Frugivorous bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) community structure and trophic relations in Atlantic Forest fragments

We evaluated the structure of a community of frugivorous bats using composition and abundance patterns, niche amplitude and food overlap of these animals in four Atlantic Forest fragments, each one exposed to different conservation realities. For twelve months, we captured six bat species and found the seeds of 13 species of pioneering plants in 158 fecal samples. The most abundant bat species were Artibeus planirostris (25.4%), Artibeus lituratus (24.1%) and Carollia perspicillata(23.9%). Only one fragment (Fazenda Unida), the most conserved area, exhibited a significantly different composition and abundance of species. We found low trophic niche amplitude values (<0.60), associated to high food overlaps. Our results suggest that bats can adjust their foraging strategy to deal with food availability variations. By favoring pioneering plant species, the fragmentation process noted of the studied areas creates an attractive environment for bats more tolerant to this type of disturbance. The sampled areas represent important secondary forest remnants in southern Brazil that require attention to avoid an even greater loss of bat diversity.

Riqueza de especies, nuevos registros y actualización del listado taxonómico de la comunidad de murciélagos del Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona, Colombia / Species richness, new reports and inventory update of bat assemblage of the Gorgona National Natural Park, Colombia

The information resulting from inventories is crucial for tracking the effects of habitat alteration and climate change on biodiversity, and for determining conservation priorities. Bats provide several ecosystem services and reflect the status of the populations they interact with. However, the inventory of bats in Gorgona National Natural Park can be incomplete since relatively few intensive surveys have been done. Using mist nets in areas with different forest cover, 670 bats representing 10 species and three families (Emballonuridae, Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae) were captured. Frugivorous species were more abundant in the survey, but a higher number of insectivorous species were registered. A model that incorporates detectability suggests that 33 bat species occur (95% credible interval=[26,39]) and that frugivorous species have a higher detectability than other trophic guilds. To the 13 bat species reported for Gorgona, we added two: Peropteryx macrotis and Mimon crenulatum. In conclusion, our results add two new records of bats to Gorgona, and suggest that the inventory of bats in Gorgona is incomplete, and aerial insectivorous bats have been underrepresented because of the exclusive use of mist nets. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 1): 407-417. Epub 2014 February 01.

Los inventarios biológicos son esenciales para el seguimiento de cambios causados por factores naturales y antrópicos, y para determinar las prioridades de conservación. El estudio de los murciélagos es importante pues estos proveen servicios ambientales esenciales y su diversidad puede reflejar el estado de otros organismos. Sin embargo, el inventario de los murciélagos del PNN Gorgona puede ser incompleto debido a los pocos muestreos intensivos que se han realizado. En este trabajo, se actualiza el listado de la comunidad de murciélagos del Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona, se evalúa su inventario y se propone una clave taxonómica. Considerando que sólo existe una especie del género Saccopteryx (S. leptura) en Gorgona, en los estudios previos se han registrado 13 especies de murciélagos, En el presente estudio se adicionan dos nuevos registros: Peropteryx macrotis con base en la revisión de colecciones biológicas y Mimon crenulatum con base en trabajo de campo. Consecuentemente, se han registrado un total de 15 especies de murciélagos en le PNN Gorgona, mientras el estimado de riqueza predice un total de 33 especies. Por lo tanto, el inventario actual corresponde al 45.5% del número de especies esperado. Por otra parte, la detectabilidad de murciélagos insectívoros y nectarívoros fue baja en comparación con la de frugívoros. En conclusión, el inventario de murciélagos no es completo y las especies insectívoras pueden estar sub-representadas debido al uso exclusivo de redes de niebla en los estudios realizados.