Untangling biodiversity interactions: A meta network on pollination in Earth's most diverse tropical savanna.

Pollination is vital for ecosystem functioning, especially in biodiversity-rich regions like the Brazilian Cerrado. Our research establishes a comprehensive meta network of pollinator-plant interactions within this biome. We quantified the importance of different pollinator groups, identifying keystone species. We examined potential biases in sampling effort and the spatial behavior of interactions within the heterogeneous Cerrado plant physiognomies. Our investigation uncovered 1499 interactions among 293 plant species and 386 visitor species, with legitimate pollination accounting for 42.4% of the interactions. The network exhibited modularity, driven by bees and insects, with vertebrates bridging diurnal and nocturnal modules. While a generalized pattern emerged, high specialization existed within modules due to habitat diversity. Bees, particularly Apis mellifera (exotic) and Trigona spinipes (native), played central roles as network hubs. Hummingbirds and bats, engaged in specialized interactions showing strong connectivity within and between modules. Interestingly, invertebrate-vertebrate modules were more prevalent than expected in the meta network. However, a bias was evident, primarily within specific biogeographical districts with fragmented landscapes and intrusion from other biomes. Variations in plant species and endemism rates influenced pollinator occurrence and the Cerrado network topology. Our study offers valuable insights into pollinator-plant interactions within the Cerrado, encompassing both invertebrates and vertebrates. The modeled network represents a significant step in understanding the structural complexity of pollination networks, integrating partial networks from diverse pollination systems within heterogeneous habitats. Nevertheless, a biogeographical bias could limit a comprehensive understanding of network functionality across the Cerrado.

Could you spare an acre for conservation?

Private landowners must engage in biodiversity conservation.

Going out for dinner-The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas.

Insectivorous bats provide ecosystem services in agricultural and urban landscapes by consuming arthropods that are considered pests. Bat species inhabiting cities are expected to consume insects associated with urban areas, such as mosquitoes, flying termites, moths, and beetles. We captured insectivorous bats in the Federal District of Brazil and used fecal DNA metabarcoding to investigate the arthropod consumed by five bat species living in colonies in city buildings, and ascertained whether their predation was related to ecosystem services. These insectivorous bat species were found to consume 83 morphospecies of arthropods and among these 41 were identified to species, most of which were agricultural pests. We propose that bats may roost in the city areas and forage in the nearby agricultural fields using their ability to fly over long distances. We also calculated the value of the pest suppression ecosystem service by the bats. By a conservative estimation, bats save US$ 94 per hectare of cornfields, accounting for an annual savings of US$ 390.6 million per harvest in Brazil. Our study confirms that, regardless of their roosting location, bats are essential for providing ecosystem services in the cities, with extensive impacts on crops and elsewhere, in addition to significant savings in the use of pesticides.

Checklist of mammals from Goiás, central Brazil / Lista de Mamíferos de Goiás, Brasil central

Abstract: The state of Goiás, in central Brazil, is covered mainly by the Cerrado domain, with the Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest occupying its central-southern portion. Goiás is one of the 20 Brazilian federative units without a mammal checklist. In this study, we provide the first checklist of mammals from Goiás state. We recorded mammal species based primarily on the analysis of specimens housed in scientific collections as well as on literature with associated voucher material. We listed 191 mammalian species belonging to 125 genera, 31 families and 10 orders, which represents 25.2% of the mammal species occurring in Brazil. The most speciose orders were Chiroptera (90 spp.), followed by Rodentia (43 spp.), Carnivora (19 spp.) and Didelphimorphia (17 spp.). The following orders accounted for a smaller portion of the state diversity: Cetartiodactyla (7 spp.), Cingulata (7 spp.), Primates (4 spp.), Pilosa (2 spp.), Lagomorpha (1 sp.), and Perissodactyla (1 sp.). A total of 28 species (14.7%), mainly represented by medium and large-sized mammals, are nationally threatened while 12 (6.3%) are globally threatened. Our results indicate great portions of the state lacking a proper survey of mammals, especially the northwestern portion. We discuss species richness, distribution and conservation status of the mammals of Goiás state in national and regional scenarios. We highlight the need for mammal inventories based on complementary survey techniques with the collection of vouchers in order to provide karyologic, molecular, morphologic, parasitologic, and ecological data. These informations are the basis for integrative studies that lead to the understanding of current mammalian richness and diversity. Indeed, knowledge on species richness distribution in the state will guide conservation strategies, especially in areas undergoing habitat loss and fragmentation, such as the central-southern portion of Goiás.

