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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Journal ArticleDOI
Sensitivity of bats to urbanization: a review
TL;DR: Overall, bat sensitivity to urbanization makes these mammals promising candidates to track the effects of this process of land use change on the biota, but more studies, specifically tailored to explore this role, are needed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Generation length for mammals
Michela Pacifici,Luca Santini,Moreno Di Marco,Daniele Baisero,Lucilla Francucci,Gabriele Grottolo Marasini,Piero Visconti,Carlo Rondinini +7 more
TL;DR: This work provides the first attempt to complete a database of GL for mammals, and will be an essential reference point for all conservation-related studies that need pragmatic information on species GL, such as population dynamics and applications of the IUCN Red List assessment.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bird and bat predation services in tropical forests and agroforestry landscapes
Bea Maas,Bea Maas,Daniel S. Karp,Daniel S. Karp,Sara Bumrungsri,Kevin Darras,David J. Gonthier,David J. Gonthier,Joe Chun-Chia Huang,Catherine A. Lindell,Josiah J. Maine,Laia Mestre,Nicole L. Michel,Emily B. Morrison,Ivette Perfecto,Stacy M. Philpott,Çağan H. Şekercioğlu,Çağan H. Şekercioğlu,Roberta Mariano Silva,Peter J. Taylor,Peter J. Taylor,Teja Tscharntke,Sunshine A. Van Bael,Sunshine A. Van Bael,Christopher J. Whelan,Kimberly Williams-Guillén +25 more
TL;DR: It is found that birds and bats reduce the density and biomass of arthropods in the tropics with effect sizes similar to those in temperate and boreal communities.
Journal ArticleDOI
A framework for the study of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers: spillover of bat pathogens as a case study
James L. N. Wood,Melissa Leach,Linda Waldman,Hayley MacGregor,Anthony R. Fooks,Kate E. Jones,Olivier Restif,Dina K. N. Dechmann,David T. S. Hayman,Kate S. Baker,Kate S. Baker,Alison J. Peel,Alison J. Peel,Alexandra O. Kamins,Alexandra O. Kamins,Jakob Fahr,Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu,Richard Suu-Ire,Richard Suu-Ire,Robert F. Breiman,Jonathan H. Epstein,Hume Field,Andrew A. Cunningham +22 more
TL;DR: A novel framework for the holistic and interdisciplinary investigation of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers is proposed, using the spillover of bat pathogens as a case study.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bats initiate vital agroecological interactions in corn
Josiah J. Maine,Justin G. Boyles +1 more
TL;DR: It is shown that bats exert sufficient pressure on crop pests to suppress larval densities and damage in this cosmopolitan crop, and it is estimated that the suppression of herbivory by insectivorous bats is worth more than 1 billion USD globally on this crop alone.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
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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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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.