Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review

• Published in: Integrative zoology Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 2 - 23
• Main Authors: RAMÍREZ‐FRÁNCEL, Leidy Azucena, GARCÍA‐HERRERA, Leidy Viviana, LOSADA‐PRADO, Sergio, REINOSO‐FLÓREZ, Gladys, SÁNCHEZ‐HERNÁNDEZ, Alfonso, ESTRADA‐VILLEGAS, Sergio, LIM, Burton K., GUEVARA, Giovany
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Animals; Bats; Biogeography; Chiroptera; Dispersal; Ecosystem; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Endemic plants; Fertilizers; frugivory; Guano; Identification; Insecta; insectivory; Insects; Introduced plants; nectarivory; Pandemics; pest control; Pests; Plant reproduction; Plant species; Pollination; Pollinators; Reviews; Sampling; Sampling methods; Seed dispersal; Seeds; Species; nectarivory; seed dispersal; pollination; guano; insectivory; pest control; ecosystem services; frugivory; chiroptera
• DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12552
• ISSN: 1749-4877; 1749-4869

Bats play crucial ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, controllers of insects, and nutrient recyclers. However, there has not been a thorough global review evaluating these roles in bats across all biogeographical regions of the world. We reviewed the literature published during the last two decades and identified 283 relevant studies: 78 dealt with the control of potential insect pests by bats, 80 related to the suppression of other arthropods, 60 on the dispersal of native or endemic seeds, 11 dealt with the dispersal of seeds of introduced plants, 29 on the pollination of native or endemic plants, 1 study on pollination of introduced plants, and 24 on the use of guano as fertilizer. Our literature search showed that queries combining the terms “seed dispersal,” “insectivorous bats,” “nectarivorous bats,” “use of guano,” and “ecosystem services” returned 577 studies, but half were experimental in nature. We found that the evaluation of ecosystem services by bats has been mostly conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions. To detect differences across relevant studies, and to explain trends in the study of ecosystem services provided by bats, we performed generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) fitted with a Poisson distribution to analyze potential differences among sampling methods. We identified 409 bat species that provide ecosystem services, 752 insect species consumed by bats and 549 plant species either dispersed or pollinated by bats. Our review summarizes the importance of conserving bat populations and the ecological services they provide, which is especially important during the current pandemic. Bats provide multiple and valuable ecosystem services. Prior reviews have not been exhaustive. Here, we evaluate the research and impact of regulating and provisioning services bats provide using an up‐to‐date comprehensive global review. We selected 283 experimental studies that had a clear research question or hypothesis. Key remarks: 1. Most studies have been conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions, and in deserts and forests. 2. The most common methods to assess ecosystem services have been insect traps, fecal samples, mist nets, and acoustic monitoring. 3. To improve the evaluation of the services provided by bats, we need to use standardized methodologies to look at variations in diet at multiple spatial andtemporal scales. 4. We need to calculate and highlight the value of ecosystem services, foster additional environmental education programs with multiple stakeholders, and prioritize conservations needs to protect bats. These actions are urgent, especially as the pandemic continues in many areas of the world.