Ensemble composition and activity levels of insectivorous bats in response to management intensification in coffee agroforestry systems.

ABSTRACT: Shade coffee plantations have received attention for their role in biodiversity conservation. Bats are among the most diverse mammalian taxa in these systems; however, previous studies of bats in coffee plantations have focused on the largely herbivorous leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae). In contrast, we have virtually no information on how ensembles of aerial insectivorous bats--nearly half the Neotropical bat species--change in response to habitat modification. To evaluate the effects of agroecosystem management on insectivorous bats, we studied their diversity and activity in southern Chiapas, Mexico, a landscape dominated by coffee agroforestry. We used acoustic monitoring and live captures to characterize the insectivorous bat ensemble in forest fragments and coffee plantations differi

SUBMITTER: Williams-Guillen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3027674 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature