SPECIES DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS IN

LAKE MARAGANG RAINFOREST, TIGBAO, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR,

PHILIPPINES

A Special Project Presented to

The Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science and Mathematics
MSU- Iligan Institute of Technology Iligan City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

BDV103 W23S34

Ceff Dwayne Arancon

Allyssa Marie Calderon
Shaira Hope Castillo
Fatima Raiyyan Eldani
Darl Monique Ermac
Edkley Kollin Gutierrez
Sittie Haymel Macarambon
Luke Darryl Magno
Rohanisah Shayenah Manaros
Maxime Mina Peralta

JUNE 2023
 ABSTRACT

Mammals are a group of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of

milk-producing structures called mammary glands. They play a significant role in an
ecosystem as they control insect populations, act as pollinators and seed dispersals, and
function as bioindicators. However, anthropogenic activities have remained major threats to
mammalian diversity. In this study, the species composition and diversity of mammals
(categorically bats and rodents) were assessed in Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape, precisely
in the three select areas along Lake Maragang Rainforest Park. Mist netting for 4-net nights
in each site was set up for bat collection and cage traps were installed to obtain non-volant
mammals. A total of three species of bats and five individuals of rats were collected. Among
the collected species of bats, Ptenochirus jagori had the greatest number, with 14 individuals
collected. Species diversity is also higher in site 3 with the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index
(H’) of 0.5983 compared to sites 1 and 2 (H’ = 0). Acquired rat specimens were able to be
identified only up to the genus level. Based on the results, the sampling site has rich
ecosystems that can support both volant and non-volant species. However, more data is still
immensely needed.
 INTRODUCTION

The Philippines holds two-thirds of the world's biodiversity, between 70% and 80% of

all flora and fauna species are found in the country, and it is one of the world's 18

megadiverse countries (Country Profiles, n.d.). Many of the archipelago's islands are thought

to have a very high level of endemism in terms of both land and animal species, with at least

25 genera of plants and 50% of terrestrial fauna present (PhilCHM, n.d.). The Philippines

might actually have a higher biodiversity per unit than other countries (Mona, 2016). A wide

range of ecosystems, landscapes, and habitats—the majority of which are seriously

endangered by human activity—support this unique biodiversity (Country Profiles, n.d.).

Along with its variety of species, the Philippines is home to 855 globally significant species

of plants, molluscs, elasmobranchs, fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in 228 Key Biodiversity

Areas (KBAs), which are found throughout Southeast Asia (PhilCHM, n.d.).

The Philippine Islands present a remarkable theater for the study of the ecology and

evolution of mammalian diversity. Its islands range in size from less than one hectare to over

100,000 km2, with geological age varying from under 1 million years to over 40 million

years (Heaney et al., 2006). There have been 52,177 identified species found in the

Philippines, at least 50% of which are thought to be endemic (Mona, 2016). The mammals

that have evolved in this diverse archipelago include at least 111 species endemic to the

archipelago out of 172 native terrestrial species; with endemism at 64%, the Philippine fauna

is one of the most distinctive in the world (Mittermeier et al., 1997, 1999; Heaney &

Regalado, 1998).
 Undoubtedly, mammals play an important role in ecosystems by providing essential

services such as regulating insect populations, seed dispersal and pollination and act as

indicators of general ecosystem health (Jones & Safi, 2011). As an indicator and umbrella

species of the terrestrial ecosystems, they help to conserve other species and maintain

ecosystem balance (Jorgensen, 2010; Jean-Claude Koffi Bene et al., 2013; Udy et al., 2021).

Particularly, the medium and large-sized mammals are key components of forest and

savannah communities and are therefore considered good indicators of ecosystem health

(Larsen, 2016).

