Estrutura e composição das assembleias de morcegos na Serra de São José, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Bats make up the second largest order among mammals. Due to the high diversity and the various trophic guilds found in the tropical region, they play important ecological functions, such as pollination, seed dispersal and pest control. They have high plasticity to use environments, and can be found in forest fragments as well as in more restricted environments, such as caves. The present study surveyed the bats present in natural subterranean cavities and in a forest fragment of the Refúgio da Vida Silvestre Libélulas da Serra de São José, located in the south of Minas Gerais, which has areas of vegetation constituted by Atlantic Forest formations, Campos Rupestres and Cerrado; and a karst formed by quartzite. A total of 145 bats belonging to seven species of the families Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae were captured. In the caves were captured 84 bats of five species while in the fragment were 61 individuals of four species. So the caves can act as a good roost for the bats, providing protection against the lower temperatures characteristic of high altitudes, while the forest fragment, even in the regeneration phase, serves as a refuge amid the fragmentation of the surrounding areas of the Conservation Unit.