Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. &... more Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. & Souza-Motta, C.M. (2022) Richness of Cladosporium in a tropical bat cave with the description of two new species. Mycological Progress 21, 345–357. Caves are important roosts for hundreds of bat species worldwide. Such habitats frequently harbour rich and extremely specialised biotas; however, they remain among the least-studied places on Earth, particularly in the tropical region. The fungal richness in tropical caves in Brazil has recently been studied, and these surveys have reported a largely unexplored mycobiome, highlighting some bat caves as hotspots for fungal findings. During a speleomycological survey in a bat cave in the Caatinga dry forest in Brazil, 15 Cladosporium isolates were obtained from the air and ectoparasitic bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) collected from the bat Pteronotus gymnonotus (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae). Based on morphological features and multi-gene (ITS rDNA, ACT, and TEF1) phylogenetic analyses, we reported eight Cladosporium species in this cave. Two new species, Cladosporium cavernicola and Cladosporium pernambucoense, were isolated from the cave air and have been formally described here. They, along with Cladosporium puris, Cladosporium subuliforme, and Cladosporium tenuissimum, were related to the Cladosporium cladosporioides species complex. Additionally, we recorded Cladosporium austrohemisphaericum, Cladosporium parahalotolerans, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum (C. sphaerospermum species complex). Our findings emphasise the large potential for new fungal species associated with caves and bats worldwide. Keywords: Airborne fungi, Bazilian Caatinga, Cladosporiaceae, Speleomycology.
FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalida... more FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalidae) from 1893 to 2015.
A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereç... more A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereço http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotropica is an electronic, peer-reviewed journal edited by the Program BIOTA/FAPESP: The Virtual Institute of Biodiversity. This journal's aim is to disseminate the results of original research work, associated or not to the program, concerned with characterization, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the Neotropical region. Biota Neotropica é uma revista do Programa BIOTA/FAPESP-O Instituto Virtual da Biodiversidade, que publica resultados de pesquisa original, vinculada ou não ao programa, que abordem a temática caracterização, conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade na região Neotropical. Flagging a species as threatened: the case of Eptesicus taddeii, an endemic bat from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Bernard, E. et al. Abstract: The IUCN Red List is an important conservation tool. Although its criteria are us...
Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de rec... more Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de recursos financeiros e vontade política, é importante o consenso sobre quais ações devem ser prioritárias. Técnicas multicritérios podem contribuir para a melhoria do processo de priorização em conservação e diferentes iniciativas e abordagens poderiam se beneficiar de seu uso. Apresentamos aqui um exercício de priorização e busca de consenso a partir da utilização de uma técnica multicritério para ranquear os objetivos propostos por três planos de ação nacional no Brasil (PANs). Esse ranqueamento permitiu: 1) comparar se a ordenação das ações nesses PAN corresponde às ações consideradas prioritárias pelo público que elaborou este documento; 2) identificar idiossincrasias entre o que diz um documento oficial de política pública e o que pensam as pessoas responsáveis pela execução dessas ações; e 3) identificar ações prioritárias comuns a mais de um plano – e que podem otimizar o processo de...
Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de um... more Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de uma avaliacao quanto a seu nivel de relevância para que possam gozar de protecao formal. Essa alteracao determina que as cavernas sejam classificadas em Maxima, Alta, Media ou Baixa relevância, a depender de seus atributos, e as cavernas com grau de relevância Maximo dispoem de protecao contra danos irreversiveis. Avaliamos aqui o nivel de relevância da caverna “Meu Rei”, localizada no Parque Nacional do Catimbau, em Pernambuco, seguindo um protocolo de classificacao com 70 variaveis, de acordo com as diretrizes estabelecidas pela legislacao atual. Alem de abrigar uma colonia excepcional de morcegos, com mais de 5.000 individuos, ela possui dimensoes notaveis em extensao, area e/ou volume, e espeleotemas unicos, o que classifica a caverna “Meu Rei” como uma cavidade natural com Maxima Relevância. Seu estado de conservacao deve ser considerado “Relativamente Estavel”, mas demanda cuidados. ...
Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em se... more Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em seus abrigos. Uma das formas de protege-los e por meio da utilizacao de bat gates, portoes instalados na entrada dos abrigos com o intuito de permitir o voo de morcegos atraves das grades e impedir a entrada de humanos. E conhecida a utilizacao destes portoes em paises da America do Norte, Europa e Oceania, e varios estudos relatam as implicacoes da instalacao e as possiveis reacoes dos morcegos frente as grades. No Brasil, ate o presente momento, nao foi relatada a utilizacao deste tipo de estrutura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compilar informacoes referentes ao uso e aplicabilidade dos bat gates, reacoes dos morcegos a sua instalacao, e analisar vantagens e desvantagens dos portoes, de forma a gerar subsidios para a possivel utilizacao de bat gates como uma medida de protecao aos morcegos no Brasil. Foram utilizados dados dos Estados Unidos, Canada, Portugal, Reino Unido e Australia, c...
Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Kno... more Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Knowledge about how biotic and abiotic factors can influence ecological relationships between parasites and hosts is in general incipient. Large information gaps are even worst in biodiversity-rich, but poorly sampled areas like Brazil's Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest in South America. We used bats and their highly specialized ectoparasitic flies as a study model to clarify some aspects of this host-parasite system in this semiarid environment. We conducted fieldwork at 55 sites in the Caatinga, between April 2017 and March 2020 and collected 1300 flies (19 species) on 333 bats (15 species). Bat ectoparasitic flies were highly host-specific, had an aggregated distribution, frequently formed infracommunities with only one species, and had a male-biased sex ratio. Except for the prevalence of the streblid fly Strebla guajiro on Carollia perspicillata, which was significantly higher in the rainy season, bat flies showed no preference - expressed by frequency and intensity of infestation - for host sex, and their interspecific relationships were not mediated by rainfall. Other variables that could potentially be interfering in this host-parasite relationship deserve further attention, especially in environments such as the Caatinga where there is great seasonal variation. Furthermore, the existence of species-specific responses must be taken into account.
Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along wi... more Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along with birds, bats serve as hosts for several argasid ticks, which are commonly found in bat caves. Argasid ticks have regained attention from tick taxonomists in recent decades, with a number of new species described in various zoogeographical regions. Nonetheless, studies on their ecology are still scarce. We conducted a 1-year longitudinal study to assess the presence of argasid ticks in a bat cave in the drylands of north-eastern Brazil and evaluate their possible response to abiotic factors. From July 2014 to June 2015, 490 ticks were collected (272 nymphs, 169 males and 49 females) in a cave chamber hosting a large colony of Pteronotus spp. bats, being relatively more frequent from July to December 2014. Adults were identified as Antricola guglielmonei, whereas nymphs were assigned to the genus Antricola. Almost all ticks (98%) were collected on the cave walls. Only 2% were on the ceiling and, surprisingly, no specimens were found on the floor and/or guano. Adults were usually clustered in the crevices and little mobile, whereas nymphs were dispersed and more active, moving over the walls or ceiling of the cave. Although present in most of the studied period, there was a significantly negative correlation between tick abundance and relatively humidity, and A. guglielmonei was more frequent during the dry season. Moreover, there was no evident correlation between the abundance of ticks and bats. Further long-term studies will be able to verify whether this pattern is repeated over time, and even whether other variables can influence the population dynamics of A. guglielmonei.
In recent years Brazil has become the third largest market for new investments in wind power in t... more In recent years Brazil has become the third largest market for new investments in wind power in the world. Though a change in the national policy towards more sustainable energy sources is desirable, wind energy is not free from negative impacts. According to studies done in the temperate region, bats are negatively affected by wind farms, due to fatalities resulting from direct collision with the turbines or from barotrauma. If in many countries national and international laws follow guidelines for consideration of potential impacts of wind farms on bats, and even consider potential minimization and mitigation schemes, the Brazilian current normative for wind farm licencing presents vague approaches on this matter. With a few exceptions, states are the main responsible for the licencing processes. In this context, a joint initiative in Rio Grande do Sul, the state with the third highest wind power generation in Brazil, put together the Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development of Rio Grande do Sul, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and the Brazilian Society for the Study of Bats to set reference terms for consideration of bats in impact assessments of wind farms in the state. Consensus was built from a collaborative process resulting from a two-day workshop involving technicians and academics with expertise in bat biology, conservation and management. Guidelines were divided into pre-installation, construction, and operation phases, considering the decisions to make, potential impacts and relevant questions to answer, methodological and technical recommendations or constraints, and current gaps in knowledge. Here we describe this collaborative experience hoping it can be replicable in other Brazilian states and used by other potentially impacting sectors. With few adaptations and considering specificities in the regional bat fauna and environmental conditions, the proposed reference terms can be used elsewhere in Brazil.
Caves are very important roosts for bats. Neotropical countries, like Brazil, harbor both high ba... more Caves are very important roosts for bats. Neotropical countries, like Brazil, harbor both high bat species richness and abundance of underground cavities. The Caatinga drylands in northeastern Brazil are a good example with potentially 100 bat species and a high number of caves. Among those caves, some harbor exceptionally large bat populations, but, even thus, they still remain poorly known and studied. Here we present a 48-months monitoring based on a non-invasive thermal detection system to estimate the abundance changes of a large colony in a bat cave in the Caatinga drylands of Brazil. That cave harbors ten bat species-two nationally endangered-and 70% of them are main cave users. We found a marked inter-month fluctuation in the total bat abundance, with no consistent pattern. Total bat abundance was neither related to precipitation nor to the reproductive seasonality. During certain moments, the bat population can reach up to 120,000 individuals, making this cave a priority site for bat conservation in Brazil.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host... more Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host specificity is a common phenomenon between flies and bats. In recent years, more efforts have been employed to understand how environmental variables can influence richness and parasitic load (PL). However, many gaps still need to be filled to better understand this issue. We analyzed the PL of flies on bats sampled in three environments with different rain volume and vegetation types to verify if PL is correlated with rainfall and if there are differences in the PL on bats within and between environments. Overall, there was no correlation between rainfall and PL in the same environment, nor a difference between the three environments. When tested separately, Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)) had a difference in prevalence of flies between environments and flat-faced fruit-eating bats (Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823)) had a greater abundance of flies ...
Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often deter... more Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often determined by patchy records. However, due to almost species-specific calls, echolocation can help to refine the distribution of emballonurids. Here we use acoustic samplings to assess and complement the list of emballonurids of Reserva Biológica Saltinho, an important Atlantic Forest remnant in Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. We positively matched calls of Saccopteryx bilineata (Temminck, 1838) that was foraging along forest edges. However, a series of calls significantly different from those emitted by S. bilineata indicate the presence of a second Saccopteryx sonotype in the area. The lower frequencies in this sonotype presumably came from a larger species, indicating the possible existence of an undescribed cryptic species of Saccopteryx. We also detected Centronycteris maximiliani (Fischer, 1829), recorded 35 years after its first record in Pernambuco, and an undetermined species ...
h i g h l i g h t s • Climate change will impact 36 Cerrado's bat species if displacement is not ... more h i g h l i g h t s • Climate change will impact 36 Cerrado's bat species if displacement is not considered. • Important areas for bat species occurrence in 2050 are located more than 281 km away from current ones. • Future competition for space between agriculture and biodiversity may enhance the impacts of climate change. • Corridors to facilitate bat's movement must be implemented to mitigate such expected impacts.
