Forest Structure and Composition Affect Bats in a Tropical Evergreen Broadleaf Forest

Emma Willcox,Daniel Mills,William Giuliano,Michael Andreu,Lauren Watine

doi:10.3390/f8090317

Emma Willcox, Daniel Mills + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/f8090317

Copy DOI

Abstract

The lack of knowledge regarding many aerial insectivorous bats and their relationships with forest characteristics limits conservation decision-making for tropical rainforests and for this important bat group. Therefore, our objective was to understand the effects of forest structure and composition on these bats in the Neotropical evergreen broadleaf forest of Belize, Central America. We conducted bat monitoring and quantified 51 forest characteristics at 24 locations in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve (CFR) from May–July 2014. Simple linear and backward stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to examine relationships between bat richness and activity and forest characteristics. Bat genus richness and total activity were directly related to overstory canopy depth and inversely related to ≤4 structural characteristics. Lasiurus, Myotis, Promops, and Pteronotus spp. were affected by ≤7 forest characteristics; the responses were explained by preferences for less-cluttered, open space for flying and foraging and species-specific food and cover requirements. However, bat richness and activity were often unaffected by forest structure and composition in the CFR, suggesting that at this taxonomic level, bats may not be very sensitive to variation in forest characteristics, may not be very useful indicators of alteration, and may have some tolerance for disturbance and change.

Highlights

In Neotropical rainforests, bats are one of the most species-rich mammal groups and can comprise more than 50% of all mammalian species present in lowland regions [1,2], but they are often threatened by changes to their habitat [3,4]
The Chiquibul Forest Reserve (CFR) is a public reserve managed by the Belize Forest Department, and it is a tropical evergreen seasonal broadleaf forest comprised of hardwoods and palms, with almost no softwood component
Genus richness and total activity of detected aerial insectivorous bats and activity of a number of individual genera responded to forest structure and composition

Summary

Introduction

In Neotropical rainforests, bats are one of the most species-rich mammal groups and can comprise more than 50% of all mammalian species present in lowland regions [1,2], but they are often threatened by changes to their habitat [3,4] Their functional diversity [5,6,7] allows them to fulfill critical ecological roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and arthropod predators, such that declines in bat populations could significantly affect ecosystem functions [8,9,10,11,12]. These disturbances create canopy gaps of various sizes that often promote the growth of vines and pioneer tree species, and create regenerating stands characterized by dense undergrowth [17,18,19,20]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion