The impact of rubber plantations on the diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats in southern Thailand

Although a large proportion of tropical rain-forest in South-east Asia has been replaced by rubber plantations, there is very little information about the impact of such forest conversion on bat diversity. To address this deficiency, trapping and acoustic monitoring programmes were carried out in To...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biodiversity and conservation 2011-06, Vol.20 (7), p.1441-1456
Main Authors: Phommexay, Phansamai, Satasook, Chutamas, Bates, Paul, Pearch, Malcolm, Bumrungsri, Sara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Bats
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation Biology/Ecology
Ecology
Forests
Habitat
Habitats
Insects
Life Sciences
Monoculture
Natural areas
Original Paper
Plantations
Rainforests
Rubber
Rubber industry
Species diversity
Trapping
Tropical environments
understory
Vocalization behavior
Wildlife
Wildlife refuges
Wings
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Summary:Although a large proportion of tropical rain-forest in South-east Asia has been replaced by rubber plantations, there is very little information about the impact of such forest conversion on bat diversity. To address this deficiency, trapping and acoustic monitoring programmes were carried out in Ton Nga Chang and Khao Ban That wildlife sanctuaries in southern Thailand with the purpose of comparing species diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats at sites in forest and in nearby monoculture rubber plantations. Insect biomass in both habitats was assessed. Bat species diversity and activity were found to be much lower in rubber plantations than in forested areas and mean insect biomass was determined to be more than twice as high in the latter habitat than in the former. Bats utilising forest were shown to have significantly higher call frequencies but marginally lower wing loadings and aspect ratios than bats found in both habitats. Management strategies to increase biodiversity in rubber plantations are discussed.
ISSN:0960-3115
1572-9710
DOI:10.1007/s10531-011-0036-x