Eva K Nóbrega, Nia Toshkova, A. Gonçalves, A. Reis, Elena J. Soto, Sergio Puertas Ruiz, Vanessa A. Mata, C. Rato, R. Rocha
{"title":"Insights into the habitat associations, phylogeny, and diet of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo, northeastern Macaronesia","authors":"Eva K Nóbrega, Nia Toshkova, A. Gonçalves, A. Reis, Elena J. Soto, Sergio Puertas Ruiz, Vanessa A. Mata, C. Rato, R. Rocha","doi":"10.5194/we-23-87-2023","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Around 60 % of all bat species occur in islands, and nearly one in four is\nan insular endemic. Bats are often the only native terrestrial mammals in\noceanic islands, and despite increasing anthropogenic pressures, little is\nknown about the distribution, natural history, and population status of most\ninsular bat populations. The sub-tropical archipelago of Madeira is composed\nof the volcanic islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Desertas and is\nhome to the Macaronesian endemic Pipistrellus maderensis, to the endemic subspecies Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and to Plecotus austriacus. Pipistrellus maderensis is known\nto both Madeira and Porto Santo, whereas the other two species have only\nbeen recorded in the former. However, no bats have been recorded in Porto Santo\nfor over 15 years, raising fears that bats are probably extinct in the\nisland. In July 2021, we conducted an island-wide acoustic survey using\nAudioMoth passive acoustic recorders, leading to the detection of\nPipistrellus maderensis in 28 out of the 46 sampling sites (60 %). The species' activity was\nstrongly associated with artificial water sources, and genetic samples from\nsix captured individuals revealed that the populations of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo and\nMadeira have a close phylogenetic affinity. Furthermore, using DNA\nmetabarcoding, we found that the species feeds on a wide variety of insects,\nincluding several economically important pest species and disease vectors.\nThese findings emphasise the need to target more conservation and research\nefforts towards extant island bat populations and the potential ecosystem\nservices they provide.\n","PeriodicalId":54320,"journal":{"name":"Web Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Web Ecology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.5194/we-23-87-2023","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract. Around 60 % of all bat species occur in islands, and nearly one in four is
an insular endemic. Bats are often the only native terrestrial mammals in
oceanic islands, and despite increasing anthropogenic pressures, little is
known about the distribution, natural history, and population status of most
insular bat populations. The sub-tropical archipelago of Madeira is composed
of the volcanic islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and Desertas and is
home to the Macaronesian endemic Pipistrellus maderensis, to the endemic subspecies Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus, and to Plecotus austriacus. Pipistrellus maderensis is known
to both Madeira and Porto Santo, whereas the other two species have only
been recorded in the former. However, no bats have been recorded in Porto Santo
for over 15 years, raising fears that bats are probably extinct in the
island. In July 2021, we conducted an island-wide acoustic survey using
AudioMoth passive acoustic recorders, leading to the detection of
Pipistrellus maderensis in 28 out of the 46 sampling sites (60 %). The species' activity was
strongly associated with artificial water sources, and genetic samples from
six captured individuals revealed that the populations of Pipistrellus maderensis in Porto Santo and
Madeira have a close phylogenetic affinity. Furthermore, using DNA
metabarcoding, we found that the species feeds on a wide variety of insects,
including several economically important pest species and disease vectors.
These findings emphasise the need to target more conservation and research
efforts towards extant island bat populations and the potential ecosystem
services they provide.
Web EcologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
CiteScore
4.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
6
审稿时长
17 weeks
期刊介绍:
Web Ecology (WE) is an open-access journal issued by the European Ecological Federation (EEF) representing the ecological societies within Europe and associated members. Its special value is to serve as a publication forum for national ecological societies that do not maintain their own society journal. Web Ecology publishes papers from all fields of ecology without any geographic restriction. It is a forum to communicate results of experimental, theoretical, and descriptive studies of general interest to an international audience. Original contributions, short communications, and reviews on ecological research on all kinds of organisms and ecosystems are welcome as well as papers that express emerging ideas and concepts with a sound scientific background.