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
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Need for multiscale planning for conservation of urban bats.
Travis Gallo,Elizabeth W. Lehrer,Mason Fidino,R. Julia Kilgour,R. Julia Kilgour,Patrick J. Wolff,Patrick J. Wolff,Seth B. Magle +7 more
TL;DR: The findings highlight the importance of considering scale in urban reconciliation efforts and the landscape predictions provide information that can help prioritize urban conservation work, demonstrating that localized effects may be constrained by broader spatial patterns.
Book ChapterDOI
White-Nose Syndrome: A Deadly Emerging Infectious Disease of Hibernating Bats
TL;DR: In the winter of 2006-2007, thousands of dead bats were found at a single cave in New York and this emerging infectious disease was dubbed white-nose syndrome (WNS), for the white fungi noted around the bat's muzzle as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Do Bats Roost and Forage in Shade Coffee Plantations? A Perspective from the Frugivorous Bat Sturnira hondurensis
TL;DR: In this paper, the highland yellow-shouldered bat (Sturnira hondurensis) was found to use a radio transmitter for locating roosts and feeding areas.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tropical Secondary Forest Management Influences Frugivorous Bat Composition, Abundance and Fruit Consumption in Chiapas, Mexico
Ivar Vleut,Samuel I. Levy-Tacher,Willem F. de Boer,Jorge Galindo-González,Luis-Bernardo Vázquez +4 more
TL;DR: Overall, bat fruit consumption was dominated by early- successional shrubs, highest late-successional Fruit consumption was found in rain forests and more bats consumed early-succession shrub fruits in O. pyramidale forests.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fragmentation of Atlantic Forest has not affected gene flow of a widespread seed‐dispersing bat
Eve S. McCulloch,J. Sebastián Tello,J. Sebastián Tello,Andrew Whitehead,Claudia M. J. Rolón-Mendoza,Mario C. D. Maldonado-Rodríguez,Richard D. Stevens +6 more
TL;DR: Whether recent fragmentation of Atlantic forest is causing population subdivision in a widespread and important Neotropical seed disperser: Artibeus lituratus is determined, and maintenance of high gene flow is suggested for this relatively mobile and generalist species.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference
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.
Journal ArticleDOI
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.
Journal ArticleDOI
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.