Journal Article

Tropical bat ectoparasitism in continuous versus fragmented forests: A gap analysis and preliminary meta‐analysis

Becker, Daniel J., Heckley, Alexis M.

2023

Overview

Tropical regions are experiencing rapid rates of forest fragmentation, which can have several effects on wildlife, including altered parasite dynamics. Bats are a useful host group to consider the effects of fragmentation, because they are abundant in the tropics, serve important ecological roles, and harbor many parasites. Nevertheless, research on the effects of fragmentation on bat ectoparasites is still limited. To help guide ongoing and future research efforts, this study had two objectives: (1) conduct a gap analysis to characterize the state of currently available research on fragmentation effects on bat ectoparasites and (2) conduct a preliminary meta‐analysis to identify current trends. We systematically highlighted several research gaps: Studies comparing the effects of fragmented versus continuous forests on ectoparasites are limited and have primarily been conducted in the Neotropics, with a focus on bats in the superfamily Noctilionidea (especially frugivorous phyllostomids). Our preliminary meta‐analysis suggested that ectoparasite prevalence (but not the mean or variance in intensity) was higher in fragments than in continuous forests. Moreover, prevalence increased with increasing roost duration, and mean intensity was higher for bats with higher wing aspect ratios. Intensity variance was affected by an interaction between forest type and wing aspect ratio, such that variance increased for bats with high‐wing aspect ratios in continuous forests but decreased in fragments. These results suggest that fragmentation can shape aspects of bat ectoparasitism and could have implications for the ecology, health, and conservation of bats in fragmented landscapes. However, existing research gaps could bias our current understanding of habitat change and bat health, and future research should thus investigate these effects in the Paleotropics and with other bat families. We conducted a gap analysis and preliminary meta‐analysis to characterize the state of existing research on the relationship between forest fragmentation and bat ectoparasitism. We identified blatant knowledge gaps: Notably, current research is limited and has primarily been conducted with Neotropical bats, especially bats from the superfamily Noctilionidea. Our preliminary meta‐analysis suggests that ectoparasite prevalence (but not the mean or variance in intensity) is higher in fragments than in continuous forests and that this trend could be moderated by different bat traits—although more empirical work is needed to make concrete conclusions.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Aspect ratio / Bats / Chiroptera / Community Ecology / Conservation Ecology / deforestation / Disease Ecology / Ecological effects / Ecosystem Ecology / Ectoparasites / Ectoparasitism / Forests / Fragmentation / Fragments / Gap analysis / Global Change Ecology / Habitat changes / Habitat fragmentation / Habitats / land conversion / Meta-analysis / Noctilionoidea / Parasites / sampling bias / Tropical environment / Tropical environments / vector‐borne disease / Wildlife / Wildlife habitats