Mammals are affected by habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation is often

considered as a major threat and endangerment to biodiversity (Koprowski, 2005). It happens

by many different anthropogenic activities like disturbance, pollution, settlement,

infrastructure, deforestation (Bekker, 2003), tourism practices, hunting, agriculture, and cattle

rearing that affect the demography, population structure, spatial range of individuals and

species, and change in the community structure (Olifiers, 2005). According to the Red List

of Threatened Species (2008), they examined 5, 487 species of mammals, and concluded that

1, 141 are currently on the path toward complete disappearance. The second largest threat to

mammals is hunting for food or medicine. On the positive side, it has been shown that entire

species (such as the African elephant) can recover in areas where hunting has been regulated

and conservation initiatives have been put in place (Faunalytics, 2008). Programs promoting

conservation have been successful in reviving species populations and may help increase the

likelihood of these populations’ survival.

The fact that the Philippines is being acknowledged as a conservation hotspot, can

mean and give a significant emphasis that the lands that comprise the archipelago have their
own unique level of concern and attention. The Mount Timolan Protected Landscape

(MTPL) is one of the areas of concern in Mindanao that was designated as one of the

protected areas of the Philippines in August 2000. It spans a total area of 2,224.54 hectares

and is located in the border municipalities of Tigbao, Guipos, Lapuyan, and San Miguel in

the province of Zamboanga del Sur (Cudal et al., 2019). Similar to other protected areas in

the country, the MTPL is facing severe threats and has already experienced the loss of

approximately 70% of its natural vegetation. As a result, the MTPL is classified as one of the

Conservation Priority Areas in the Philippines that requires urgent attention and falls into a

high priority category for terrestrial and inland water conservation, according to the

Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priority Process (Ong et al., 2002).

Despite the attention given to the area, previous research conducted in the Mount

Timolan Protected Landscape (MTPL) has primarily focused on a specific group of animals

belonging to the Phylum Chordata, such as birds, freshwater fishes, and amphibians. For

example, Paguntalan et al. (2011) conducted a study in Lake Maragang, the only crater lake

in the MTPL, and documented a total of 93 bird species. Among them, five species were

identified as threatened according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN), while 36 species were found to be endemic to the Philippines, and four species were

endemic to Mindanao. Sanguila et al. (2011) also conducted a study in the MTPL and

recorded the presence of vulnerable Ansonia species, specifically the Philippine slender

toads. Cudal et al. (2019) conducted an assessment of the freshwater ecosystem within the

MTPL, with a specific emphasis on the freshwater fish fauna, which revealed the presence of

2,422 individuals representing 12 species from 9 families. However, no studies have been

conducted to evaluate the species composition, richness, and diversity of both flying and

non-flying mammals in the area. Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by
providing pioneering data on the species composition, richness, and diversity of volant and

nonvolant mammals within the ecosystem of the Mount Timolan Protected Landscape,

specifically, in Lake Maragang.

Objectives of the Study

The study aimed to determine the species diversity and distribution of terrestrial

mammals in Lake Maragang. Specifically, it aimed to:

1. Determine the species composition and abundance of terrestrial animals;

2. Determine the species diversity of volant and nonvolant mammals; and,

3. Determine the threats present that affected the composition of terrestrial

animals in Lake Maragang.

Significance of the Study

This study provided a list of mammals found in Lake Maragang Rainforest Park,

Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur. This will also provide information on the anthropogenic

disturbances existing in the area that will be useful for the conservation of these animals.

Scope and Limitations

This study focused on the diversity of terrestrial animals found in Lake Maragang

Rainforest Park, Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur, and the disturbances affecting the composition

of terrestrial animals, whether anthropogenic or natural disturbances. This is done for 4 nights

and 5 days.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sampling Area

The study was conducted in Mount Timolan Protected Landscape, Tibao, Zamboanga

del Sur, Philippines (Fig. 1.). The protected landscape spans 1,994.79 hectares (4,929.2 acres)

and includes a buffer zone of 695.39 hectares (1,718.3 acres). Mt. Timolan is a semi-conical

mountain, rising to 1,177 meters (3,862 ft) above sea level. Specifically, three (3) sites were

established in Lake Maragang Rainforest Park, an area covering 22 hectares in the Protected

Area. It lies within the coordinates 7.7993° N, 123.2653° E, with an elevation of 744 meters

above sea level (Fig.2). The park features a heart-shaped crater lake surrounded by mixed

secondary forests, making it a popular tourist destination. The collection of samples in the

selected study sites were carried from March 4-7, 2023.

Figure 1. (A) The map of the Philippines and (B) the location of Mt. Timolan Protected
Landscape
 Figure 2. Aerial view of Lake Maragang Rainforest Park situated in
Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape.

Study Sites

Bat Sampling

Site 1

The vegetation type in this site is mixed secondary vegetation. Canopy vines,

locally called Balagon and Buyo, were found. Understory plants such as ferns and

carabao grass were also present. The site was dominated by a large fruit-bearing tree

that the locals call “tubog,” which is a ficus tree. Furthermore, the site is at the back

of the camping site, wherein many logs were found for construction materials. Hence,

the site is relatively disturbed than other sites.

Site 2

The type of vegetation in this site is a mixed secondary vegetation. Ferns are

also abundant in the site. Grass was not found as understory plants. Ficus trees are

absent, however there were palm trees, malakafe trees, bananas and abaca present.
 On-site disturbances such as trails, noise pollution and fallen logs were found in the

site.

Site 3

The site has a vegetation type of mixed secondary vegetation. Buyo and

balagon, which are local canopy vines, are also present. The area has a moderate fruit

tree density consisting of tubog or ficus tree and gmelina, and is approximately 80

meters away from an anthropogenic clearing specifically from the campsite function

hall, which exposes it to numerous disturbances.

Sampling Method

In this study, an opportunistic sampling of terrestrial mammals was utilized.

Specifically, a duration of two days was lent for the sampling of bats. The sampling was

conducted at night, in which at exactly five in the afternoon, mist nets were opened in three

(3) selected sites. The nets were then checked every two hours to collect the captured bats. As

for the rodents, a duration of one night was lent for the sampling. Specifically, cage traps

were placed in different three (3) sites to ensure that researchers will be able to apprehend

rodents.

Mist nets

A 12-meter and 100-net night mist nets were placed in an area with large

fruit-bearing trees, like the sacking tree which they locally call “tobog.” The sacking

tree is a species of fig tree, in which fruits, from smaller to larger sizes, are usually

consumed by bats (Kalko et al., 1996). The use of mist nets is a common technique to

capture bats (Ferreira et al., 2021). Specifically, ground mist nets were used in this

study to capture low-flying fruit bats and insectivorous bats.

 Cage Traps

Six (6) cage traps were placed in selected areas around the lake, and were

baited with coconut meat and peanut butter. Tree branches near the trapping stations

were marked with a bright-colored ribbon at each site for easy identification. Cage or

live trapping is a common method used in order to capture and monitor small and

non-volant mammals.

Processing & Identification

Bats

Captured bats were temporarily placed inside a cloth bag in a well-ventilated

area to reduce additional stress and labeled according to the day and time collected.

The next day, they were brought to the processing area for identification. The

morphological metrics, forearm length (FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), tail

length (TL), and teeth formation were measured using a caliper. Individual age, sex,

and elevation were also noted. The gathered measurements were then used for

taxonomic identification of bat species using Ingle and Heaney's key to the bats of the

Philippine Islands (1992) and a poster checklist. Bats were then fed with sugar

solution and released back to its habitat.

Rodents

Captured rat was placed in a quiet area to avoid additional stress.

Identification was done through visual inspection and morphological analysis on the

specimen inside the trap, and the use of checklist poster of the Mammals of Mindanao

Island and the Non-Flying Mammals of Mindanao Island, Philippines (Heany et al.,
 1999) as identification guide. The specimens were released to its habitat after

identification in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure of Cage Traps for

Capture of Terrestrial Vertebrates (Department Biodiversity, Conservation and

Attractions, 2023).

