Using Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a bioindicator of environmental health, across some Egyptian Governorates

Abstract

BioBacta

Metais pesados em pequenos mamíferos: efeitos em modelos murinos e em morcegos frugívoros

“…Adult male great fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus, n=31, BW=73.62±5.78 g) were captured using mist nets in a forest area from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) (20° 45'S and 42° 52' W), Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All animals were under the same condition, gender, and captured in the same location and during the same season, as described in other studies with bats [29,[35][36][37]. Animals were identified according to , brought to the University, and kept in a half-wall screen-lined bat house located at the Museum of Zoology garden, under trees of the Atlantic Forest.…”

“…Bats also play a vital role in ecosystem services through pollination (549 plants species are pollinated by bats), pest control (752 insect species are consumed by bats, including crop pests and disease vectors), and seed dispersal [27]. The great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus) is an abundant species in the Neotropical region, where it contributes to reforestation, especially in heavily fragmented areas of the Atlantic Rain Forest [28,29]. In these regions, though, fruit bats face several challenges to survive, including heavy metal pollution [30].…”

“…DNA damage [24], oxidative stress in blood [25], lungs, and emphysema [26]. The few studies investigating metal toxicity in fruit-eating bats were focused on flying foxes (family Pteropodidae) [27][28][29], showing that flying foxes can accumulate metals and can cause even pulmonary, liver, and renal histopathologies. We aimed at investigating metals tissue concentration, oxidative stress, and histopathological damage on fruit bats from iron ore and aluminum ore mining areas.…”