Bats and the city : urban bat biodiversity in a tropical biome transition zone

Syme, P

Abstract

Urbanisation is an important factor in global land-use change which dramatically alters habitats at great detriment to wildlife. Our understanding of urban biodiversity patterns and their driving factors in tropical cities which interact with high levels of biodiversity is limited, yet it is pivotal to developing efficient and effective conservation guidelines for urban planning. This study uses a long-term data set (>10 years) of species occurrence records, collected as part of a public health monitoring scheme within the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil to quantify the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bats in the city for each year and season of the study period. Linear regressions were then carried out to test whether the different facets of diversity show any significant trends over the study period. Moreover, a habitat suitability analysis for the five most common species was conducted using the MaxEnt algorithm, following the framework of Bellamy et al. (2013), and the most important factors affecting the presence of these species were identified. It was found that there was a significant increase in bat taxonomic diversity over time, however, functional and phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged over the period of 2004-2014. Maps of habitat suitability were produced for each focal species. Human population density and distance to natural resources, such as water and forest bodies, were important variables for all species modelled. The information gained from this study can be used to aid the development of effective bat conservation strategies and guidelines within the urban environments of southern Brazil.

Citation

Syme, P. Bats and the city : urban bat biodiversity in a tropical biome transition zone. (Dissertation). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Dissertation
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2019