Statistical Analysis

In the analysis of mammalian diversity, the species richness, relative abundance, and

species evenness were comprehensively determined and measured using the Paleontological

Statistics software (PAST) (Hammer et al., 2001). The Shannon-Weiner diversity index was

used to measure diversity following the formula (Marrugan, 2004):

𝑠
𝐻' = − ∑ 𝑝𝑖 𝑙𝑛 𝑝𝑖
𝑖=1

Where H’ is the Shannon-Weiner diversity index and 𝑝𝑖 is the proportion of individuals found

within species.

𝐻'
𝐸 = 𝑙𝑛𝑆

Where E is the diversity evenness, H’ is the Shannon-Weiner diversity index, and S is the

total number of species of bats and rodents, respectively.

Additionally, Simpson’s dominance index was used to determine how likely two

individuals of the same species were captured at random from an arbitrarily large population

following the formula (Marrugan, 2004):

2 𝑛𝑖 2
𝐷 = Σ(𝑝𝑖) = Σ( 𝑁
)
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A total of twenty-one (21) individuals from three (3) species of bats were found.

Specifically, there are fourteen (14) individuals of Ptenochirus jagori, five (5) individuals of

Ptenochirus minor and two (2) individuals of Cynopterus bracyotis. All species of bats

belong to the family Pteropodidae. In site 1, nine (9) Pternochirus jagori were found (Table

1). On the other hand, five (5) Ptenochirus minor were captured in site 2 (Table 2). Whilst in

site 3, five (5) Ptenochirus jagori and two (2) Cynopterus brachyotis were found (Table 3).

As for the non-volant small mammals, a total of three (3) rodents were found and identified

to be a Rattus sp., belonging to the family Murinae. Specifically, one (1) Rattus sp. was found

in site 1 (Table 4), zero (0) in site 2 and two (2) in site 3 (Table 5). A graph below shows all

the terrestrial mammals found in Lake Maragang Rainforest Park, Tigabao, Zamboanga del

Sur (Graph 1)..

Figure 1. A graph showing the number of individuals of each terrestrial mammal species found in
Lake Maragang Rainforest Park, Tigabo, Zamboanga del Sur.
Table 1. Bats in Site 1 with notes on their individual age, sex, elevation, forearm length
(FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), and tail length (TL).
Scientific Name Common Elevation Age/Sex FA BL/HBL TL
Name (m) Pregnant (mm) (mm) (mm)

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 86.10 108.70 5.00

musky fruit (juvenile)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 50.20 65.90 3.00

musky fruit (juvenile)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 84.50 96.10 6.00

musky fruit (juvenile)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 85.00 115.30 9.00

musky fruit (adult)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 82.90 98.20 7.00

musky fruit (juvenile)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 84.60 109.80 9.00

musky fruit (adult)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 81.40 111.40 10.00

musky fruit (adult)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 85.60 116.70 3.00

musky fruit (adult)
bat

Ptenochirus jagori Greater 740 Male 81.9 105.0 6.00

musky fruit (juvenile)
bat

Table 2. Bats in Site 2 with notes on their individual age, sex, elevation, forearm length
(FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), and tail length (TL).
Scientific Name Common Eleva Age/Sex FA BL/HBL TL
Name tion Pregnant (mm) (mm) (mm)
(m)

Ptenochirus minor Lesser 740 Male 80.64 92.29 4.75

 musky (Adult)
fruit bat

Ptenochirus minor Lesser 740 Female 82.77 108.95 12.98

musky (Adult)
fruit bat

Ptenochirus minor Lesser 740 Female 82.67 81.82 6.57

musky (Adult)
fruit bat

Ptenochirus minor Lesser 740 Male 85.68 107.79 6.63

musky (Adult)
fruit bat

Ptenochirus minor Lesser 740 Female 85.24 97.74 4.58

musky (Pregnant)
fruit bat

Table 3. Bats in Site 3 with notes on their individual age, sex, elevation, forearm length
(FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), and tail length (TL).
Scientific Common Elevation Age/Sex FA BL/HBL
Name Name (m) Pregnant (mm) (mm)

