Bat assemblages at a high-altitude area in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Most Brazilian landscapes lie below 600 m above sea level and studies on the rich Brazilian bat fauna at higher altitudes are scarce. In this study, we investigated bat assemblages associated with different habitats in Chapada do Abanador, Minas Gerais, an area with altitudes ranging from 1000 to 1580 m. Forty-five nights of sampling (153 000 m2 h) were performed in semideciduous montane forest, cloud forest and campo de altitude. A total of 137 individuals were captured, belonging to 12 species of the families Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae, with a large dominance of the former. Species-accumulation curves reached values close to the asymptote for the campo de altitude and cloud forest habitats, but not for montane forest, suggesting that more species may be added by extending the sampling effort in this habitat. A non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis indicated no strong separation between sampled habitats. Higher abundances of Desmodus rotundus and Histiotus velatus in the campo de altitude were observed, with the latter being exclusively recorded in this habitat. Moreover, a higher abundance of frugivores was observed in forested habitats, while hematophagous, insectivores and nectarivores were more abundant in the campo de altitude. Although presenting lower species richness when compared with environments below 1000 m, the campos de altitude and cloud forests are ecologically important and poorly protected portions of the Atlantic Forest in Minas Gerais, whose biodiversity must be preserved. Our data contributes with a better description of the local fauna and fills gaps on the species distribution for high altitude sites in Brazil.