Resumo: O estado de Goiás, no Brasil central, é coberto principalmente pelo domínio do Cerrado, com a Mata Atlântica do Alto Paraná ocupando sua porção centro-sul. Goiás é uma das 20 unidades federativas brasileiras que ainda não possui uma lista de espécies de mamíferos. Neste estudo, apresentamos a primeira lista de mamíferos para o estado. Registramos as espécies de mamíferos com base principalmente na análise de espécimes depositados em coleções científicas, bem como na literatura apresentando material testemunho associado. Listamos 191 espécies pertencentes a 125 gêneros, 31 famílias e 10 ordens, as quais representam 25,2% das espécies de mamíferos que ocorrem no Brasil. As ordens mais especiosas foram Chiroptera (90 spp.), seguida pelas ordens Rodentia (43 spp.), Carnivora (19 spp.) e Didelphimorphia (17 spp.), com as demais ordens respondendo por uma porção menor da diversidade: Cetartiodactyla (7 spp.), Cingulata (7 spp.), Primates (4 spp.), Pilosa (2 spp.), Lagomorpha (1 sp.) e Perissodactyla (1 sp.). Um total de 28 espécies (14,7%), principalmente representadas por mamíferos de médio e grande porte, estão ameaçadas nacionalmente e 12 (6,3%) encontram-se globalmente ameaçadas. Nossos resultados indicaram grandes porções do estado ainda não devidamente pesquisadas em relação aos seus mamíferos, com informações escassas e fragmentadas, principalmente no que diz respeito à sua porção noroeste. Discutimos a riqueza de espécies, a distribuição e o estado de conservação dos mamíferos do estado de Goiás nos cenários nacional e regional. Ressaltamos a importância da realização de inventários que utilizem técnicas complementares de amostragem, incluindo a coleta de material testemunho, proporcionando a obtenção de dados cariotípicos, moleculares, morfológicos, parasitológicos e ecológicos. Estas informações são a base de estudos integrativos, os quais aumentam nossa compreensão a respeito da riqueza e diversidade atual dos mamíferos. O conhecimento a respeito da distribuição da riqueza de espécies em Goiás é essencial para embasar estratégias de conservação, tão necessárias em áreas que vem sofrendo com a perda e fragmentação de seus hábitats naturais, como a porção centro-sul do estado.

Type of shelter and first description of the echolocation call of disk-winged bat (Thyroptera devivoi) / Tipo de abrigo e primeira descrição da chamada de ecolocalização de morcegos com asas de disco (Thyroptera devivoi)

Abstract: Thyropteridae is a family of bats endemic to the Neotropical region, and Thyroptera devivoi is the only species in the family that occurs exclusively in forest patches within savannas of northern South America and north of the Brazilian Cerrado. Primary data on the species are still scarce. Therefore, in this study our objective was to fill knowledge gaps on geographical distribution, roost-use, and echolocation for the species. We observed a T. devivoi colony of 15 individuals living under a dead palm leaf. The bats used the leaf as a roost for at least four days. After capturing one individual, we confirmed the species identification via skull size and the oblong shape of the adhesive disk. The new record reinforces the association of this species with non-forested formations, and its occurrence mainly in savannas. Echolocation calls of T. devivoi are consistent with those known for the genus, with multiharmonic, low intensity and high frequency pulses. Despite these new data, more studies are certainly needed to enhance distribution data for the species, as well as to clarify the biological and ecological requirements of the species.

