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
Culture-dependent and metagenomic analysis of lesser horseshoe bats' gut microbiome revealing unique bacterial diversity and signatures of potential human pathogens.
Joseph Selvin,Sheryl Lanong,Donkupar Syiem,Surajit De Mandal,H. Kayang,Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar,G. Seghal Kiran +6 more
TL;DR: High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA marker for gene mapping showed that the gut samples constitute a diverse group of bacteria that is dominated by Proteobacteria, followed by Firmicutes, while metagenomic analysis of the OTUs from the gut revealed diverse bacterial communities as well as zoonotic and human pathogens.
Journal ArticleDOI
Hunting Bats for Human Consumption in Bangladesh.
Nazmun Nahar,Nazmun Nahar,Nazmun Nahar,Mohammad Asaduzzaman,Utpal Kumar Mandal,Nadia Ali Rimi,Emily S. Gurley,Emily S. Gurley,Mahmudur Rahman,Fernando Garcia,Susan Zimicki,Rebeca Sultana,Rebeca Sultana,Rebeca Sultana,Stephen P. Luby +14 more
TL;DR: Close bat–human interaction reported in this study pose a risk of pathogen spillover and conservation initiatives have the potential to reduce such interaction and so both reduce disease risk and support the ecology.
Journal ArticleDOI
A macroecological perspective on strategic bat conservation in the U.S. National Park Service
TL;DR: A macroecological perspective about bat diversity and associated conservation challenges and opportunities on U.S. National Park Service lands is developed and ways to prioritize NPS parks for additional inventories, monitoring, and resource protection are suggested.
Journal ArticleDOI
Macaregua: the cave with the highest bat richness in Colombia
Jairo Pérez-Torres,Daniela Martínez-Medina,Monica Peñuela-Salgado,María Cristina Ríos-Blanco,Sergio Estrada-Villegas,Leonardo Martínez-Luque +5 more
TL;DR: Macaregua Cave can now be recognized as the most bat-diverse cave in Colombia, harboring an important bat population of pest controllers and seed dispersers and comment on its use by different species.
Journal ArticleDOI
Diversity and Conservation of Cave-Dwelling Bats in the Brunca Region of Costa Rica
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented the first study to describe the diversity of cave-dwelling bat species in the Brunca region of Costa Rica in a large number of caves.
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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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.