Bat assemblages of protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

We analyzed the bat assemblages found in protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is the best-sampled region of the Atlantic Forest. We selected 24 strict nature reserves and nine sustainable-use protected areas. We used data from inventories and complemented with data from the literature. We compared strict and sustainable-use protected areas, and tested whether the bat assemblages varied between habitat types. We tested the effect of geographic distance on the dissimilarity between bat assemblages, as well as the relationship between species composition and the size, mean altitude of the protected area, and capture effort. We compiled a total of 34,443 capture records, involving 67 species. Three species were captured only once, which raises cause for concern. Bat assemblages did not vary between protected area categories, but did vary among habitats with less than 1,000 captures. Assemblages were more similar to one another in geographically proximate areas. The size of the protected area and capture effort did not affect the composition of the bat assemblages, but altitude did influence this parameter. The Atlantic Forest is a priority biome for research and conservation, and reliable data on species distributions are essential for the development of conservation strategies.

Medium-sized and large mammals of the Floresta da Cicuta Area of Relevant Ecological Interest, a protected area in southeastern Brazil

“…Using only species recorded through camera traps, excluding small mammals, domestic species, and species observed only by opportunistic observations (n = 13), we obtained a similar species richness to that of medium-sized and large terrestrial mammals per site recorded by this method in the Atlantic Forest (n = 13 ± 6.07 SD; Lima et al 2017). Regarding flying mammals (bats), a previous study identified 20 species occurring in the ARIE-FC (Costa et al 2020), but the richness and diversity of mammalian species in the ARIE-FC will tend to increase by including the assemblage of small mammals that have not yet been studied in this protected area.…”

“…The ARIE-FC is included in a priority area of extreme biological importance for the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity (SEA/INEA 2011; MMA 2018). In recent years, some biological inventories have demonstrated that the ARIE-FC retains some features of primary forests and acts as a refuge for plant and animal species (Souza et al 2007;Tavares 2019;Costa et al 2020;Alves et al unpublished data). Therefore, it fulfills its role as a natural protected area by safeguarding a large proportion of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity, despite its small size, long isolation time, and the local extinction of some species of its vertebrate community.…”