Trait‐related responses to habitat fragmentation in Amazonian bats

Abstract

1. Understanding how interspecific variation in functional traits influences species' capacity to persist in fragments and use patches in fragmented landscapes is fundamental for the creation of effective conservation plans. This study uses phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate which functional traits of bat species are correlated with their vulnerability to fragmentation in a tropical landscape with low fragment-matrix contrast. 2. Bats were captured over two years in eight forest fragments, nine control sites in continuous forest, and in the secondary forest matrix at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Central Amazon, Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that there is a significant relationship between species functional traits, environmental gradients (continuous forest and fragment interiors, edges and matrix) and patterns of species distribution using phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models, as well as a combination of RLQ and fourth-corner analyses. 3. Mobility, body mass, wing morphology, and trophic level were the most important traits linked to fragmentation sensitivity based on the PGLS analysis, while body mass and trophic level emerged as the best predictors in the fourth-corner analysis. These last two traits were correlated with the loss of continuous forest characteristics, such as high-stature trees and forest cover. 4. Many animalivorous bat species rarely persist in small fragments (<100 ha) and in the secondary forest matrix, reflecting strong effects of trait-mediated environmental filters that selectively benefit the smaller and phytophagous species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Functional traits of species and environmental variables jointly predict local variation in patterns of bat occupancy and abundance in fragmented tropical landscapes. To minimize local extinctions, we recommend increasing habitat availability and enhancing structural and functional connectivity at the landscape scale through the creation, restoration and maintenance of corridors and stepping stones. These measures should be coupled with improving matrix quality by promoting secondary forest regeneration and persistence to effectively reduce fragment-matrix contrast.

Roosting Ecology of Amazonian Bats: Evidence for Guild Structure in Hyperdiverse Mammalian Communities

“…10 Although bat community differences between primary forest and secondary growth have often been reported in the literature, the results are usually interpreted in terms of trophic-guild membership. In particular, secondary vegetation is consistently said to be deficient in gleaning-animalivorous species by comparison with primary forest (e.g., by LaVal and Fitch, 1977;Simmons and Voss, 1998;Bobrowiec and Gribel, 2010;Farneda et al, 2015). Although we do not dispute this frequently reported result, we note that it is difficult to explain in trophic terms, because the large insects and small vertebrates that are preyed upon by gleaning-animalivorous bats seem to be abundant in secondary vegetation (LaVal and Fitch, 1977).…”

Responses of Tropical Bats to Habitat Fragmentation, Logging, and Deforestation

“…Such studies have the potential to explore how patch characteristics (e.g., landscape composition and configuration of forest patches) as well as matrix characteristics (e.g., structural or compositional attributes of the converted land) interact to affect the bat fauna. See text for additional details environmental factors interact to shape species responses to landscape change is unclear, as trait-based approaches have been rare (but see Farneda et al 2015). Understanding how functional and phylogenetic biodiversity changes during habitat conversion and secondary succession is investigated rarely and remains poorly understood.…”

The understory bat community in a fragmented landscape in the lowlands of the Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico

“…This may be the case of Vampyrum spectrum, Chrostopterus auritus, Lophostoma evotis or Trachops cirrhosus which are reported scarce in the Los Tuxtlas region, but were absent at PAFFASIT. Farneda et al (2015) pointed out that many "carnivorous" bat species rarely persist in small fragments (<100 ha). Although PAFFASIT is of moderate size, it is apparently not large enough to sustain these species.…”

“…Bats are considered keystone species according to research on the effects of the forest fragmentation. However, fragmentation studies on tropical bats show contradictory results, and should be more widely investigated (Diogo 2015;Farneda et al 2015;Meyer et al 2016).…”

“…La comu-habitat fragmentation in the northwest portion of the Los Tuxtlas region on mammals, birds and plants are well documented (Estrada et al 1993;Coates-Estrada 2001a, Estrada andCoates-Estrada 2002;Galindo and Sosa 2003;Galindo 2004, Aguirre andDirzo 2008;Arroyo et al 2012). In the case of bats, studies in other areas have found that forest fragmentation tends to reduce the abundance of certain species and has an overall negative effect on species diversity (Medellín et al 2000;Farneda et al 2015;Muylaert et al 2016).…”