Phyllostomid Bats in Traditional
Agriculture and Neotropical Montane Forests
Bat communities’ responses to land use change in
neotropical montane forests have scarcely been studied. Therefore, we
measured the diversity of understory phyllostomid bats in a montane
agricultural area and two montane forests in southern Mexico. Although
differences in abundance were noteworthy: 45% and 73% fewer captures in
agricultural areas than in the cloud forest and pine-oak forest,
respectively, we did not find differences on composition and diversity.
At least for the understory phyllostomid bats, the traditional
management of agricultural areas could contribute to maintaining a
similar diversity than the montane forests, however, the role of the
surrounding forests is irreplaceable.



Read the full article, published by Zoological
Studies, here
Follow Zoological Studies on
Twitter @ZooStudies
and Facebook