Realm: Terrestrial
Climate: Tropical
Biome: Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Central latitude: 9.178193
Central longitude: -79.872578
Duration: 3 years, from 2003 to 2005

1585 records

43 distinct species

Across the time series Artibeus jamaicensis is the most frequently occurring species

Methods

Field work was conducted between October 2003 and October 2005. At each island and mainland site, bats were sampled in a standardized manner with mist nets (6 · 2.5 m, 70/2 denier, 16-mm mesh size, five shelves) set along the perimeter of plots of c. 0.5 ha (typically 100 · 50 m; one plot per site). Each site was sampled for 7–8 complete nights over the 2-year period, with a minimum time interval of 30 days between netting nights. All sites were sampled with equal effort during all moon phases, and we generally avoided netting immediately before and after a full moon in order to minimize potential bias in capture success as a result of lunar-phobic behaviour (e.g. Morrison, 1978). During each survey night, we used six nets erected at ground level and spaced c. 50 m apart. In order also to sample bats flying in higher forest strata, we set up a net wall, typically consisting of four stacked nets, reaching subcanopy (mainland sites) or canopy (islands) level. Canopy height across study sites averaged < 20 m and was often < 15 m on islands. Species were identified, and standard measurements and demographic data were collected following Handley et al. (1991). Nomenclature follows Simmons (2005). Most bats (species > 10 g, excluding juveniles) were marked with individually numbered ball-chain necklaces, or, in the case of larger gleaning animalivores, with passive, subcutaneous transponders (EURO-ID, Weilerswist, Germany). Based on the classification system used by several authors (Stevens & Willig, 2000; Patterson et al., 2003; Giannini & Kalko, 2004, 2005), we assigned bats to one of the following ensembles (Fauth et al., 1996): frugivores, gleaning animalivores, nectarivores, omnivores, and sanguivores. For further detail please see associated papers as cited.

Citation(s)

Mendenhall, C.D., Karp, D.S., Meyer, C.F., Hadly, E.A. & Daily, G.C. (2014) Predicting biodiversity change and averting collapse in agricultural landscapes. Nature, 509, 213.
Meyer, C.F. & Kalko, E.K. (2008) Assemblage?level responses of phyllostomid bats to tropical forest fragmentation: land?bridge islands as a model system. Journal of Biogeography, 35, 1711-1726.
Meyer, C.F. & Kalko, E.K. (2008) Bat assemblages on Neotropical land?bridge islands: nested subsets and null model analyses of species co?occurrence patterns. Diversity and Distributions, 14, 644-654.
Meyer, C.F., Fründ, J., Lizano, W.P. & Kalko, E.K. (2008) Ecological correlates of vulnerability to fragmentation in Neotropical bats. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 381-391.