Critically imperiled forest fragment supports bat diversity and activity within a subtropical grassland
Autor: | Elizabeth C. Braun de Torrez, Holly K. Ober, Robert A. McCleery |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2017 |
Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology Biodiversity Species diversity Plant community Vegetation 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Grassland 010601 ecology Geography Habitat Genetics Animal Science and Zoology Species richness Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation Global biodiversity |
Zdroj: | Journal of Mammalogy. 99:273-282 |
ISSN: | 1545-1542 0022-2372 |
DOI: | 10.1093/jmammal/gyx169 |
Popis: | Global biodiversity patterns are shaped by landscape structure and seasonality. Spatio-temporal patterns in bat assemblages are not well studied in grassland biomes but forest patches may provide important habitat for bats within these open grasslands. In the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE), small fragments of diverse, critically imperiled pine rockland remain amidst a vast expanse of seasonally flooded grasslands (marl prairies). We used acoustic surveys to investigate the use of pine rocklands and marl prairies by bats across 2 distinct seasons (dry-cool and wet-warm). We detected higher mean bat activity in pine rocklands than marl prairies in the dry-cool season and higher bat species richness in pine rocklands in both seasons. Four of the 9 species of bats exhibited higher mean activity in pine rocklands than marl prairies and higher activity in the wet-warm season. The greater structural complexity of pine rocklands relative to marl prairies may be attractive to bats for roosting, foraging, and protective cover. Our finding of an interactive effect between vegetation community and season on bat activity suggests that pine rocklands may be more attractive to bats in the dry-cool season. This may be due to microclimate moderation, which likely leads to higher insect abundance for foraging bats. Pine rocklands in the GEE clearly provide ecological benefits that help support local biodiversity. These forest patches are important landscape elements for bats in grassland communities, where available roosts, prey, and protective cover may be limited. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |