Bats as Indicator Species

Using Bats as Indicator Species

Why bats make good indicators:
1. easy to find - lots of species
2. bats occupy just about every consumer trophic level. (Unfortunately, none of them create their own energy. Ain't that sad?)
3. they often select specific habitats
4. they are important to ecological processes - seed dispersal, pollination, insect population
The paper also suggests that bats of the subfamily Phyllostominae are used, as they are very sensative to habitat disturbance.
Medellin, Rodrigo A. (2000). "Bat Diversity and Abundance as Indicators of Disturbance in Neotropical Rain forests." Conservation Biology, 14(6), 1666-1675

All neotropical bats have echolocation systems. They emit pulses of clicks through their nose or mouth, then sense the pulse's returning sound. Ultrasonic in range. Bats have very good low-light vision.

How to Monitor Bats
Bats are generally monitored by using a radar detector that converts the ultrasonic waves into frequencies humans can use. One specific instrument that might be usable for our purposes would be the bat counter by Skye.

in most species, the individual bats have not only a particular cave/tree, but a paricular place on the wall/branch where they always roost (www.jaguarpaw.com/Bats.html). Bats can hibernate at will during a food shortage or weather change (www.jauarpaw.com/Bats.html). This could be very important indeed, when the bats are hibernating, it shows the possibility of a problem. Also, there are some species of bats ("megabats") that are much larger than most bats. These bats don't use echolocation, they mostly use their eyes (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/chiroptera.html).

http://www.wooster.edu/biology/mloveless/00Wthisweek.html

Information on Amazonian Bats (arranged by family):

Rhynchonycteris Naso

   - small
   - live in rocky crevices, caves, trees, hollow logs
    - have more exposed roosts than most other bat families
    - some species live in year-round stable harems, with 2-8 females per male

Noctilionidae

    - feed on insects, some species on fish and frogs
    - roost near water, in hollow trees, and in deep cracks in rocks
    - the Noctilio leporinus species can swim

Mormoopidae

   - small - medium size
    - insectivorous
    - sometimes roost in large colonies, sometimes exclusively in caves
            - Pteronotus parnellii species eats only moths, butterflies, and beetles

Natalidae

   - small
   - often roost in caves or mines
    - have social groups that range in size from very large to less than ten
    - eat exclusively small insects

Furipteridae

    - very small
    - insectivorous (mainly butterflies and moths)
    - live in colonies of about 100 to 150 individuals, sometimes more than 300
    - live in mainly in caves, occasionally in moist areas or logs

Thyropteriae

    - small
    - have suction cups on wrists and ankles
    - roost head up, inside tubes formed as young banana/heliconia leaves unfurl
            - Thyroptera discifera species is insectivorous
            - Thyroptera tricolor species
                    - predators don't usually notice this species
                    - consumes 1 gram of insects a night

Vespertilionidae

    - largest family of bats (in number) with 318 species
    - huge variation in characteristics
    - mainly roost in caves

Molossidae

    - small to moderately large
    - insectivorous, catch prey on wing

all information gathered from: animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/chiroptera.html


Home About Us Members Projects Final Report	Initial \| Fragmentation \| Amphibians \| Bats \| Monitoring \| SIVAM Using Bats as Indicator Species Why bats make good indicators: 1. easy to find - lots of species 2. bats occupy just about every consumer trophic level. (Unfortunately, none of them create their own energy. Ain't that sad?) 3. they often select specific habitats 4. they are important to ecological processes - seed dispersal, pollination, insect population The paper also suggests that bats of the subfamily Phyllostominae are used, as they are very sensative to habitat disturbance. Medellin, Rodrigo A. (2000). "Bat Diversity and Abundance as Indicators of Disturbance in Neotropical Rain forests." Conservation Biology, 14(6), 1666-1675 All neotropical bats have echolocation systems. They emit pulses of clicks through their nose or mouth, then sense the pulse's returning sound. Ultrasonic in range. Bats have very good low-light vision. How to Monitor Bats Bats are generally monitored by using a radar detector that converts the ultrasonic waves into frequencies humans can use. One specific instrument that might be usable for our purposes would be the bat counter by Skye. in most species, the individual bats have not only a particular cave/tree, but a paricular place on the wall/branch where they always roost (www.jaguarpaw.com/Bats.html). Bats can hibernate at will during a food shortage or weather change (www.jauarpaw.com/Bats.html). This could be very important indeed, when the bats are hibernating, it shows the possibility of a problem. Also, there are some species of bats ("megabats") that are much larger than most bats. These bats don't use echolocation, they mostly use their eyes (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/chiroptera.html). http://www.wooster.edu/biology/mloveless/00Wthisweek.html Information on Amazonian Bats (arranged by family): Rhynchonycteris Naso - small - live in rocky crevices, caves, trees, hollow logs - have more exposed roosts than most other bat families - some species live in year-round stable harems, with 2-8 females per male Noctilionidae - feed on insects, some species on fish and frogs - roost near water, in hollow trees, and in deep cracks in rocks - the Noctilio leporinus species can swim Mormoopidae - small - medium size - insectivorous - sometimes roost in large colonies, sometimes exclusively in caves - Pteronotus parnellii species eats only moths, butterflies, and beetles Natalidae - small - often roost in caves or mines - have social groups that range in size from very large to less than ten - eat exclusively small insects Furipteridae - very small - insectivorous (mainly butterflies and moths) - live in colonies of about 100 to 150 individuals, sometimes more than 300 - live in mainly in caves, occasionally in moist areas or logs Thyropteriae - small - have suction cups on wrists and ankles - roost head up, inside tubes formed as young banana/heliconia leaves unfurl - Thyroptera discifera species is insectivorous - Thyroptera tricolor species - predators don't usually notice this species - consumes 1 gram of insects a night Vespertilionidae - largest family of bats (in number) with 318 species - huge variation in characteristics - mainly roost in caves Molossidae - small to moderately large - insectivorous, catch prey on wing all information gathered from: animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/mammalia/chiroptera.html