Study

Ensemble composition and activity levels of insectivorous bats in response to management intensification in coffee agroforestry systems

  • Published source details Williams-Guillén K. & Perfecto I. (2011) Ensemble composition and activity levels of insectivorous bats in response to management intensification in coffee agroforestry systems. PLoS ONE, 6, e16502.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Retain or plant native trees and shrubs amongst crops (agroforestry)

Action Link
Bat Conservation
  1. Retain or plant native trees and shrubs amongst crops (agroforestry)

    A replicated, site comparison study in 2006–2007 of 44 sites in coffee agroforestry plantations and tropical rainforest in Chiapas, Mexico (Williams-Guillén & Perfecto 2011) found that traditional agroforestry plantations had a similar number of insect-eating bat species to more intensively managed agroforestry plantations, but species composition differed. The number of insect-eating bat species did not differ significantly between traditional agroforestry plantations (18 species) and plantations with moderate (23 bat species) or high intensity management (21 bat species). Activity of forest bat species was lower in high intensity plantations (average 6 bat passes/night) than moderate intensity (14 bat passes/night) or traditional plantations (21 bat passes/night). The opposite was true for open habitat bat species (high intensity plantations: average 3 bat passes/night; low intensity and traditional plantations: 1 bat pass/night). Native forest had a similar number of bat species (19) to all three types of plantations. Bats were sampled in traditional agroforestry coffee plantations (coffee and other plants grown under original forest trees, 12 sites), moderate intensity coffee plantations (coffee grown under a variety of fruit and timber trees, 11 sites), high intensity coffee plantations (coffee grown under shimbillo Inga spp. trees, 10 sites) and native forest fragments (11 sites). At each of 44 sites, sampling was carried out with mist nets and bat detectors for 8–10 h during one night between November 2006 and August 2007.

    (Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)

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