Morcegos de ambientes degradados numa área da Amazônia Maranhense

Abstract

The composition of bats in degraded environment in an area of the Amazonian from Maranhão, Bom Jardim - MA, as well as the diversity and similarity between four habitats systematically sampled, the width and overlap of spatial niches of the commonest were measured, during the months of July of 2008 to June of 2010. Animals were captured every fifteen days by using mist nets of 12m x 2,5m each, opened at the ground level from 06:00pm to 12:00 pm, being inspected every hour. Individuals of 15 species of bats belonging to three families were captured. The family Phyllostomidae presented the highest number of species. The most abundant species were Carollia perspicillata (166); Phyllostomus discolor (72); Phyllostomus hastatus (70); Artibeus lituratus (70); Sturnira lilium (43); Artibeus obscurus (42) and Glossophaga soricina (20). The diversity indices of habitats didn't show significant differences. However, the habitat capão de mangueira em matriz de pastagem (CM) it presented the highest index of diversity (1,98±0,17). The low levels of similarity of species of bats presented by the habitat roça de banana em matriz peridomiciliar (RB) and the remaining habitats seemed to identity two well-defined assemblies of bats in the sampled area (Phyllostomus discolor and Phyllostomus hastatus and Glossophaga soricina and Sturnira lilium). The two species of Phyllostomus showed a narrower spatial niche, while Carollia perspicillata and Artibeus lituratus presented a width of space niche elevated. The levels of spatial niche overlaps, as well as the similarity pattern showed by the most abundant species, pointed to the existence of a partial spatial segregation among species belonging to the same genus. However, it is well known that a great need still exists of deepening the knowledge on the composition of the quiropterofauna of Maranhão.