Abstract
Forest fragmentation associated with the expansion of human development is a phenomenon that occurs worldwide. Studies reveal that there have been both a decline in species diversity and a decrease in Neotropical bat population size because of habitat loss. The aim of this study was to investigate whether human action has been affecting the food availability to wildlife species, which could impact the storage of body energy reserves. For this purpose, fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus) were collected in two areas in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The concentrations of plasma glucose, as well as glycogen, lipids and protein in liver in muscles were performed, in addition to adipose tissue weight and carcass fatty acids. Our results indicate that fat reserves were significantly lower in most tested tissues (muscle of the hindlimbs, breast muscles, adipose tissue and carcass) in animals collected in the region with a higher degree of human disturbance. The other parameters showed no significant differences in the groups collected at different locations. In conclusion, we suggest that human action on the environment may be affecting the storage of body fat energy reserves of this species during the autumn, particularly in metropolitan region areas of Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil, requiring special attention to the species conservation.
Highlights
Forest fragmentation, associated with human development expansion, is a phenomenon that can occurs worldwide (Viana et al, 1997)
Because gender showed no significant influence on the results of any of the variables tested, data obtained from male and female bats were pooled
There was no statistical difference in plasma glucose concentrations from bats collected at PUC-MG (6.68 ± 1.14 mmol.L–1) and Parque Estadual do Rio Doce (PERD) (5.65 ± 0.76 mmol.L–1) (Figure 2)
Summary
Forest fragmentation, associated with human development expansion, is a phenomenon that can occurs worldwide (Viana et al, 1997). Depending on the same effects, bats have presented a decrease in species diversity and population size due to habitat loss (Brosset et al, 1996; Schulze et al, 2000). Several authors show that in bat communities from little changed or with no disturbance forest areas, species diversity is greater than in altered areas (Fenton et al, 1992; Cosson et al, 1999; Medellin et al, 2000; Gorresen and Willig, 2004). While forests have given way to city advancement, only a few species of bats have shown the capacity to resist to the anthropogenic pressure, whether staying in forest fragments located close to urban environments or settling directly in these ones (Reis et al, 1993; Sazima et al, 1994; Zortéa and Chiarello, 1994; Bredt and Uieda, 1996; Silva et al, 1996; Félix et al, 2001; Esbérard, 2003; Reis et al, 2003). Which species are best adapted to anthropogenic environments and the corresponding adaptive mechanisms have not been fully elucidated yet
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