Tropical rainforests usually have multiple strata that results in a vertical stratification of ecological opportunities foranimals. We investigated if this stratification influences the way bats use the vertical space...Tropical rainforests usually have multiple strata that results in a vertical stratification of ecological opportunities foranimals. We investigated if this stratification influences the way bats use the vertical space in flooded and unflooded forests of theCentral Amazon. Using mist-nets set in the canopy (17 to 35 m high) and in the understorey (0 to 3 m high) we sampled four sitesin upland unflooded forests (terra firme), three in forests seasonally flooded by nutrient-rich water (varzea), and three in forestsseasonally flooded by nutrient-poor water (igapo). Using rarefaction curves we found that species richness in the understorey andcanopy were very similar. An ordination analysis clearly separated the bat assemblages of the canopy from those of the understorey inboth flooded and unflooded habitats. Gleaning carnivores were clearly associated with the understorey, whereas frugivores wereabundant in both strata. Of the frugivores, Carollinae and some Stenodermatinae were understorey specialists, but several Stenodermatinaemostly used the canopy. The first group mainly includes species that, in general, feed on fruits of understorey shrubs,whereas the second group feed on figs and other canopy fruits. We conclude that vertical stratification in bat communities occurseven within forests with lower canopy heights, such as Amazonian seasonally flooded forests, and that the vertical distribution ofbat species is closely related to their diet and foraging behaviour.展开更多
基金supported by Fundaāo para a Ciência e Tecnologia (POCI-PPCDT/BIA-BDE/60710/2004, co-financed by the ERDF, and fellowships SFRH/BD/19620/2004 and SFRH/BDI22829/2005)a Bat Conservation International grant
文摘Tropical rainforests usually have multiple strata that results in a vertical stratification of ecological opportunities foranimals. We investigated if this stratification influences the way bats use the vertical space in flooded and unflooded forests of theCentral Amazon. Using mist-nets set in the canopy (17 to 35 m high) and in the understorey (0 to 3 m high) we sampled four sitesin upland unflooded forests (terra firme), three in forests seasonally flooded by nutrient-rich water (varzea), and three in forestsseasonally flooded by nutrient-poor water (igapo). Using rarefaction curves we found that species richness in the understorey andcanopy were very similar. An ordination analysis clearly separated the bat assemblages of the canopy from those of the understorey inboth flooded and unflooded habitats. Gleaning carnivores were clearly associated with the understorey, whereas frugivores wereabundant in both strata. Of the frugivores, Carollinae and some Stenodermatinae were understorey specialists, but several Stenodermatinaemostly used the canopy. The first group mainly includes species that, in general, feed on fruits of understorey shrubs,whereas the second group feed on figs and other canopy fruits. We conclude that vertical stratification in bat communities occurseven within forests with lower canopy heights, such as Amazonian seasonally flooded forests, and that the vertical distribution ofbat species is closely related to their diet and foraging behaviour.
