Journal ArticleDOI
Ecosystem services provided by bats
Thomas H. Kunz,Elizabeth Braun de Torrez,Dana Marie Bauer,Tatyana A. Lobova,Theodore H. Fleming +4 more
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TLDR
Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.Abstract:
Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.read more
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OUP accepted manuscript
TL;DR: In this paper , an analysis of 43 cave internal climates across the state of Texas revealed a pattern of thermal suitability for Pseudogymnoascus destructans that correlated significantly with landscape (elevation, lithology) and external climate (mean surface temperature and precipitation).
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Assemblage-level responses of Neotropical bats to forest loss and fragmentation
TL;DR: The results support the hypothesis that areas with moderate fragmentation can sustain a high diversity of bat species and showed that consistent responses to landscape composition at the assemblage level are harder to identify in fragmented Neotropical Forests.
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Low energy reserves are associated with fasting susceptibility in Neotropical nectar bats Glossophaga soricina.
TL;DR: The inability to keep normoglycemia following a short-term fasting confirm that nectar bats invest little on storing energy reserves and show a severe fasting susceptibility associated to this pattern, and support the general hypothesis that evolutionary specializations towards nectar diets involve adaptations to allow a decreased body mass, which reduces the energy costs of flight while increases foraging time.
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Conservation Values and Risk of Handling Bats: Implications for One Health Communication
TL;DR: Flying-foxes provide critical ecosystem services, but their role as hosts to zoonotic pathogens may undermine conservation support and individuals who support flying-fox conservation should be one group targeted in One Health communication integrating health and conservation messages.
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Characterization of caves as bat roosts in the brazilian-paranense biogeographic region of Bolivia
TL;DR: In this paper, a search for caves and caverns was carried out in the eastern department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, corresponding to the Brazilian-Paranense biogeographic region and an environmental-structural characterization of the caves was conducted to obtain biological information by capturing and identifying bats in eastern Bolivia.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
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TL;DR: Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World as discussed by the authors is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of more than 5400 species of mammals that exist today.
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Stated Choice Methods: Analysis and Applications
TL;DR: In this article, stated preference models and methods are presented for choosing a residential telecommunications bundle and a choice model for a particular set of products and services, as a way of life for individuals.
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Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops
Alexandra-Maria Klein,Bernard E. Vaissière,James H. Cane,Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter,Saul A. Cunningham,Claire Kremen,Teja Tscharntke +6 more
TL;DR: It is found that fruit, vegetable or seed production from 87 of the leading global food crops is dependent upon animal pollination, while 28 crops do not rely upon animalPollination, however, global production volumes give a contrasting perspective.
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Nature's services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems.
TL;DR: Nature's Services brings together world-renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines to examine the character and value of ecosystem services, the damage that has been done to them, and the consequent implications for human society.