Ptenochirus Greater 740 Female 56.00 85.9

jagori musky fruit (Adult)
bat

Ptenochirus Greater 740 Male 78.80 110.67

jagori musky fruit (Adult)
bat

Ptenochirus Greater 740 Female 93.30 113.37

jagori musky fruit (Adult)
bat

Ptenochirus Greater 740 Male 85.93 100.08

jagori musky fruit (Adult)
bat

Ptenochirus Greater 740 Male 90.10 117.38

jagori musky fruit (Adult)
bat

Cynopterus Lesser 740 Male 76.35 99.95

brachyotis short-nosed (Juvenile)
fruit bat

Cynopterus Lesser 740 Female 79.71 111.26

 brachyotis short-nosed (Adult)
fruit bat

Table 1 shows bats captured in site 1. A total of nine bats were captured, belonging to

one species. All individuals were males, with four of them being adults and five being

juveniles. In table 2, five individuals identified to be Ptenochirus minor were captured in site

2, two males and three females. One female was recognized to be pregnant. In table 3, seven

individuals were captured, identified to belong to two species. Five of them were identified as

Ptenochirus jagori, two females and three males, and two of them are Cynopterus brachyotis,

one female and one male.

These bats were captured in sites with an elevation of 740 m, with notes on their

individual age, sex, forearm length, head and body length.

Table 4. Rodents in Site 1 with notes on their individual age, sex, elevation, forearm
length (FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), and tail length (TL).
Scientific Common Name Elevation Age/Sex FA BL/HBL TL
Name (m) (mm) (mm) (mm)

Rattus sp 1. Black rat 740 M 21.00 43.00 140.00

Table 5. Rodents in Site 3 with notes on their individual age, sex, elevation, forearm
length (FA), head & body length (BL/HBL), and tail length (TL).
Scientific Common Name Elevation Age/Sex FA BL/HBL TL
Name (m) (mm) (mm) (mm)

Rattus sp. 2 Black rat 740 M Not 146.00 153.00

recor
ded

Rattus sp. 3 Black rat 740 M Not 151.72 154.48

recor
ded

The findings presented in Tables 4 and 5 clearly indicate that across all the sites, there

were 3 rodents obtained from site 1 and 3 in an elevation of 740 meters, vouched to be
identified belonging to Rattus sp. All of the rodents were figured to be male, with tail length

ranging from 140-154 mm, with head and body length measurements that varied from 43mm

to 151 mm.

Statistical Analysis

Table 6. Species diversity indices of bats in Lake Maragang Rainforest Park, Tigbao,
Zamboanga del Sur
Site I Site II Site III

Shannon-Weiner 0 0 0.5983
Diversity Index

Evenness 1 1 0.9095

Simpson’s 0 0 0.4082
Diversity Index

Simpson’s 1 1 0.5918
Dominance Index

Bats

It was emphasized that all captured individuals in site 1 belong to P. jagori, and

individuals in site 2 belong to P. minor. While the individuals captured in site 3 comprises

five individuals of P. jagori and 2 individuals of C. brachyotis. In the gathered data of species

evenness (Table 6.), it shows that site 1 and site 2 has a value of 1 which means that the

species found in these sampling sites are evenly distributed compared to site 3 that has a

value of 0.9095. Since, in site 1 it recorded nine individuals of P. jagori and in site 2 it

recorded five individuals of P. minor. However, in site 3, it recorded seven individuals which

belong to two species, the P. jagori and C. brachyotis. Therefore, the species present in site 1

and site 2 are evenly distributed because all the individuals captured are in the same species,

and also were common to the area. This is the opposite case in site 3, which generated 7

individuals, belonging to 2 different species. For the species dominance, site 1 and site 2 has
a value of 1 which means there are no dominant species present in the area compared to site 3

which has a value of 0.5918 wherein two species were recorded in the site, with 1 species

dominating as it was represented with 5 individuals. In terms of the Shannon-Wiener index of

diversity that takes into account both species richness and evenness , site 3 has the highest

diversity as it generated 2 species compared to the other sites that produced individuals

belonging to one species. The Simpson’s diversity index also favors site 3 because it also

takes into account both the number of different species present and their relative abundances.

