Abstract
Introduction: Reproduction is a critical phase for most living organisms and in bats the reproductive strategies exhibit considerable complexity and variability. Objective: In this paper, we describe the reproductive patterns and population dynamics of seven bat species (Artibeus toltecus, Carollia perspicillata, Glossophaga soricina, Mormoops megalophylla, Pteronotus davyi, Pteronotus parnellii and Natalus stramineus) that roost in a mine (La Mina) and two caves (El Apanguito and Cerro Huatulco) found in the municipalities of Pluma Hidalgo and Santa Maria Huatulco, in the State of Oaxaca, in southeastern México. Methods: Sampling was conducted once a month from July 2016 to June 2017. Results: A total of 5 836 bats were captured, tagged and, released, including 14 species, 10 genera, and five families. The most abundant species were Pteronotus davyi and P. parnellii, representing 41.01 % and 32.34 % of the captures, respectively. Artibeus toltecus, Carollia perspicillata, and Glossophaga soricina showed seasonal bimodal polyoestry without a postpartum oestrus pattern, whereas Mormoops megalophylla, Natalus stramineus, Pteronotus davyi, and Pteronotus parnellii showed a restricted seasonal monoestrous pattern. Conclusions: The reproductive activity of each species seems to be synchronized with the beginning of the rainy season. Future studies should consider aspects of vaginal cytology and include environmental factors to better understand the relationship of certain factors with the onset of reproductive activity of neotropical bat species.
Highlights
Group or colony size is an important variable that is related to biological, ecological, and conservation aspects of bats
To date there are no studies in which the population size of ecologically similar and taxonomically related sympatric bat species is compared, it is to be expected that when subjected to the same environmental conditions they will show similar population sizes, and similar probabilities of capture
Given that we did not record M. megalophylla in El Apanguito during the months of May, June, and July and could not estimate the proportion between the number of captured individuals and the number estimated with the Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, we considered the mean value of the proportions of the months when the species was recorded
Summary
Group or colony size is an important variable that is related to biological, ecological, and conservation aspects of bats. Estimating the size of each colony or group in roosts used by more than one species is difficult, especially when recapture rates are very low (< 10 %). Conclusions: The methodology used in this study allowed estimating the colony size for all registered species, even though only for 21.42 % the recapture rates were greater than 10 %. We consider that this methodology represents a viable alternative to estimate colony size in other roosts. This information, together with the high species richness and importance for reproductive processes, allow us to propose these sites as Bat Protection and Conservation Areas in Mexico
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