Ecosystem services provided by bats

Abstract

Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.

Spatiotemporal and demographic variation in the diet of New Zealand lesser short‐tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata)

“…Further, during winter individuals had the lowest dietary niche breadth of any group suggesting a more specialist diet. Many insect species are dormant, or inactive during winter, and arthropod consumption by bats, like the Indian pygmy bat ( Pipistrellus tenuis ), varies with season (Kunz, de Torrez, Bauer, Lobova, & Fleming, 2011; Whitaker, Issac, Marimuthu, & Kunz, 1999). Daniel (1979) suggested that, during winter, fewer moths are consumed by M. tuberculata due to cold temperature.…”

Bats in the Anthropogenic Matrix: Challenges and Opportunities for the Conservation of Chiroptera and Their Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Landscapes

“…However, surprisingly little evidence exists quantifying the impact of their predation on arthropod populations, plant damage, or its economic value (Boyles et al 2013;Maas et al 2013). Several studies have characterized diets of insectivorous bats (reviewed by Kunz et al 2011), and the recent development of DNA-based methods for dietary analysis provides an unprecedented amount of detail on the composition of bat diets and allows for the identification of individual pest species. Although few studies have documented direct impacts of bat predation on agricultural pests, an increasing body of evidence documents pest consumption, impacts on arthropods, and estimates of direct economic impacts.…”

“…This has been assessed in mouse-eared bats, Myotis spp., that track cyclic, massive local aggregations of cockchafers known since centuries for the damages they cause to fruit trees in Central Europe (Arlettaz 1996;Arlettaz et al 2001). During lactation, small bat species consume 75 % to over 100 % of their body weight each night (Kurta et al 1989;Kunz et al 1995Kunz et al , 2011, and a single maternity colony of 1 million Brazilian free-tailed bats is capable of consuming over 8 tons of insects per night . These numbers suggest the staggering potential for bat predation to limit pest insect populations and provide a valuable ecosystem service for agricultural production.…”

“…These emerging trends pose major threats to farmland bat assemblages and populations (Jones et al 2009;Kunz et al 2011) and could negatively impact human populations by altering the ecosystem services that bats provide. Thus, there is a critical need to assess how agricultural management affects bat populations, and how affected bat populations will in turn affect agricultural production.…”

Mobility explains the response of aerial insectivorous bats to anthropogenic habitat change in the Neotropics

“…Loss of biodiversity often results in a loss of ecosystem functions and services (Foley et al, 2007;Klein et al, 2002;Maas et al, 2013). Bats as the second largest mammalian order provide essential ecosystem functions and services including pollination, seed dispersal and insect control (Castro-Arellano et al, 2007;Kunz et al, 2011). Tropical bat studies have revealed that some assemblages, such as gleaning animalivorous bat species, are negatively affected by deforestation and urbanization, while large frugivorous bats profit from such changes (Williams-Guillen and Perfecto, 2010) and have higher diversity in areas with human impact than in areas without (Garcia-Morales et al, 2013).…”