structure. Future studies should consider these factors when evaluating bat–bat fly interaction networks.

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“…Further details about our bat capture methodology have been reported previously (Carvalho et al. 2021, 2023).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bat Capture Bat Fly Collection and Species Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

et al. 2023

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Hydroelectric dam impacts shorten and delay the reproductive periods of female leaf-nosed bats in Western Amazonia

Bobrowiec,

da Cunha Tavares

2024

Journal of Mammalogy

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The life cycles of bats are constrained by availability of resources such as food and shelter. Disruptions limiting otherwise naturally regulated access to these resources ultimately affect the fitness of bat populations and may eventually lead to local extinctions. We sampled bats before and after an Amazonian mega-dam water filling and retrieved data on their reproductive phenology, testing if and how sex ratio, seasonal abundance, and reproductive patterns respond to impacts of the newly operating hydroelectric dam. We analyzed data from 3,298 bat captures of 49 species. Females outnumbered males, previously and after the dam implementation, and we observed seasonal variations in the abundance of bats, which was lower after the implementation of the dam for most species. All species had at least 1 reproductive peak of pregnancy and/or lactation beginning at a variable time across seasons. Most species and functional ensembles were reproductively bimodal, with exceptions being the polymodal Artibeus obscurus and unimodal Phylostomus elongatus. Operations of the hydroelectric dam affected the abundance of both sexes equally, and effects were stronger in the rainy season, altering the timing of reproduction for females, delaying and shortening pregnancy and lactation. These changes expressed in female reproductive activity may be related to the shortfall of resources because of loss of irreplaceable vegetation caused by the dam filling. As we cannot predict the roles of variation of reproductive patterns observed after the filling in the long run we reinforce the importance of long-term, continuous monitoring and management to safeguard the reestablishment of reproductive patterns of females in order to repopulate and keep bat populations healthy in remaining areas along following dam construction.

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Multiple dimensions of phyllostomid bat biodiversity across ecosystems of the Orinoco Llanos

Farneda,

Otálora‐Ardila,

Meyer

et al. 2024

Animal Conservation

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Understanding the impacts of habitat conversion on species assemblages across multiple biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic) and spatial scales is pivotal for implementing effective conservation strategies. Here, we surveyed phyllostomid bats using mist nets in riparian and unflooded forests, flooded savannahs, and conventional rice fields to investigate how changes in habitat quality affect multifaceted diversity from two Colombian farming systems in the Orinoco Llanos: traditional farmlands with high‐intensity agriculture (mainly rice production) and Civil Society Nature Reserves with greater ecosystem protection. We used a unified framework based on Hill numbers for quantifying bat taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity and modeled the relationship of these diversity facets with landscape variables (habitat cover and patch density) across three spatial scales (0.5, 1.5, 3 km) using Bayesian generalized linear mixed‐effect models. Our results indicate that increasing human activity toward rice monocultures representative of traditional farmlands negatively affected all diversity facets. In contrast, forested habitats associated mainly with riparian forests within private reserves contained higher taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity than savannahs and rice fields. However, the differences between riparian forests and rice crops were significant only for phylogenetic diversity, indicating loss of evolutionary history after habitat conversion. At the landscape scale, forest cover was a significant predictor for functional (0.5‐ and 3‐km scale) and phylogenetic diversity (0.5 km), and bats responded negatively at the 3‐km scale to rice patch density from a functional diversity perspective. Increasing habitat quality through preserving forest cover and patches should minimize the harmful effects of habitat conversion on multidimensional bat biodiversity. Furthermore, the conservation of riparian forests and the creation of more wildlife‐friendly farming, as practiced in the reserves, should be prioritized to ensure high levels of bat taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity across Orinoco countryside landscapes.

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The relative importance of forest cover and patch-level drivers for phyllostomid bat communities in the Amazonian Savannas

Cited by 3 publications

References 76 publications

Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

Seasonal variation and host sex affect bat–bat fly interaction networks in the Amazonian savannahs

Hydroelectric dam impacts shorten and delay the reproductive periods of female leaf-nosed bats in Western Amazonia

Multiple dimensions of phyllostomid bat biodiversity across ecosystems of the Orinoco Llanos

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