Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e52999. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052999. Epub 2013 Feb 18.
Anthropogenic habitat modification often has a profound negative impact on the flora and fauna of an ecosystem. In parts of the Middle East, ephemeral rivers (wadis) are characterised by stands of acacia trees. Green, flourishing assemblages of these trees are in decline in several countries, most likely due to human-induced water stress and habitat changes. We examined the importance of healthy acacia stands for bats and their arthropod prey in comparison to other natural and artificial habitats available in the Arava desert of Israel. We assessed bat activity and species richness through acoustic monitoring for entire nights and concurrently collected arthropods using light and pit traps. Dense green stands of acacia trees were the most important natural desert habitat for insectivorous bats. Irrigated gardens and parks in villages and fields of date palms had high arthropod levels but only village sites rivalled acacia trees in bat activity level. We confirmed up to 13 bat species around a single patch of acacia trees; one of the richest sites in any natural desert habitat in Israel. Some bat species utilised artificial sites; others were found almost exclusively in natural habitats. Two rare species (Barbastella leucomelas and Nycteris thebaica) were identified solely around acacia trees. We provide strong evidence that acacia trees are of unique importance to the community of insectivorous desert-dwelling bats, and that the health of the trees is crucial to their value as a foraging resource. Consequently, conservation efforts for acacia habitats, and in particular for the green more densely packed stands of trees, need to increase to protect this vital habitat for an entire community of protected bats.
人为的栖息地改变常常对生态系统的动植物产生深远的负面影响。在中东的一些地区，短暂存在的河流（干谷）以金合欢树为特征。这些树木的绿色、繁茂的群落正在几个国家减少，这很可能是由于人为引起的水资源压力和栖息地变化造成的。我们研究了健康的金合欢林对蝙蝠及其节肢动物猎物的重要性，与以色列阿拉瓦沙漠中其他自然和人工栖息地进行了比较。我们通过整夜的声学监测评估了蝙蝠的活动和物种丰富度，并同时使用灯光和陷阱收集了节肢动物。茂密的金合欢树林是食虫蝙蝠最重要的自然沙漠栖息地。村庄中的灌溉花园和公园以及枣椰树的农田拥有丰富的节肢动物，但只有村庄的地点在蝙蝠活动水平上可与金合欢树相媲美。我们在一片金合欢树周围确认了多达 13 种蝙蝠；这是以色列任何自然沙漠栖息地中最丰富的地点之一。一些蝙蝠物种利用人工地点；其他物种几乎只存在于自然栖息地中。两种稀有物种（白唇Bat 和北非夜鹰）仅在金合欢树周围被发现。我们提供了强有力的证据表明，金合欢树对食虫沙漠蝙蝠群落具有独特的重要性，并且树木的健康状况对其作为觅食资源的价值至关重要。因此，需要增加对金合欢栖息地的保护力度，特别是对绿色、更密集的树木群落的保护，以保护这个对整个受保护蝙蝠群落至关重要的栖息地。