Thus, site 1 and 2 have evenly distributed species, while site 3 has the highest species

diversity.

With all that was mentioned, it implies that bats have their own habitat preferences

according to the presence of their preferred food. This habitat preference can be observed in

the results produced in the sampling sites.

Ptenochirus jagori and Ptenochirus minor were common foragers during fruiting

peaks. They are frugivorous or known to eat primarily on fruits of different plant species

(Bacordo et al., 2019). Specifically, Ptenochirus jagori forage in agricultural areas, tolerate

degraded habitats including urban areas (Mickleburgh et al., 1992), and their population is

thought to be stable (Bacordo et al., 2019). P. jagori is a common Philippine endemic bat

(IUCN, 2020) and can be observed in elevations ranging from 0 to 1, 950 m above sea level

(Heaney et al., 1998). This can explain why most of the bats collected in the area with an

elevation of 740 m above sea level belonged to this species and also dominated sampling

sites 1 and 3. Moreover, there is a connection with these findings to the structure and

vegetation of both sampling sites 1 and 3. As explained in the methodology portion, both

sites have a mixed secondary vegetation. Buyo and balagon, which are local canopy vines,

are also present in both sampling sites. The most important feature of these 2 sampling sites

is that both of the areas have a fruit tree density consisting of tubog or ficus tree and gmelina.
The fruit of this ficus tree is usually relied upon by P. jagori and P. minor (Montefalco &

Nuñeza, 2015 as cited in Del Socorro et al., 2018). It is important to note that this ficus tree is

the dominant tree species in sampling site 1, supporting the results collected that the vouched

samples were all P. jagori. In sampling site 3, despite its similarity to the former site, but the

ficus tree is moderately present in the area, that is why, the samples gathered were not all P.

jagori. However, this ficus tree species, which is tubog, is absent in the second site,

explaining the rationale why the bats individual in the said sampling site did not generate P.

jagori.

Ptenochirus minor or the lesser musky fruit bat does not occur in agricultural or

urban areas and apparently coexists with P. jagori at upper elevations, but it was not observed

in the results (Bacordo et al., 2019). However, some points that were postulated by Bacordo

et al. (2019) were in line with the result in site 2 in which all individuals garnered were

identified as Ptenochirus minor. Moreover, the sampling site 2, as described in the

methodology, was observed to have a higher rate of on-site disturbances such as trails, noise

pollution and fallen logs. However, even though destruction of lowland forest habitat leads to

decline, they are still considered to be common and widespread as P. minor can adapt to some

secondary habitats such as the mixed secondary vegetation that characterizes all the sampling

sites, including the second sampling site (Ong et al., 2008). The C. brachyotis occupies a

variety of habitats including primary forest, disturbed forest, mangrove, cultivated areas,

orchards, gardens and urban areas (Zubaid, 1993). This is also proven by the results, and can

be supported by the type of habitat in which this bat species was generated from. The third

sampling site, according to the provided habitat or sampling site description, was

approximately 80 meters away from an anthropogenic clearing specifically from the campsite

function hall, which exposes it to numerous disturbances. Since C. brachyotis occupies a

variety of habitats including disturbed forest, then the disturbances the sampling site is
receiving minimally affect the distribution of C. brachyotis. Moreover, they were identified

as frugivorous bats, but recognized also to feed on leaves and flower parts of some species of

plants (Tan et al., 1998).