The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The ... more The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The state is also currently target of large economic projects with potential impacts on bats, especially wind farms and mining enterprises. In addition, Rio Grande do Norte has few conservation units in which there is no systematic study on bat fauna. The Nísia Floresta National Forest (NFNF), a federally protected area of 174 hectares, is located in the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and corresponds to one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest in the state, in its northernmost limits. A bat inventory was conducted in NFNF using mist nets set at ground level, from sunset to sunrise, from December 2011 to December 2012, totaling 25 sampling nights. We captured 1,379 bats belonging to four families and 16 species. Artibeus planirostris (Phyllostomidae) was the most frequently captured species (n = 685; 50%), followed by Myotis lavali (Vespertilionidae) (n = 248; 18%) and Phyllostomus d...
Blood-feeding is one of the most specialized foraging habits, as it demands extreme morphological... more Blood-feeding is one of the most specialized foraging habits, as it demands extreme morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. Three species of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata) rely on blood as their only food. The first two are considered less specialized, whereas D. ecaudata is frequently pointed out as a bird-specialist. We assessed what prey D. ecaudata consumes in the Caatinga dry forests of northeastern Brazil, a highly modified biome. How the species would behave in a situation of scarcity of wild birds and increase in the availability of domestic animals? Could Diphylla have been induced to include also mammals in its diet? Using PCR-amplification of DNA fragments in the feces of D. ecaudata, we detected the regular consumption of chicken blood and human blood-a novel prey for this species. Our results suggest that the diet of D. ecaudata is more flexible than expected. The record of humans as prey and the absence of blood from native species may reflect a low availability of wild birds in the study site, reinforcing the impact of human activities on local ecological processes. This also opens a range of research possibilities on vampire bats in the Caatinga, both on the species' biology and the consequences for public health, considering the potential increase in the transmission of rabies in the region.
Brazil holds the second richest bat fauna in the world (167 species in nine families), after Colo... more Brazil holds the second richest bat fauna in the world (167 species in nine families), after Colombia (178 species) (ALBERICO et al. 2000, REIS et al. 2007, A. PAGLIA pers. comm.). Is spite of such richness, information on the diversity, occurrence and distribution of Brazilian bat species is still heterogeneous and fragmented. None of the Brazilian biomes are well surveyed for bats, but this situation is more critical in Amazonia, an area covering nearly 2/3 of the country. Official bat records are missing for nearly 75% of this extraordinairily species rich biome (BERNARD et al. 2011). In spite of that, the top speciesrich sites in Brazil are located in that region: Alter do Chão, state of Pará (BERNARD & FENTON 2002), and the BDFFP reserves in Manaus, state of Amazonas (SAMPAIO et al. 2003), each holding 72 species. The poor sampling of the Brazilian Amazonia results in large distributional data gaps, and as a consequence, refined biogeographic patterns of the bats in the Amazon Basin are still missing (LIM & ENGSTROM 2001b). The gaps in the knowledge for this important and diverse order of mammals result mainly from the complexities of performing inventories in Amazonia, and consequently, from the small number of wellsampled sites in the region (LIM & ENGSTROM 2001b, BERNARD & FENTON 2002). Until the beginning of 2000s, little was know regarding the regional distribution of bat species in the state of Amapá (easternmost corner of the Brazilian Amazon) (MARTINS et al. 2006). Bat records for this region were only sparse and sporadic (
The Guiana Shield has large, preserved areas with high biological diversity. However, the knowled... more The Guiana Shield has large, preserved areas with high biological diversity. However, the knowledge of this biodiversity differs among the regions with the Brazilian portion poorly known compared to the French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. In the Amapá State, the information on mammals is very heterogeneous and represents a gap in the knowledge of the distribution and diversity of some groups. We compiled a list of the mammals of the Amapá based on the inventories, voucher specimens deposited in the collection Fauna of Amapá at Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá, and previous published studies. We present a list of 181 mammal species. Chiroptera was the order with the highest number of species (88) followed by Rodentia (32). The list includes 17 new occurrences: 16 for Amapá (five marsupials, eight bats, one canid, one cetacea and one rodent) and one for Brazil (one rodent). This species list is the most complete taxonomic review for the Amapá, contributes to the knowledge of mammal diversity north of the Amazon River, and helps increase the precision of the species ranges in the Guianas and the eastern portion of the Amazon.
Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. &... more Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. & Souza-Motta, C.M. (2022) Richness of Cladosporium in a tropical bat cave with the description of two new species. Mycological Progress 21, 345–357. Caves are important roosts for hundreds of bat species worldwide. Such habitats frequently harbour rich and extremely specialised biotas; however, they remain among the least-studied places on Earth, particularly in the tropical region. The fungal richness in tropical caves in Brazil has recently been studied, and these surveys have reported a largely unexplored mycobiome, highlighting some bat caves as hotspots for fungal findings. During a speleomycological survey in a bat cave in the Caatinga dry forest in Brazil, 15 Cladosporium isolates were obtained from the air and ectoparasitic bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) collected from the bat Pteronotus gymnonotus (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae). Based on morphological features and multi-gene (ITS rDNA, ACT, and TEF1) phylogenetic analyses, we reported eight Cladosporium species in this cave. Two new species, Cladosporium cavernicola and Cladosporium pernambucoense, were isolated from the cave air and have been formally described here. They, along with Cladosporium puris, Cladosporium subuliforme, and Cladosporium tenuissimum, were related to the Cladosporium cladosporioides species complex. Additionally, we recorded Cladosporium austrohemisphaericum, Cladosporium parahalotolerans, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum (C. sphaerospermum species complex). Our findings emphasise the large potential for new fungal species associated with caves and bats worldwide. Keywords: Airborne fungi, Bazilian Caatinga, Cladosporiaceae, Speleomycology.
FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalida... more FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalidae) from 1893 to 2015.
A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereç... more A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereço http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotropica is an electronic, peer-reviewed journal edited by the Program BIOTA/FAPESP: The Virtual Institute of Biodiversity. This journal's aim is to disseminate the results of original research work, associated or not to the program, concerned with characterization, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the Neotropical region. Biota Neotropica é uma revista do Programa BIOTA/FAPESP-O Instituto Virtual da Biodiversidade, que publica resultados de pesquisa original, vinculada ou não ao programa, que abordem a temática caracterização, conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade na região Neotropical. Flagging a species as threatened: the case of Eptesicus taddeii, an endemic bat from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Bernard, E. et al. Abstract: The IUCN Red List is an important conservation tool. Although its criteria are us...
Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de rec... more Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de recursos financeiros e vontade política, é importante o consenso sobre quais ações devem ser prioritárias. Técnicas multicritérios podem contribuir para a melhoria do processo de priorização em conservação e diferentes iniciativas e abordagens poderiam se beneficiar de seu uso. Apresentamos aqui um exercício de priorização e busca de consenso a partir da utilização de uma técnica multicritério para ranquear os objetivos propostos por três planos de ação nacional no Brasil (PANs). Esse ranqueamento permitiu: 1) comparar se a ordenação das ações nesses PAN corresponde às ações consideradas prioritárias pelo público que elaborou este documento; 2) identificar idiossincrasias entre o que diz um documento oficial de política pública e o que pensam as pessoas responsáveis pela execução dessas ações; e 3) identificar ações prioritárias comuns a mais de um plano – e que podem otimizar o processo de...
Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de um... more Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de uma avaliacao quanto a seu nivel de relevância para que possam gozar de protecao formal. Essa alteracao determina que as cavernas sejam classificadas em Maxima, Alta, Media ou Baixa relevância, a depender de seus atributos, e as cavernas com grau de relevância Maximo dispoem de protecao contra danos irreversiveis. Avaliamos aqui o nivel de relevância da caverna “Meu Rei”, localizada no Parque Nacional do Catimbau, em Pernambuco, seguindo um protocolo de classificacao com 70 variaveis, de acordo com as diretrizes estabelecidas pela legislacao atual. Alem de abrigar uma colonia excepcional de morcegos, com mais de 5.000 individuos, ela possui dimensoes notaveis em extensao, area e/ou volume, e espeleotemas unicos, o que classifica a caverna “Meu Rei” como uma cavidade natural com Maxima Relevância. Seu estado de conservacao deve ser considerado “Relativamente Estavel”, mas demanda cuidados. ...
Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em se... more Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em seus abrigos. Uma das formas de protege-los e por meio da utilizacao de bat gates, portoes instalados na entrada dos abrigos com o intuito de permitir o voo de morcegos atraves das grades e impedir a entrada de humanos. E conhecida a utilizacao destes portoes em paises da America do Norte, Europa e Oceania, e varios estudos relatam as implicacoes da instalacao e as possiveis reacoes dos morcegos frente as grades. No Brasil, ate o presente momento, nao foi relatada a utilizacao deste tipo de estrutura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compilar informacoes referentes ao uso e aplicabilidade dos bat gates, reacoes dos morcegos a sua instalacao, e analisar vantagens e desvantagens dos portoes, de forma a gerar subsidios para a possivel utilizacao de bat gates como uma medida de protecao aos morcegos no Brasil. Foram utilizados dados dos Estados Unidos, Canada, Portugal, Reino Unido e Australia, c...
Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Kno... more Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Knowledge about how biotic and abiotic factors can influence ecological relationships between parasites and hosts is in general incipient. Large information gaps are even worst in biodiversity-rich, but poorly sampled areas like Brazil's Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest in South America. We used bats and their highly specialized ectoparasitic flies as a study model to clarify some aspects of this host-parasite system in this semiarid environment. We conducted fieldwork at 55 sites in the Caatinga, between April 2017 and March 2020 and collected 1300 flies (19 species) on 333 bats (15 species). Bat ectoparasitic flies were highly host-specific, had an aggregated distribution, frequently formed infracommunities with only one species, and had a male-biased sex ratio. Except for the prevalence of the streblid fly Strebla guajiro on Carollia perspicillata, which was significantly higher in the rainy season, bat flies showed no preference - expressed by frequency and intensity of infestation - for host sex, and their interspecific relationships were not mediated by rainfall. Other variables that could potentially be interfering in this host-parasite relationship deserve further attention, especially in environments such as the Caatinga where there is great seasonal variation. Furthermore, the existence of species-specific responses must be taken into account.
Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along wi... more Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along with birds, bats serve as hosts for several argasid ticks, which are commonly found in bat caves. Argasid ticks have regained attention from tick taxonomists in recent decades, with a number of new species described in various zoogeographical regions. Nonetheless, studies on their ecology are still scarce. We conducted a 1-year longitudinal study to assess the presence of argasid ticks in a bat cave in the drylands of north-eastern Brazil and evaluate their possible response to abiotic factors. From July 2014 to June 2015, 490 ticks were collected (272 nymphs, 169 males and 49 females) in a cave chamber hosting a large colony of Pteronotus spp. bats, being relatively more frequent from July to December 2014. Adults were identified as Antricola guglielmonei, whereas nymphs were assigned to the genus Antricola. Almost all ticks (98%) were collected on the cave walls. Only 2% were on the ceiling and, surprisingly, no specimens were found on the floor and/or guano. Adults were usually clustered in the crevices and little mobile, whereas nymphs were dispersed and more active, moving over the walls or ceiling of the cave. Although present in most of the studied period, there was a significantly negative correlation between tick abundance and relatively humidity, and A. guglielmonei was more frequent during the dry season. Moreover, there was no evident correlation between the abundance of ticks and bats. Further long-term studies will be able to verify whether this pattern is repeated over time, and even whether other variables can influence the population dynamics of A. guglielmonei.
