Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia
Wildlife populations in Southeast Asia are subject to increasing pressure from climate change, habitat loss and human disturbance. Cave-roosting bats are particularly vulnerable to all three factors. Because of the ecological services they provide, it is important to assess specific vulnerabilities...
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doaj-b2711f73fe0a4c8bad143a1d59b87e1b2020-11-24T23:07:51ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182018-08-011039110.3390/d10030091d10030091Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in CambodiaNeil M. Furey0Paul A. Racey1Saveng Ith2Van Touch3Julien Cappelle4Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng Kong 1, Phnom Penh 12000, CambodiaCentre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UKFauna & Flora International (Cambodia), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng Kong 1, Phnom Penh 12000, CambodiaSydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney, Level 4, Biomedical Building, 1 Central Ave, Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, NSW 2015, AustraliaInstitut Pasteur du Cambodge, Epidemiology Unit, Phnom Penh BP983, CambodiaWildlife populations in Southeast Asia are subject to increasing pressure from climate change, habitat loss and human disturbance. Cave-roosting bats are particularly vulnerable to all three factors. Because of the ecological services they provide, it is important to assess specific vulnerabilities to inform their conservation management. We evaluated the reproductive phenology and body condition of Chaerephon plicatus for 14 months in 2015–2016 and quantified guano harvesting at the largest colony in Cambodia in 2011–2016. As in Thailand and Myanmar, two annual breeding cycles were recorded, characterized as continuous bimodal polyoestry, with parturition primarily occurring in April and October. Significant declines occurred in body condition between the late wet season and the late dry season, suggesting that bats experience increasing energetic stress as the dry season progresses. Annual guano harvests increased over the study period but could not be used as a proxy for monitoring population size due to the loss of unknown amounts during the wet season and unquantified movements of bats between C. plicatus colonies in the region. We recommend studies to determine the scale and drivers of such movements and creation of sustainable guano harvesting and population monitoring initiatives to ensure the conservation of C. plicatus colonies in Cambodia.http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/10/3/91cave batsreproductionbody conditionguano harvestingseasonal tropics |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Neil M. Furey Paul A. Racey Saveng Ith Van Touch Julien Cappelle |
spellingShingle |
Neil M. Furey Paul A. Racey Saveng Ith Van Touch Julien Cappelle Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia Diversity cave bats reproduction body condition guano harvesting seasonal tropics |
author_facet |
Neil M. Furey Paul A. Racey Saveng Ith Van Touch Julien Cappelle |
author_sort |
Neil M. Furey |
title |
Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia |
title_short |
Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia |
title_full |
Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia |
title_fullStr |
Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reproductive Ecology of Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats Chaerephon plicatus (Buchannan, 1800) in Relation to Guano Production in Cambodia |
title_sort |
reproductive ecology of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats chaerephon plicatus (buchannan, 1800) in relation to guano production in cambodia |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Diversity |
issn |
1424-2818 |
publishDate |
2018-08-01 |
description |
Wildlife populations in Southeast Asia are subject to increasing pressure from climate change, habitat loss and human disturbance. Cave-roosting bats are particularly vulnerable to all three factors. Because of the ecological services they provide, it is important to assess specific vulnerabilities to inform their conservation management. We evaluated the reproductive phenology and body condition of Chaerephon plicatus for 14 months in 2015–2016 and quantified guano harvesting at the largest colony in Cambodia in 2011–2016. As in Thailand and Myanmar, two annual breeding cycles were recorded, characterized as continuous bimodal polyoestry, with parturition primarily occurring in April and October. Significant declines occurred in body condition between the late wet season and the late dry season, suggesting that bats experience increasing energetic stress as the dry season progresses. Annual guano harvests increased over the study period but could not be used as a proxy for monitoring population size due to the loss of unknown amounts during the wet season and unquantified movements of bats between C. plicatus colonies in the region. We recommend studies to determine the scale and drivers of such movements and creation of sustainable guano harvesting and population monitoring initiatives to ensure the conservation of C. plicatus colonies in Cambodia. |
topic |
cave bats reproduction body condition guano harvesting seasonal tropics |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/10/3/91 |
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