Abstract
The Upper Paraná River floodplain is inserted in a region of the Mata Atlântica biome, which is a critical area to preserve. Due to the scarcity of researches about the chiropterofauna in this region, the present study investigated species richness and abundance of bats in remnants from the stational semidecidual forest of the Upper Paraná River, southern Brazil. Samplings were taken every month, from January to December 2006, using 32 mist nets with 8.0 x 2.5 m, resulting in 640 m2/h and totaling a capture effort of 87,040 m(2)/h. In order to estimate the species richness, the following estimators were employed Chao1 and Jack2. During the study, a total of 563 individuals belonging to 17 species (Artibeus planirostris, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Myotis nigricans, Desmodus rotundus, Artibeus obscurus, Noctilio albiventris, Phylostomus discolor, Phylostomus hastatus, Chrotopterus auritus, Lasiurus ega, Chiroderma villosum, Pygoderma bilabiatum and Lasiurus blossevillii) were captured. The estimated richness curves tended to stabilize, indicating that most of the species were sampled. Captured species represented 10% of the taxa recorded in Brazil and 28% in Paraná State, revealing the importance of this area for the diversity of bats. These findings indicate the need to determine actions aiming to restrict human activities in these forest fragments, in order to minimize anthropogenic impacts on the chiropterofauna.
Highlights
The Upper Paraná River floodplain is located in the lastest stretch free of dams in the Paraná River within the Brazilian territory
The anthropogenic activities in the area are related to deforestation of “várzea” environments for cropping, which usually involve the use of pesticides that may be carried to the waterbodies and to the marginal lakes, natural nurseries and feeding areas of several species (Vazzoler et al, 1997)
Vespertilionidae was represented by the insectivores Lasiurus blossevillii, L. ega and Myotis nigricans, whereas Noctilionidae by Noctilio albiventris which consumes insects and fishes (Gardner, 1977) (Table 1)
Summary
The Upper Paraná River floodplain is located in the lastest stretch free of dams in the Paraná River within the Brazilian territory. The anthropogenic activities in the area are related to deforestation of “várzea” environments for cropping, which usually involve the use of pesticides that may be carried to the waterbodies and to the marginal lakes, natural nurseries and feeding areas of several species (Vazzoler et al, 1997). This situation may generate an imbalance for the various components of the ecosystem, such as the chiropterofauna that has been threatened over the time, mainly by insecticides and deforestation (Reis et al, 2007). The ability to fly tends to mitigate such situations, since these animals may move between fragments and explore the environments in a complex way (Almansa et al, 1982), performing important roles within ecosystems, acting in the maintenance of several ecological processes (Eisenberg, 1989), as pollinators agents, seed dispersers (Van Der Pjil, 1957) and controlling natural insects populations (Goodwin and Greenhall, 1961)
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