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Introduction: Integrating genetic data into conservation management decisions is a challenging task that requires strong partnerships between researchers and managers. Conservation in Latin America is of crucial relevance worldwide given the high biodiversity levels and the presence of hotspots in this region. Methods: We conducted a survey across Latin America to identify gaps and opportunities between genetic researchers and conservation managers. We aimed to better understand conservation managers' points of view and how genetic research could help conservation practitioners to achieve their goals, by implementing genetic assessments that could effectively inform conservation practices. We distributed an online survey via four regional collaborating organizations and 32 focal points based in 20 Latin American countries. The target respondents were conservation managers of species or areas in Latin America. Results: We collected a total of 468 answered questionnaires from 21 Latin American countries. Most respondents (44%) were from an academic or research institution while non-academics were mainly from non-governmental institutions (30%) and government agencies (25%). Most respondents (65%) have performed or used genetic assessments in their managed area or species, either alone, in partnership, contracting someone else or using published results. For the majority of this group, the genetic results were relevant to their conservation management goals, helping to inform management decisions. Respondents that had not performed genetic assessments (35%) were mainly from the non-academic group, and their main barriers were limited access to funds, genetic lab facilities, and trained personnel to design studies and conduct lab work. Discussion: From the findings, we describe the current situation and provide a general diagnosis of the conservation-genetics gap in Latin America. We describe the gender gap, academic-practitioner co-development of conservation questions and projects, and the nationality and residency of Latin American conservation managers in relation to the countries where they work. We discuss opportunities to co-create research questions and co-develop studies based on conservation practitioners' needs. We offer recommendations for overcoming barriers to integrate genetic information into conservation actions, and advance agendas that fit the needs and realities of the highly heterogeneous, biodiverse and challenging Latin American region.

RESUMO

Understanding diversity patterns and the potential mechanisms driving them is a fundamental goal in ecology. Examination of different dimensions of biodiversity can provide insights into the relative importance of different processes acting upon biotas to shape communities. Unfortunately, patterns of diversity are still poorly understood in hyper-diverse tropical countries. Here, we assess spatial variation of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of bat assemblages in one of the least studied Neotropical countries, Bolivia, and determine whether changes in biodiversity are explained by the replacement of species or functional groups, or by differences in richness (i.e., gain or loss of species or functional groups). Further, we evaluate the contribution of phylogenetic and taxonomic changes in the resulting patterns of functional diversity of bats. Using well-sampled assemblages from published studies we examine noctilionoid bats at ten study sites across five ecoregions in Bolivia. Bat assemblages differed from each other in all dimensions of biodiversity considered; however, diversity patterns for each dimension were likely structured by different mechanisms. Within ecoregions, differences were largely explained by species richness, suggesting that the gain or loss of species or functional groups (as opposed to replacement) was driving dissimilarity patterns. Overall, our results suggest that whereas evolutionary processes (i.e., historical connection and dispersal routes across Bolivia) create a template of diversity patterns across the country, ecological mechanisms modify these templates, decoupling the observed patterns of functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in Bolivian bats. Our results suggests that elevation represents an important source of variability among diversity patterns for each dimension of diversity considered. Further, we found that neither phylogenetic nor taxonomic diversity can fully account for patterns of functional diversity, highlighting the need for examining different dimensions of biodiversity of bats in hyperdiverse ecosystems.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Aerial insectivorous bats represent almost half of the bat diversity in the Neotropics. They use mainly echolocation (active or passive) to find their prey and contribute to pest control and herbivory reduction. We assessed the structure of the community of aerial insectivorous bats in four microhabitats (upper and lower forest edge, and upper and lower open space) through acoustic sampling in shoreline areas of Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama. Seven sites were chosen for sampling, each was visited four times, and bat recordings were taken during four consecutive hours per site each time. We found differences among species in foraging microhabitat, and a tendency of some species to be associated with particular microhabitats. During search calls, species that preferred forest edges (e.g., Saccopteryx bilineata) produced high frequency echolocation calls of short duration, short pulse intervals, and a combination of components of frequency modulation (FM) and quasi-constant frequency (QCF). On the other hand, species that preferred open spaces (e.g., Diclidurus albus) produced echolocation calls with low frequency, long duration, long pulse intervals, and QCF combined with FM components. Differences between guilds are explained by foraging strategy, and some bats prefer the upper stratum while others the lower stratum. This result provides important information on resource partitioning in aerial insectivorous bat communities, as well as on the importance of having a standard protocol to improve the use of acoustic monitoring.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Aerial insectivorous bats represent almost half of the bat diversity in the Neotropics. They use mainly echolocation (active or passive) to find their prey and contribute to pest control and herbivory reduction. We assessed the structure of the community of aerial insectivorous bats in four microhabitats (upper and lower forest edge, and upper and lower open space) through acoustic sampling in shoreline areas of Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama. Seven sites were chosen for sampling, each was visited four times, and bat recordings were taken during four consecutive hours per site each time. We found differences among species in foraging microhabitat, and a tendency of some species to be associated with particular microhabitats. During search calls, species that preferred forest edges (e.g., Saccopteryx bilineata) produced high frequency echolocation calls of short duration, short pulse intervals, and a combination of components of frequency modulation (FM) and quasi-constant frequency (QCF). On the other hand, species that preferred open spaces (e.g., Diclidurus albus) produced echolocation calls with low frequency, long duration, long pulse intervals, and QCF combined with FM components. Differences between guilds are explained by foraging strategy, and some bats prefer the upper stratum while others the lower stratum. This result provides important information on resource partitioning in aerial insectivorous bat communities, as well as on the importance of having a standard protocol to improve the use of acoustic monitoring.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

The exceptional diversity of neotropical bat communities is sustained by an intricate partitioning of available resources among the member species. Trophical specialization is considered an important evolutionary avenue towards niche partitioning in neotropical phyllostomid bats. From an ancestral insectivorous condition, phyllostomids evolved into highly specialized frugivorous, carnivorous, nectarivorous, piscivorous and even sanguivorous species. Previously, correlations between cranial morphology and trophic ecology within this group have been documented. Here, we examine the evolutionary relationships between bite force and head shape in over 20 species of bats from a single tropical savannah bat community. The results show that bite force increases exponentially with body size across all species examined. Despite the significant differences between large dietary groups using traditional analysis (i.e. non-phylogenetic) and the strong evolutionary correlations between body mass and bite force, phylogenetic analyses indicated no differences in bite performance between insectivorous, omnivorous and frugivorous bats. Comparisons of three species with highly specialized feeding habits (nectarivory, piscivory and sanguivory) with the rest of the species in the community indicate that specialization into these niches comes at the expense of bite performance and, hence, may result in a reduction of the trophic niche breadth.

Assuntos