In recent years Brazil has become the third largest market for new investments in wind power in t... more In recent years Brazil has become the third largest market for new investments in wind power in the world. Though a change in the national policy towards more sustainable energy sources is desirable, wind energy is not free from negative impacts. According to studies done in the temperate region, bats are negatively affected by wind farms, due to fatalities resulting from direct collision with the turbines or from barotrauma. If in many countries national and international laws follow guidelines for consideration of potential impacts of wind farms on bats, and even consider potential minimization and mitigation schemes, the Brazilian current normative for wind farm licencing presents vague approaches on this matter. With a few exceptions, states are the main responsible for the licencing processes. In this context, a joint initiative in Rio Grande do Sul, the state with the third highest wind power generation in Brazil, put together the Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development of Rio Grande do Sul, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and the Brazilian Society for the Study of Bats to set reference terms for consideration of bats in impact assessments of wind farms in the state. Consensus was built from a collaborative process resulting from a two-day workshop involving technicians and academics with expertise in bat biology, conservation and management. Guidelines were divided into pre-installation, construction, and operation phases, considering the decisions to make, potential impacts and relevant questions to answer, methodological and technical recommendations or constraints, and current gaps in knowledge. Here we describe this collaborative experience hoping it can be replicable in other Brazilian states and used by other potentially impacting sectors. With few adaptations and considering specificities in the regional bat fauna and environmental conditions, the proposed reference terms can be used elsewhere in Brazil.
Caves are very important roosts for bats. Neotropical countries, like Brazil, harbor both high ba... more Caves are very important roosts for bats. Neotropical countries, like Brazil, harbor both high bat species richness and abundance of underground cavities. The Caatinga drylands in northeastern Brazil are a good example with potentially 100 bat species and a high number of caves. Among those caves, some harbor exceptionally large bat populations, but, even thus, they still remain poorly known and studied. Here we present a 48-months monitoring based on a non-invasive thermal detection system to estimate the abundance changes of a large colony in a bat cave in the Caatinga drylands of Brazil. That cave harbors ten bat species-two nationally endangered-and 70% of them are main cave users. We found a marked inter-month fluctuation in the total bat abundance, with no consistent pattern. Total bat abundance was neither related to precipitation nor to the reproductive seasonality. During certain moments, the bat population can reach up to 120,000 individuals, making this cave a priority site for bat conservation in Brazil.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host... more Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host specificity is a common phenomenon between flies and bats. In recent years, more efforts have been employed to understand how environmental variables can influence richness and parasitic load (PL). However, many gaps still need to be filled to better understand this issue. We analyzed the PL of flies on bats sampled in three environments with different rain volume and vegetation types to verify if PL is correlated with rainfall and if there are differences in the PL on bats within and between environments. Overall, there was no correlation between rainfall and PL in the same environment, nor a difference between the three environments. When tested separately, Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)) had a difference in prevalence of flies between environments and flat-faced fruit-eating bats (Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823)) had a greater abundance of flies ...
Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often deter... more Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often determined by patchy records. However, due to almost species-specific calls, echolocation can help to refine the distribution of emballonurids. Here we use acoustic samplings to assess and complement the list of emballonurids of Reserva Biológica Saltinho, an important Atlantic Forest remnant in Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. We positively matched calls of Saccopteryx bilineata (Temminck, 1838) that was foraging along forest edges. However, a series of calls significantly different from those emitted by S. bilineata indicate the presence of a second Saccopteryx sonotype in the area. The lower frequencies in this sonotype presumably came from a larger species, indicating the possible existence of an undescribed cryptic species of Saccopteryx. We also detected Centronycteris maximiliani (Fischer, 1829), recorded 35 years after its first record in Pernambuco, and an undetermined species ...
h i g h l i g h t s • Climate change will impact 36 Cerrado's bat species if displacement is not ... more h i g h l i g h t s • Climate change will impact 36 Cerrado's bat species if displacement is not considered. • Important areas for bat species occurrence in 2050 are located more than 281 km away from current ones. • Future competition for space between agriculture and biodiversity may enhance the impacts of climate change. • Corridors to facilitate bat's movement must be implemented to mitigate such expected impacts.