Resumo: Thyropteridae é uma família de morcegos endêmica da região Neotropical e Thyroptera devivoi é a única espécie da família que ocorre exclusivamente em manchas florestais das savanas do norte de América do Sul e do Cerrado Brasileiro. Dados primários da espécie são ainda escassos e o objetivo deste estudo foi preencher lacunas de conhecimento sobre distribuição geográfica, uso de abrigos e padrões de ecolocalização da espécie. Nós observamos uma colônia de T. devivoi com 15 indivíduos vivendo sob uma folha morta de palmeira. Os morcegos usaram a folha como abrigo ao menos por quatro dias. Depois de capturar um indivíduo, nós confirmamos a identificação da espécie por meio da morfologia do crânio e do disco adesivo. O novo registro reforça a associação da espécie com formações não florestais e a ocorrência principalmente em savanas. Os chamados de ecolocalização de T. devivoi são consistentes com o conhecido para o gênero, com pulsos multi-harmônicos de baixa intensidade e alta frequência. A despeito destes novos dados, mais estudos são certamente necessários para aprimorar os dados de distribuição assim como os requerimentos biológicos da espécie.

Bats and COVID-19: villains or victims? / Morcegos e a COVID-19: vilões ou vítimas?

Abstract Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, bats are being pointed as responsible for its origin, even without solid scientific evidence. In this opinion piece, we discuss the most updated information on bats and COVID-19 and argue that bats should not be blamed for a disease they are not responsible for. Bats should be seen not as dangerous animals but, instead, as sources of several scientific insights useful for human health.

Resumo Morcegos e COVID-19: vilões ou vítimas? Desde o início da epidemia de COVID-19, morcegos estão sendo apontados como os culpados por sua origem, mesmo sem evidências científicas sólidas que apontem para tal. Neste artigo de opinião trazemos informações atualizadas sobre morcegos e COVID-19 e discutimos porque morcegos não deveriam ser culpados por uma doença pela qual não foram responsáveis. Morcegos não deveriam ser vistos como animais perigosos, mas sim como fontes de várias ideias e abordagens científicas úteis para a saúde humana.

Predicting wildlife road-crossing probability from roadkill data using occupancy-detection models.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) represent a major threat for wildlife and understanding how WVC spatial patterns relate to surrounding land cover can provide valuable information for deciding where to implement mitigation measures. However, these relations may be heavily biased as many casualties are undetected in roadkill surveys, e.g. due to scavenger activity, which may ultimately jeopardize conservation actions. We suggest using occupancy models to overcome imperfect detection issues, assuming that 'occupancy' represents the preference for crossing the road in a given site, i.e. is a proxy for the roadkill risk; and that the 'detectability' is the joint probability of an animal being hit in the crossing site and its carcass being detected afterwards. Our main objective was to assess the roadkill risk along roads while accounting for imperfect detection issues and relate it to land cover information. We conducted roadkill surveys over 114 km in nine different roads, biweekly, for five years (total of 484 surveys), and developed a Bayesian hierarchical occupancy model to assess the roadkill risk for the six most road-killed taxa for each road section and season (WET and DRY). Overall, we estimated a higher roadkill risk in road sections surrounded by agriculture, open habitats; and a higher detectability within the 4-lane road sections. Our modeling framework has a great potential to overcome the limitations related to imperfect detection when assessing the roadkill risk and may become an important tool to predict which road sections have a higher mortality risk.

High frequency of trypanosomatids in gallery forest bats of a Neotropical savanna.

Bats are well-known hosts of trypanosomatids, though information about their role as reservoirs of these protozoans in the Brazilian savanna is poorly known. We aimed to analyze the occurrence of trypanosomatid species in bats occurring in remnants of gallery forests of Brasília, Federal District of Brazil. We sampled bats using mist nets in six sites, and we collected blood, wing fragments and oral swab samples from all captured individuals. Trypanosomatids were identified in the captured bats through sequencing of the SSUrRNA region and kDNA qPCR. We found no parasite in blood smears of 146 individuals of 14 species captured, but blood cultures were positive for nine bats. We detected trypanosomatids molecularly in 111 (76%) specimens of all bat species in the studied areas. Most of the infected bats had Leishmania-like DNA detected in blood and swab samples of the oral mucosa. We distinguished three species of Trypanosoma (Trypanosoma dionisii, T. rangeli and T. cruzi) in Carollia perspicillata. SSUrRNA PCR of oral samples is a non-invasive and practical method for identification of trypanosomatid species in bats. Our results support our belief that bats could be potential reservoirs for Trypanosoma and Leishmania-like species in the enzootic cycle of these parasites in gallery forests of the Brazilian Cerrado biome.

Carcass Persistence and Detectability: Reducing the Uncertainty Surrounding Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Surveys.

