Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. &... more Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. & Souza-Motta, C.M. (2022) Richness of Cladosporium in a tropical bat cave with the description of two new species. Mycological Progress 21, 345–357. Caves are important roosts for hundreds of bat species worldwide. Such habitats frequently harbour rich and extremely specialised biotas; however, they remain among the least-studied places on Earth, particularly in the tropical region. The fungal richness in tropical caves in Brazil has recently been studied, and these surveys have reported a largely unexplored mycobiome, highlighting some bat caves as hotspots for fungal findings. During a speleomycological survey in a bat cave in the Caatinga dry forest in Brazil, 15 Cladosporium isolates were obtained from the air and ectoparasitic bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) collected from the bat Pteronotus gymnonotus (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae). Based on morphological features and multi-gene (ITS rDNA, ACT, and TEF1) phylogenetic analyses, we reported eight Cladosporium species in this cave. Two new species, Cladosporium cavernicola and Cladosporium pernambucoense, were isolated from the cave air and have been formally described here. They, along with Cladosporium puris, Cladosporium subuliforme, and Cladosporium tenuissimum, were related to the Cladosporium cladosporioides species complex. Additionally, we recorded Cladosporium austrohemisphaericum, Cladosporium parahalotolerans, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum (C. sphaerospermum species complex). Our findings emphasise the large potential for new fungal species associated with caves and bats worldwide. Keywords: Airborne fungi, Bazilian Caatinga, Cladosporiaceae, Speleomycology.
FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalida... more FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalidae) from 1893 to 2015.
A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereç... more A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereço http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotropica is an electronic, peer-reviewed journal edited by the Program BIOTA/FAPESP: The Virtual Institute of Biodiversity. This journal's aim is to disseminate the results of original research work, associated or not to the program, concerned with characterization, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the Neotropical region. Biota Neotropica é uma revista do Programa BIOTA/FAPESP-O Instituto Virtual da Biodiversidade, que publica resultados de pesquisa original, vinculada ou não ao programa, que abordem a temática caracterização, conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade na região Neotropical. Flagging a species as threatened: the case of Eptesicus taddeii, an endemic bat from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Bernard, E. et al. Abstract: The IUCN Red List is an important conservation tool. Although its criteria are us...
Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de rec... more Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de recursos financeiros e vontade política, é importante o consenso sobre quais ações devem ser prioritárias. Técnicas multicritérios podem contribuir para a melhoria do processo de priorização em conservação e diferentes iniciativas e abordagens poderiam se beneficiar de seu uso. Apresentamos aqui um exercício de priorização e busca de consenso a partir da utilização de uma técnica multicritério para ranquear os objetivos propostos por três planos de ação nacional no Brasil (PANs). Esse ranqueamento permitiu: 1) comparar se a ordenação das ações nesses PAN corresponde às ações consideradas prioritárias pelo público que elaborou este documento; 2) identificar idiossincrasias entre o que diz um documento oficial de política pública e o que pensam as pessoas responsáveis pela execução dessas ações; e 3) identificar ações prioritárias comuns a mais de um plano – e que podem otimizar o processo de...
Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de um... more Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de uma avaliacao quanto a seu nivel de relevância para que possam gozar de protecao formal. Essa alteracao determina que as cavernas sejam classificadas em Maxima, Alta, Media ou Baixa relevância, a depender de seus atributos, e as cavernas com grau de relevância Maximo dispoem de protecao contra danos irreversiveis. Avaliamos aqui o nivel de relevância da caverna “Meu Rei”, localizada no Parque Nacional do Catimbau, em Pernambuco, seguindo um protocolo de classificacao com 70 variaveis, de acordo com as diretrizes estabelecidas pela legislacao atual. Alem de abrigar uma colonia excepcional de morcegos, com mais de 5.000 individuos, ela possui dimensoes notaveis em extensao, area e/ou volume, e espeleotemas unicos, o que classifica a caverna “Meu Rei” como uma cavidade natural com Maxima Relevância. Seu estado de conservacao deve ser considerado “Relativamente Estavel”, mas demanda cuidados. ...
Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em se... more Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em seus abrigos. Uma das formas de protege-los e por meio da utilizacao de bat gates, portoes instalados na entrada dos abrigos com o intuito de permitir o voo de morcegos atraves das grades e impedir a entrada de humanos. E conhecida a utilizacao destes portoes em paises da America do Norte, Europa e Oceania, e varios estudos relatam as implicacoes da instalacao e as possiveis reacoes dos morcegos frente as grades. No Brasil, ate o presente momento, nao foi relatada a utilizacao deste tipo de estrutura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compilar informacoes referentes ao uso e aplicabilidade dos bat gates, reacoes dos morcegos a sua instalacao, e analisar vantagens e desvantagens dos portoes, de forma a gerar subsidios para a possivel utilizacao de bat gates como uma medida de protecao aos morcegos no Brasil. Foram utilizados dados dos Estados Unidos, Canada, Portugal, Reino Unido e Australia, c...
Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Kno... more Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Knowledge about how biotic and abiotic factors can influence ecological relationships between parasites and hosts is in general incipient. Large information gaps are even worst in biodiversity-rich, but poorly sampled areas like Brazil's Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest in South America. We used bats and their highly specialized ectoparasitic flies as a study model to clarify some aspects of this host-parasite system in this semiarid environment. We conducted fieldwork at 55 sites in the Caatinga, between April 2017 and March 2020 and collected 1300 flies (19 species) on 333 bats (15 species). Bat ectoparasitic flies were highly host-specific, had an aggregated distribution, frequently formed infracommunities with only one species, and had a male-biased sex ratio. Except for the prevalence of the streblid fly Strebla guajiro on Carollia perspicillata, which was significantly higher in the rainy season, bat flies showed no preference - expressed by frequency and intensity of infestation - for host sex, and their interspecific relationships were not mediated by rainfall. Other variables that could potentially be interfering in this host-parasite relationship deserve further attention, especially in environments such as the Caatinga where there is great seasonal variation. Furthermore, the existence of species-specific responses must be taken into account.
Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along wi... more Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along with birds, bats serve as hosts for several argasid ticks, which are commonly found in bat caves. Argasid ticks have regained attention from tick taxonomists in recent decades, with a number of new species described in various zoogeographical regions. Nonetheless, studies on their ecology are still scarce. We conducted a 1-year longitudinal study to assess the presence of argasid ticks in a bat cave in the drylands of north-eastern Brazil and evaluate their possible response to abiotic factors. From July 2014 to June 2015, 490 ticks were collected (272 nymphs, 169 males and 49 females) in a cave chamber hosting a large colony of Pteronotus spp. bats, being relatively more frequent from July to December 2014. Adults were identified as Antricola guglielmonei, whereas nymphs were assigned to the genus Antricola. Almost all ticks (98%) were collected on the cave walls. Only 2% were on the ceiling and, surprisingly, no specimens were found on the floor and/or guano. Adults were usually clustered in the crevices and little mobile, whereas nymphs were dispersed and more active, moving over the walls or ceiling of the cave. Although present in most of the studied period, there was a significantly negative correlation between tick abundance and relatively humidity, and A. guglielmonei was more frequent during the dry season. Moreover, there was no evident correlation between the abundance of ticks and bats. Further long-term studies will be able to verify whether this pattern is repeated over time, and even whether other variables can influence the population dynamics of A. guglielmonei.
Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host... more Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host specificity is a common phenomenon between flies and bats. In recent years, more efforts have been employed to understand how environmental variables can influence richness and parasitic load (PL). However, many gaps still need to be filled to better understand this issue. We analyzed the PL of flies on bats sampled in three environments with different rain volume and vegetation types to verify if PL is correlated with rainfall and if there are differences in the PL on bats within and between environments. Overall, there was no correlation between rainfall and PL in the same environment, nor a difference between the three environments. When tested separately, Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)) had a difference in prevalence of flies between environments and flat-faced fruit-eating bats (Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823)) had a greater abundance of flies ...
Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often deter... more Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often determined by patchy records. However, due to almost species-specific calls, echolocation can help to refine the distribution of emballonurids. Here we use acoustic samplings to assess and complement the list of emballonurids of Reserva Biológica Saltinho, an important Atlantic Forest remnant in Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. We positively matched calls of Saccopteryx bilineata (Temminck, 1838) that was foraging along forest edges. However, a series of calls significantly different from those emitted by S. bilineata indicate the presence of a second Saccopteryx sonotype in the area. The lower frequencies in this sonotype presumably came from a larger species, indicating the possible existence of an undescribed cryptic species of Saccopteryx. We also detected Centronycteris maximiliani (Fischer, 1829), recorded 35 years after its first record in Pernambuco, and an undetermined species ...
The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The ... more The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The state is also currently target of large economic projects with potential impacts on bats, especially wind farms and mining enterprises. In addition, Rio Grande do Norte has few conservation units in which there is no systematic study on bat fauna. The Nísia Floresta National Forest (NFNF), a federally protected area of 174 hectares, is located in the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and corresponds to one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest in the state, in its northernmost limits. A bat inventory was conducted in NFNF using mist nets set at ground level, from sunset to sunrise, from December 2011 to December 2012, totaling 25 sampling nights. We captured 1,379 bats belonging to four families and 16 species. Artibeus planirostris (Phyllostomidae) was the most frequently captured species (n = 685; 50%), followed by Myotis lavali (Vespertilionidae) (n = 248; 18%) and Phyllostomus d...
Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. &... more Pereira, M.L.S., Carvalho, J.L.V.R., Lima, J.M.S., Barbier, E., Bernard, E., Bezerra, J.D.P. & Souza-Motta, C.M. (2022) Richness of Cladosporium in a tropical bat cave with the description of two new species. Mycological Progress 21, 345–357. Caves are important roosts for hundreds of bat species worldwide. Such habitats frequently harbour rich and extremely specialised biotas; however, they remain among the least-studied places on Earth, particularly in the tropical region. The fungal richness in tropical caves in Brazil has recently been studied, and these surveys have reported a largely unexplored mycobiome, highlighting some bat caves as hotspots for fungal findings. During a speleomycological survey in a bat cave in the Caatinga dry forest in Brazil, 15 Cladosporium isolates were obtained from the air and ectoparasitic bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) collected from the bat Pteronotus gymnonotus (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae). Based on morphological features and multi-gene (ITS rDNA, ACT, and TEF1) phylogenetic analyses, we reported eight Cladosporium species in this cave. Two new species, Cladosporium cavernicola and Cladosporium pernambucoense, were isolated from the cave air and have been formally described here. They, along with Cladosporium puris, Cladosporium subuliforme, and Cladosporium tenuissimum, were related to the Cladosporium cladosporioides species complex. Additionally, we recorded Cladosporium austrohemisphaericum, Cladosporium parahalotolerans, and Cladosporium sphaerospermum (C. sphaerospermum species complex). Our findings emphasise the large potential for new fungal species associated with caves and bats worldwide. Keywords: Airborne fungi, Bazilian Caatinga, Cladosporiaceae, Speleomycology.
FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalida... more FIG. 1 Spatial evolution of records of the Brazilian funnel-eared bat Natalus macrourus (Natalidae) from 1893 to 2015.
A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereç... more A Biota Neotropica é uma revista eletrônica e está integral e gratuitamente disponível no endereço http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotropica is an electronic, peer-reviewed journal edited by the Program BIOTA/FAPESP: The Virtual Institute of Biodiversity. This journal's aim is to disseminate the results of original research work, associated or not to the program, concerned with characterization, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity within the Neotropical region. Biota Neotropica é uma revista do Programa BIOTA/FAPESP-O Instituto Virtual da Biodiversidade, que publica resultados de pesquisa original, vinculada ou não ao programa, que abordem a temática caracterização, conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade na região Neotropical. Flagging a species as threatened: the case of Eptesicus taddeii, an endemic bat from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Bernard, E. et al. Abstract: The IUCN Red List is an important conservation tool. Although its criteria are us...
Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de rec... more Diante da urgência e de múltiplos alvos para a conservação da biodiversidade, e a escassez de recursos financeiros e vontade política, é importante o consenso sobre quais ações devem ser prioritárias. Técnicas multicritérios podem contribuir para a melhoria do processo de priorização em conservação e diferentes iniciativas e abordagens poderiam se beneficiar de seu uso. Apresentamos aqui um exercício de priorização e busca de consenso a partir da utilização de uma técnica multicritério para ranquear os objetivos propostos por três planos de ação nacional no Brasil (PANs). Esse ranqueamento permitiu: 1) comparar se a ordenação das ações nesses PAN corresponde às ações consideradas prioritárias pelo público que elaborou este documento; 2) identificar idiossincrasias entre o que diz um documento oficial de política pública e o que pensam as pessoas responsáveis pela execução dessas ações; e 3) identificar ações prioritárias comuns a mais de um plano – e que podem otimizar o processo de...
Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de um... more Com a sancao do Decreto Presidencial 6640 de 2008 as cavernas no Brasil passam a necessitar de uma avaliacao quanto a seu nivel de relevância para que possam gozar de protecao formal. Essa alteracao determina que as cavernas sejam classificadas em Maxima, Alta, Media ou Baixa relevância, a depender de seus atributos, e as cavernas com grau de relevância Maximo dispoem de protecao contra danos irreversiveis. Avaliamos aqui o nivel de relevância da caverna “Meu Rei”, localizada no Parque Nacional do Catimbau, em Pernambuco, seguindo um protocolo de classificacao com 70 variaveis, de acordo com as diretrizes estabelecidas pela legislacao atual. Alem de abrigar uma colonia excepcional de morcegos, com mais de 5.000 individuos, ela possui dimensoes notaveis em extensao, area e/ou volume, e espeleotemas unicos, o que classifica a caverna “Meu Rei” como uma cavidade natural com Maxima Relevância. Seu estado de conservacao deve ser considerado “Relativamente Estavel”, mas demanda cuidados. ...
Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em se... more Morcegos cavernicolas podem sofrer ameacas principalmente relacionadas a perturbacao humana em seus abrigos. Uma das formas de protege-los e por meio da utilizacao de bat gates, portoes instalados na entrada dos abrigos com o intuito de permitir o voo de morcegos atraves das grades e impedir a entrada de humanos. E conhecida a utilizacao destes portoes em paises da America do Norte, Europa e Oceania, e varios estudos relatam as implicacoes da instalacao e as possiveis reacoes dos morcegos frente as grades. No Brasil, ate o presente momento, nao foi relatada a utilizacao deste tipo de estrutura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compilar informacoes referentes ao uso e aplicabilidade dos bat gates, reacoes dos morcegos a sua instalacao, e analisar vantagens e desvantagens dos portoes, de forma a gerar subsidios para a possivel utilizacao de bat gates como uma medida de protecao aos morcegos no Brasil. Foram utilizados dados dos Estados Unidos, Canada, Portugal, Reino Unido e Australia, c...
Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Kno... more Bat ectoparasitic flies are hematophagous insects highly specialized to parasitize only bats. Knowledge about how biotic and abiotic factors can influence ecological relationships between parasites and hosts is in general incipient. Large information gaps are even worst in biodiversity-rich, but poorly sampled areas like Brazil's Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest in South America. We used bats and their highly specialized ectoparasitic flies as a study model to clarify some aspects of this host-parasite system in this semiarid environment. We conducted fieldwork at 55 sites in the Caatinga, between April 2017 and March 2020 and collected 1300 flies (19 species) on 333 bats (15 species). Bat ectoparasitic flies were highly host-specific, had an aggregated distribution, frequently formed infracommunities with only one species, and had a male-biased sex ratio. Except for the prevalence of the streblid fly Strebla guajiro on Carollia perspicillata, which was significantly higher in the rainy season, bat flies showed no preference - expressed by frequency and intensity of infestation - for host sex, and their interspecific relationships were not mediated by rainfall. Other variables that could potentially be interfering in this host-parasite relationship deserve further attention, especially in environments such as the Caatinga where there is great seasonal variation. Furthermore, the existence of species-specific responses must be taken into account.
Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along wi... more Argasid ticks are a diverse group of acarines that parasitize numerous vertebrate hosts. Along with birds, bats serve as hosts for several argasid ticks, which are commonly found in bat caves. Argasid ticks have regained attention from tick taxonomists in recent decades, with a number of new species described in various zoogeographical regions. Nonetheless, studies on their ecology are still scarce. We conducted a 1-year longitudinal study to assess the presence of argasid ticks in a bat cave in the drylands of north-eastern Brazil and evaluate their possible response to abiotic factors. From July 2014 to June 2015, 490 ticks were collected (272 nymphs, 169 males and 49 females) in a cave chamber hosting a large colony of Pteronotus spp. bats, being relatively more frequent from July to December 2014. Adults were identified as Antricola guglielmonei, whereas nymphs were assigned to the genus Antricola. Almost all ticks (98%) were collected on the cave walls. Only 2% were on the ceiling and, surprisingly, no specimens were found on the floor and/or guano. Adults were usually clustered in the crevices and little mobile, whereas nymphs were dispersed and more active, moving over the walls or ceiling of the cave. Although present in most of the studied period, there was a significantly negative correlation between tick abundance and relatively humidity, and A. guglielmonei was more frequent during the dry season. Moreover, there was no evident correlation between the abundance of ticks and bats. Further long-term studies will be able to verify whether this pattern is repeated over time, and even whether other variables can influence the population dynamics of A. guglielmonei.
Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host... more Bats can be parasitized by several arthropod groups, including ectoparasitic flies. The high host specificity is a common phenomenon between flies and bats. In recent years, more efforts have been employed to understand how environmental variables can influence richness and parasitic load (PL). However, many gaps still need to be filled to better understand this issue. We analyzed the PL of flies on bats sampled in three environments with different rain volume and vegetation types to verify if PL is correlated with rainfall and if there are differences in the PL on bats within and between environments. Overall, there was no correlation between rainfall and PL in the same environment, nor a difference between the three environments. When tested separately, Seba’s short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)) had a difference in prevalence of flies between environments and flat-faced fruit-eating bats (Artibeus planirostris (Spix, 1823)) had a greater abundance of flies ...
Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often deter... more Seventeen species of emballonurid bats are known in Brazil, but their distribution is often determined by patchy records. However, due to almost species-specific calls, echolocation can help to refine the distribution of emballonurids. Here we use acoustic samplings to assess and complement the list of emballonurids of Reserva Biológica Saltinho, an important Atlantic Forest remnant in Pernambuco state, Northeastern Brazil. We positively matched calls of Saccopteryx bilineata (Temminck, 1838) that was foraging along forest edges. However, a series of calls significantly different from those emitted by S. bilineata indicate the presence of a second Saccopteryx sonotype in the area. The lower frequencies in this sonotype presumably came from a larger species, indicating the possible existence of an undescribed cryptic species of Saccopteryx. We also detected Centronycteris maximiliani (Fischer, 1829), recorded 35 years after its first record in Pernambuco, and an undetermined species ...
The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The ... more The state of Rio Grande do Norte is considered a data gap for bat species records in Brazil. The state is also currently target of large economic projects with potential impacts on bats, especially wind farms and mining enterprises. In addition, Rio Grande do Norte has few conservation units in which there is no systematic study on bat fauna. The Nísia Floresta National Forest (NFNF), a federally protected area of 174 hectares, is located in the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and corresponds to one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest in the state, in its northernmost limits. A bat inventory was conducted in NFNF using mist nets set at ground level, from sunset to sunrise, from December 2011 to December 2012, totaling 25 sampling nights. We captured 1,379 bats belonging to four families and 16 species. Artibeus planirostris (Phyllostomidae) was the most frequently captured species (n = 685; 50%), followed by Myotis lavali (Vespertilionidae) (n = 248; 18%) and Phyllostomus d...
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