Structure of a bat community in the xerophytic Caatinga of the state of Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil
2019
Soares, Fábio A.M. | da Rocha, Patrício A. | Bocchiglieri, Adriana | Ferrari, Stephen F.
The Caatinga, a Brazilian biome that covers an area of 740,000 km², is characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions with high temperatures and irregular rains throughout the year. The present study verified the structure of the local bat community and the seasonal variation in the abundance of bats and their diversity. We sampled four points on Serra dos Macacos and Serra de Antenor, in the municipality of Tobias Barreto, Sergipe. Field campaigns were conducted monthly between February and November 2011 in the region of the Serra dos Macacos, with the same sampling effort being applied in the dry and rainy seasons. A total sampling effort of 95,040 m²⋅h resulted in the capture of 104 specimens, representing 15 species belonging to the families Phyllostomidae (12 sp.), Vespertilionidae (2 sp.) and Mormoopidae (1 sp.). The Jackknife 1 estimate indicated the occurrence of 21.3±2.07 species in the study area. There was no difference in species diversity between the two stations (t=0.65, p=0.51). The guild of frugivorous and nectarivorous bats were the most abundant in both seasons, and most representative in the rainy season. Significant seasonal difference was found in the abundance of bats between the dry and rainy seasons (χ²=16.96; df=1; p<0.05). The results were consistent with other Caatinga studies in terms of species richness and diversity, and community structure, with a predominance of nectarivorous bats and seasonal variation in the community structure.
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