Carcass persistence time and detectability are two main sources of uncertainty on roadkill surveys. In this study, we evaluate the influence of these uncertainties on roadkill surveys and estimates. To estimate carcass persistence time, three observers (including the driver) surveyed 114km by car on a monthly basis for two years, searching for wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). Each survey consisted of five consecutive days. To estimate carcass detectability, we randomly selected stretches of 500m to be also surveyed on foot by two other observers (total 292 walked stretches, 146 km walked). We expected that body size of the carcass, road type, presence of scavengers and weather conditions to be the main drivers influencing the carcass persistence times, but their relative importance was unknown. We also expected detectability to be highly dependent on body size. Overall, we recorded low median persistence times (one day) and low detectability (<10%) for all vertebrates. The results indicate that body size and landscape cover (as a surrogate of scavengers' presence) are the major drivers of carcass persistence. Detectability was lower for animals with body mass less than 100g when compared to carcass with higher body mass. We estimated that our recorded mortality rates underestimated actual values of mortality by 2-10 fold. Although persistence times were similar to previous studies, the detectability rates here described are very different from previous studies. The results suggest that detectability is the main source of bias across WVC studies. Therefore, more than persistence times, studies should carefully account for differing detectability when comparing WVC studies.

Prevalence and intensity of Streblidae in bats from a Neotropical savanna region in Brazil.

Bats of the family Phyllostomidae are common hosts to streblids known as bat flies. Here, we discuss the component community, prevalence and intensity of infection with species of Streblidae on an assemblage of phyllostomid bats in the Cafuringa Environmental Protection Area (APA Cafuringa) in the core area of the Cerrado in Central Brazil. A total of 1 841 streblid individuals of 24 species occurred on 752 bats of 14 species. Ten species of streblids infected Glossophaga soricina (Pallas), whereas seven or fewer streblid species infected the other bat species. Nine bat fly species presented a prevalence of more than 50%, whereas some differences in the abundance of bat flies among hosts were observed. Strebla wiedemanni Kolenati, 1856 and Trichobius furmani Wenzel, 1966 were more host-specific compared to the other streblids, and they occurred in greater abundance on their preferred hosts. Trichobius uniformis Curran, 1935 and Strebla mirabilis (Waterhouse, 1879) were the least host-specific, occurring on five and six hosts, respectively.

The response of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) to an incidental fire on a gallery forest at a Neotropical savanna / Resposta dos morcegos (Mammalia: Chiroptera) a queimada acidental em mata de galeria de uma savana Neotropical

Fire is a common and natural event in Cerrado that can influence the composition of trees and mammals and change the entire conditions of the environment. This study was developed in a gallery forest of Distrito Federal - Brazil. Bat samplings were conducted for a total of six nights after a fire that happened on the gallery forest. Three samplings were conducted: one day, three months and seven months after fire. A total of nine mist nets (12 m x 3 m) were opened from 7pm to 1am. Captured bats were measured and identified to species. Shannon index measured the species diversity of bats in the gallery forest over time. A rarefaction curve was made to assess the estimated bat richness in each of the samplings and a chi-square test was used to check whether there have been changes on bat abundances over time. A total of 46 bats from 8 different species and one family were captured. The most abundant species was Sturnira lilium. Species diversity and abundance increased over time and there was a gradual accumulation of species and specimens indicating that the succession and recovery of the forest occurs due to a temporal addition of specimens and species in the assemblage and not as punctual occurrences. Probably, this recovery pattern reflects a gradual increase in the availability of resources and recovery of the forest canopy, progressively offering more shelter and food for the bat assemblage.

