A review of the breeding biology of Chiroptera

Abstract

Abstract Since 2000, no reviews or analyses have been carried out on scientific studies regarding bat reproductive biology. Such reviews might contribute towards identifying information gaps and global research focus and trends. The objective of this work was to review and analyse scientific studies on different aspects of bat reproduction published in the last two decades (2000–2019), in order to provide perspective for future research. Using 19 key words, we searched for literature on the reproduction of bats published as book chapters and articles in scientific research journals globally. We analysed 36 chapters in 14 books and 276 scientific articles, from 41 countries, identifying publishing trends throughout the years, preferred journals, countries in which studies have been carried out, and most‐studied species and topics. The number of studies increased over the last decade, resulting from the consolidation of research lines in countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, and USA. The studies covered 125 species, of which Scotophilus heathi and Cynopterus sphinx were the most recurrent, each appearing in 23 studies (7.4%, n = 312). The most common subject was anatomy (61 studies, 20%, n = 312), and the rarest was assisted reproduction techniques (11 studies, 3.5%, n = 312). In the last decade, there has been a trend to increase the study of male anatomy. The application of new techniques for the study of reproduction contributed to more complex studies that favour the understanding of the reproductive process. There is an evident lack of reproductive studies for most species, and there is an information gap regarding research in prenatal development and assisted reproduction techniques. These two topics are greatly significant for future research, because of their direct usefulness for species conservation.