The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The ... more The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The state is also currently target of large economic projects with potential impacts on bats, especially wind farms and mining enterprises. In addition, Rio Grande do Norte has few conservation units in which there is no systematic study on bat fauna. The Nísia Floresta National Forest (NFNF), a federally protected area of 174 hectares, is located in the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and corresponds to one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest in the state, in its northernmost limits. A bat inventory was conducted in NFNF using mist nets set at ground level, from sunset to sunrise, from December 2011 to December 2012, totaling 25 sampling nights. We captured 1,379 bats belonging to four families and 16 species. Artibeus planirostris (Phyllostomidae) was the most frequently captured species (n = 685; 50%), followed by Myotis lavali (Vespertilionidae) (n = 248; 18%) and Phyllostomus d...
Blood-feeding is one of the most specialized foraging habits, as it demands extreme morphological... more Blood-feeding is one of the most specialized foraging habits, as it demands extreme morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. Three species of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata) rely on blood as their only food. The first two are considered less specialized, whereas D. ecaudata is frequently pointed out as a bird-specialist. We assessed what prey D. ecaudata consumes in the Caatinga dry forests of northeastern Brazil, a highly modified biome. How the species would behave in a situation of scarcity of wild birds and increase in the availability of domestic animals? Could Diphylla have been induced to include also mammals in its diet? Using PCR-amplification of DNA fragments in the feces of D. ecaudata, we detected the regular consumption of chicken blood and human blood-a novel prey for this species. Our results suggest that the diet of D. ecaudata is more flexible than expected. The record of humans as prey and the absence of blood from native species may reflect a low availability of wild birds in the study site, reinforcing the impact of human activities on local ecological processes. This also opens a range of research possibilities on vampire bats in the Caatinga, both on the species' biology and the consequences for public health, considering the potential increase in the transmission of rabies in the region.
Brazil holds the second richest bat fauna in the world (167 species in nine families), after Colo... more Brazil holds the second richest bat fauna in the world (167 species in nine families), after Colombia (178 species) (ALBERICO et al. 2000, REIS et al. 2007, A. PAGLIA pers. comm.). Is spite of such richness, information on the diversity, occurrence and distribution of Brazilian bat species is still heterogeneous and fragmented. None of the Brazilian biomes are well surveyed for bats, but this situation is more critical in Amazonia, an area covering nearly 2/3 of the country. Official bat records are missing for nearly 75% of this extraordinairily species rich biome (BERNARD et al. 2011). In spite of that, the top speciesrich sites in Brazil are located in that region: Alter do Chão, state of Pará (BERNARD & FENTON 2002), and the BDFFP reserves in Manaus, state of Amazonas (SAMPAIO et al. 2003), each holding 72 species. The poor sampling of the Brazilian Amazonia results in large distributional data gaps, and as a consequence, refined biogeographic patterns of the bats in the Amazon Basin are still missing (LIM & ENGSTROM 2001b). The gaps in the knowledge for this important and diverse order of mammals result mainly from the complexities of performing inventories in Amazonia, and consequently, from the small number of wellsampled sites in the region (LIM & ENGSTROM 2001b, BERNARD & FENTON 2002). Until the beginning of 2000s, little was know regarding the regional distribution of bat species in the state of Amapá (easternmost corner of the Brazilian Amazon) (MARTINS et al. 2006). Bat records for this region were only sparse and sporadic (
The Guiana Shield has large, preserved areas with high biological diversity. However, the knowled... more The Guiana Shield has large, preserved areas with high biological diversity. However, the knowledge of this biodiversity differs among the regions with the Brazilian portion poorly known compared to the French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. In the Amapá State, the information on mammals is very heterogeneous and represents a gap in the knowledge of the distribution and diversity of some groups. We compiled a list of the mammals of the Amapá based on the inventories, voucher specimens deposited in the collection Fauna of Amapá at Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá, and previous published studies. We present a list of 181 mammal species. Chiroptera was the order with the highest number of species (88) followed by Rodentia (32). The list includes 17 new occurrences: 16 for Amapá (five marsupials, eight bats, one canid, one cetacea and one rodent) and one for Brazil (one rodent). This species list is the most complete taxonomic review for the Amapá, contributes to the knowledge of mammal diversity north of the Amazon River, and helps increase the precision of the species ranges in the Guianas and the eastern portion of the Amazon.
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