O fogo é um evento comum e natural no Cerrado que pode influenciar a composição de árvores e mamíferos e mudar totalmente as condições do ambiente. Esse estudo foi desenvolvido na mata de galeria do Distrito Federal - Brazil. As amostragens dos morcegos foram conduzidas por um total de seis noites depois da ocorrência do fogo na mata de galeria. Três amostragens foram conduzidas: um dia, três meses e sete meses depois que o fogo ocorreu. Um total de nove redes de neblina (12 m x 3 m) foram abertas das 7pm a 1am. Os morcegos capturados foram medidos e identificados ao nível de espécie. O índice de Shannon mediu a diversidade de espécies de morcegos na mata de galeria ao longo do tempo. Uma curva de rarefação foi feita para acessar a riqueza estimada de morcegos em cada amostragem e um teste qui-quadrado foi usado para verificar se houve mudanças na abundância de morcegos ao longo do tempo. Um total de 46 morcegos de 8 espécies diferentes e uma família foram capturados. A espécie mais abundante foi Sturnira lilium. A diversidade de espécies e abundância aumentaram com o tempo e houve um acúmulo gradual de espécies e espécimes indicando que a sucessão e recuperação da mata ocorreu com uma adição temporal de espécimes e espécies na assembleia e não de forma pontual. Provavelmente, o padrão de recuperação reflete o aumento gradual na disponibilidade de recursos alimentares e recuperação do dossel da mata, que progressivamente passaram a ofertar mais abrigo e alimento para a assembleia de morcegos.

Direct Detection of Escherichia coli Virulence Genes by Real-Time PCR in Fecal Samples from Bats in Brazil.

Guano samples from 412 Brazilian bats were screened with real-time PCR for the virulence genes (eae, est, elt, stx1, stx2, ehxA, invA, bfpA, aggR) representing five intestinal pathotypes of Escherichia coli. From 82 pooled samples, 22% contained Escherichia coli DNA, and eae, est, bfpA, aggR were detected.

Species undersampling in tropical bat surveys: effects on emerging biodiversity patterns.

Undersampling is commonplace in biodiversity surveys of species-rich tropical assemblages in which rare taxa abound, with possible repercussions for our ability to implement surveys and monitoring programmes in a cost-effective way. We investigated the consequences of information loss due to species undersampling (missing subsets of species from the full species pool) in tropical bat surveys for the emerging patterns of species richness (SR) and compositional variation across sites. For 27 bat assemblage data sets from across the tropics, we used correlations between original data sets and subsets with different numbers of species deleted either at random, or according to their rarity in the assemblage, to assess to what extent patterns in SR and composition in data subsets are congruent with those in the initial data set. We then examined to what degree high sample representativeness (r ≥ 0·8) was influenced by biogeographic region, sampling method, sampling effort or structural assemblage characteristics. For SR, correlations between random subsets and original data sets were strong (r ≥ 0·8) with moderate (ca. 20%) species loss. Bias associated with information loss was greater for species composition; on average ca. 90% of species in random subsets had to be retained to adequately capture among-site variation. For nonrandom subsets, removing only the rarest species (on average c. 10% of the full data set) yielded strong correlations (r > 0·95) for both SR and composition. Eliminating greater proportions of rare species resulted in weaker correlations and large variation in the magnitude of observed correlations among data sets. Species subsets that comprised ca. 85% of the original set can be considered reliable surrogates, capable of adequately revealing patterns of SR and temporal or spatial turnover in many tropical bat assemblages. Our analyses thus demonstrate the potential as well as limitations for reducing survey effort and streamlining sampling protocols, and consequently for increasing the cost-effectiveness in tropical bat surveys or monitoring programmes. The dependence of the performance of species subsets on structural assemblage characteristics (total assemblage abundance, proportion of rare species), however, underscores the importance of adaptive monitoring schemes and of establishing surrogate performance on a site by site basis based on pilot surveys.

Effect of light intensity on food detection in captive great fruit-eating bats, Artibeus lituratus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).

Bats are known for their well-developed echolocation. However, several experiments focused on the bat visual system have shown evidence of the importance of visual cues under specific luminosity for different aspects of bat biology, including foraging behavior. This study examined the foraging abilities of five female great fruit-eating bats, Artibeus lituratus, under different light intensities. Animals were given a series of tasks to test for discrimination between a food target against an inedible background, under light levels similar to the twilight illumination (18lx), the full moon (2lx) and complete darkness (0lx). We found that the bats required a longer time frame to detect targets under a light intensity similar to twilight, possibly due to inhibitory effects present under a more intense light level. Additionally, bats were more efficient at detecting and capturing targets under light conditions similar to the luminosity of a full moon, suggesting that visual cues were important for target discrimination. These results demonstrate that light intensity affects foraging behavior and enables the use of visual cues for food detection in frugivorous bats. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neotropical Behaviour.