Rodents

As aforementioned, the captured rodents from site 1 and 3 were identified as

belonging to the Rattus genus, as evidently shown in Table 4 & 5. Since the diversity indices

are commonly applied to communities with multiple species, the obtained samples were

insufficient to undergo computation. However, with the rodents being able to dominate the

area, as it was the only species being vouched for, it can be said that it is not diverse and they

are not also even in terms of distribution. The main reason is that the sampling sites are

relatively disturbed with human activities such as logging which means that they prefer

heavily disturbed forest habitat. To support this result, an article by Loveridge et al. (2016)

stated that black rats have the strongest preference for disturbed habitats associated with

logging. It suggests that disturbed habitats were characterized by a low presence of large

trees, allowing the growth of dense ground and understory vegetation layers. This provides

excellent cover from predators. This postulation was in line with the description of the habitat

in which most of the rodents were collected through live or cage traps. Heavily disturbed

habitats may maximize both predator avoidance and resource availability, making these

habitats desirable for small mammals (Adler & Levins, 1994 & Pardini, 2004). To give a

reason why all the collected rodents belonged to the same species, is because, according to

Shiels et al. (2014), the Rattus sp. are also among the most widespread invasive vertebrates

on islands and continents, and it is nearly ubiquitous on Pacific islands from the equatorial

tropics to approximately 55 degrees latitude north and south.

 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape is home to a total of twenty-one (21) individuals

from three (3) species of bats which are Ptenochirus jagori, Ptenochirus minor, and

Cynopterus brachyotis. These collected bat species belong to the same family Pteropodidae

which are considered as fruit bats. Since the area is surrounded with fig trees which are their

food source, it is the main reason for having many individuals of fruit bat species recorded in

the area. As for the non-volant small mammals, a total of three (3) individuals were found

and identified to be Rattus sp., belonging to the family Murinae. These Rattus sp. were

collected in an area with a lot of shrubs and leaf litters, which are their preferred habitat. In

line with this, we recommend conducting more thorough study to provide standard data to

compute for diversity indices and supporting ecological information. Specifically, the

establishment of sampling sites and in- depth observation of its morphology. To conclude, the

area of Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape has a rich environment that can support these

mammal species.

Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape is a key biodiversity area in the frontier of the

province of Zamboanga del Sur in terms of biodiversity richness and the need to conduct

assessment and monitoring study is vitalin the protection and conservation of the area. The

data gathered presumes that in the future, a frequent and thorough field surveying of the other

sites in the area should also be explored and environmental factors should be quantified.

Likewise, conservation awareness on the Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape biodiversity

should be done simultaneously. Monitoring studies are also vital to conduct an inventory on

the fauna species to arrive at a more scientific and robust finding that would be supplemental

for the establishment of the real profile of the fauna population, distribution, and conservation
status of the Mt. Timolan Protected Landscape, Barangay Tigbao, Zamboanga Del Sur,

Philippines.

Collectively, the study was conducted during a limited period wherein no preliminary

survey was done. Therefore, the data acquired on terrestrial mammals is not an efficient

representation of the terrestrial mammalian animals present in the study area since the sites

were chosen randomly. With this, we highly recommend future researchers of Lake Maragang

Rainforest to conduct a preparatory evaluation in the area to establish study sites that would

well-represent the terrestrial mammalian animals to obtain adequate results. Moreover, with

the limited scope of the study, the researchers suggest a wider scope considering that Lake

Maragang Rainforest has a considerable land area. It is to form a more comprehensive and

comparable study on species diversity and distribution of terrestrial mammals. Furthermore,

the identification and processing of the bats and rodents found are based only on their

morphological characteristics. Also, the identification was done in a short duration of time.

Due to these, there were difficulties and skepticism in identifying the species. With this, the

researchers recommend that a longer identification period should be allotted to identify the

species accurately. It is best if succeeding researchers would identify them on a molecular

level via DNA barcoding to confirm the species. Lastly, the researchers recommend

subsequent researchers to establish a long-term conservation management plan according to

their acquired data that would guide and help the caretakers of Lake Maragang Rainforest to

preserve and conserve the area.

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