Abstract

SANCHEZ, Francisco. BATS OF VILLAVICENCIO (META, COLOMBIA): PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THEIR TROPHIC DIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2017, vol.21, n.1, pp.96-111. ISSN 0123-3068.  https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2017.21.1.8.

The Andean foothills are at the intersection of the Andean and the Orinoquian regions, and therefore are biodiversity rich. The information about functional diversity and ecosystem services in areas such as Villavicencio (Meta, Colombia), which have undergone intense landscape transformations, is limited. The published, available information about Villavicencio bats was reviewed and a high taxonomic diversity was found with at least 62 species of six families. Based on the species listing it was inferred that all trophic groups known for bats are represented in Villavicencio. The number of species per group was: 22 frugivorous bats, 19 insectivorous bats, six omnivorous bats, five nectarivorous bats, two hematophagous bats, one piscivorous bat, and one carnivorous bat. This suggests that, at least for frugivorous and insectivorous species, there are many possible ecological redundancies which might help the ecosystem resiliency in Villavicencio. Most publications on Villavicencio's bats are about their taxonomy, systematics and evolution but no publications on their functional diversity or ecosystem services were found. The remarkable degradation of natural ecosystems in Villavicencio suggests that local extinctions have occurred, and therefore, possible strategies for the conservation of bats as well as the studies needed to achieve this goal were evaluated. Several species, which are tolerant to human perturbation, are highlighted since they currently may be providing ecosystem services.

Keywords : Chiroptera; functional diversity; inventory; Orinoquia; Andean foothills.

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