Navegando por Autor "Pimentel, Narjara Tércia"

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Artigo
Estimates of insect consumption and guano input in bat caves in Brazil
(2022-03-12) Pimentel, Narjara Tércia; da Rocha, Patrício Adriano; Pedroso, Mônica Aparecida; Bernard, Enrico
Bat caves harbor exceptional populations of insectivorous bats. Those bats play an important role as insect suppressors and produce large quantities of guano, which is essential for maintaining cave ecosystems since entire highly specialized cave biotas may heavily rely on bat guano as their main energy input. Although ecologically relevant, few studies have estimated insect consumption and guano input in Neotropical bat caves. We provide estimates for five bat caves used by Pteronotus gymnonotus and P. personatus (Mormoopidae) in northeastern Brazil. Using a non-invasive automated system, we counted bats, then captured and weighted individuals to estimate insect consumption, and, with collectors and rulers, estimated the amount and speed of guano accumulation in cave sectors. Bat abundance varied between and within caves, up to 158,884 bats, indicating highly dynamic occupation patterns. Insect consumption varied from 0.6 to 2.5 g/bat for P. gymnonotus (~5 to 20% of their body weight) and 0.8 to 2.0 g/bat for P. personatus (~10 to 28% of their body weight). Guano deposition was spatially and temporally heterogeneous (from 0 to 738 g/m2/96h). Some caves showed a 15-cm increase in guano deposits on the cave floor in 7 months. Bulky guano deposits in those caves stressed the bat role as insect suppressors. The present study provides baseline quantitative data on the contributions of bats to cave ecosystems and valuable data for estimates of ecosystem services provided by bats.
Artigo
Predation of a mustached bat, Pteronotus sp. (Mormoopidae), by an Amazon tree boa, Corallus hortulanus (Boidae), in the Brazilian Amazon
(2023) Barbier, Eder; Pimentel, Narjara Tércia; Bernard, Enrico
Several bat species use caves as roosts and some of these caves can harbor high concentrations of individuals. Such caves may represent opportunities for certain predators, benefiting from the concentration of potential prey. Here, we report the predation of a Pteronotus bat by a Corallus hortulanus in the Brazilian Amazon. On three occasions over a year, individuals of C. hortulanus were observed around a cave that harbors populations containing tens of thousands of bats. On one occasion, an individual of this snake species was observed preying on a Pteronotus sp. as it left the cave. Our record extends the known diet for C. hortulanus, documenting the predation of a mormoopid bat by this snake species for the first time. This record reinforces the need for longitudinal studies at sites with exceptional bat populations to gain a deeper understanding of the ecological predator-prey relationships involving this diverse group of mammals.