Bat assemblages in conservation areas of a metropolitan region in Southeastern Brazil, including an important karst habitat

As Amaral,Sa Talamoni,Da Coelho,Lh Dias-Silva

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842013000200011

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https://doi.org/10.1590/s1519-69842013000200011

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Abstract

Species richness and abundance of bats were studied in four nature reserves, including a karst area which has many potential rocky shelters for bats, such as caves and rock crevices. The reserves were located in the greater Belo Horizonte metropolitan area, one of the most populated regions of Brazil, within the Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) ecological domains. Bats were sampled using mist-nets and, in the karst area, also by active searches in shelters. A total of 1,599 bats were captured representing 30 species belonging to four families. There was little similarity among the four chiropteran faunas. The greatest species richness was found in the karst area with 22 species recorded whereas richness estimates in the other areas indicated the need for further studies. Two hundred and sixty-five individuals of 14 species were captured from 56 shelters. Most of the shelters were frequently used for diurnal roosts, and all the bats found belonged to the Phyllostomidae, with the exception of Myotis nigricans (Vespertilionidae), Nyctinomops laticaudatus (Molossidae) and Peropteryx macrotis (Emballonuridae). The sanguinivorous Desmodus rotundus was the most common species in the shelters. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of maintaining multiple protected areas to ensure a representative fauna of bats in a region characterized by a vegetation transition zone and with intense economic activity and high environmental impact. This study also demonstrates the importance of rock shelters for maintaining local bat richness and the importance of active searches for bats in their diurnal roosts for a more thorough sampling of the bat fauna at a given locality.

Highlights

Bats have a fundamentally important role in the maintenance of ecological processes in tropical and temperate zones
The greatest species richness occurred in the karst area (Carste LS), which is consistent with the species richness found in other areas with caves (Bredt et al, 1999; Esbérard et al, 2005)
The estimated expected richness corresponded to the number of species recorded by mist-net captures and by searches in diurnal roosts in the Carste LS, indicating the importance of active searches for bats in their diurnal roosts for a more thorough sampling of the bat fauna at a given locality

Summary

Introduction

Bats have a fundamentally important role in the maintenance of ecological processes in tropical and temperate zones. Caves and rock shelters are especially important for bats because they provide protection from predators and harsh weather These shelters provide greater microclimate stability compared with cavities in trees for example, and such stability is important for thermoregulation and development of infant bats (Bonaccorso et al, 1992; Vonhof and Barclay, 1996; Rodriguez-Durán and Soto-Centeno, 2003). In spite of this critical role that such shelters play in the lives of bats, knowledge on bats inhabiting caves in Brazil can be found in only a few studies (Trajano, 1985, 1995; Trajano and Moreira, 1991; Bredt et al, 1999; Trajano and Gimenez, 1998; Esbérard et al, 2005; Faria et al, 2006; Costa et al, 2010)

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