Cistrone Luca, Augusto Ana Margarida, Fichera Gaetano, Rebelo Hugo, Russo Danilo
Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II Napoli Italy.
ICS, Instituto de Ciências Sociais Universidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Dec 23;14(12):e70717. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70717. eCollection 2024 Dec.
With their unique ecosystems and evolutionary dynamics, small islands offer fascinating contexts to explore animal diversity. Island bats are key players in maintaining ecological balance. However, their populations are threatened worldwide, necessitating comprehensive research and conservation strategies. Pantelleria, a small Mediterranean island and a biogeographic crossroad between Europe and Africa, offers an excellent model to exemplify the challenges to bat conservation in such geographic contexts. We tested three hypotheses: (1) bats would show weak preference patterns for landscape composition due to the island's heterogeneous landscapes, (2) farmland (especially vineyards) would strongly affect bat activity, and (3) distance from water sources would highly influence bat richness and activity. We surveyed bats acoustically using Audiomoth recorders covering most of the island's surface. We recorded seven bat species, including endangered , and . Bats showed weak preferences for specific landscape composition, but the dominant species () decreased its activity for increasing portions of vineyards within the landscape. Moreover, distance to water critically influenced bat richness and activity. Agricultural expansion, pesticide use and human activities pose significant threats to bats on Pantelleria. We advocate for sustainable farming practices and careful water resource management to safeguard bat habitats and mitigate these threats. Conservation should target vineyards, a key economic resource to produce world-renowned wine 'Passito di Pantelleria' by reducing pesticide use and adopting organic management. Water might be supplemented in critical dry habitats. We urge the preservation of bat diversity to support ecosystem health and resilience on small islands like Pantelleria.
凭借其独特的生态系统和进化动态，小岛屿为探索动物多样性提供了引人入胜的背景。岛屿蝙蝠是维持生态平衡的关键角色。然而，它们的种群在全球范围内受到威胁，因此需要全面的研究和保护策略。潘泰莱里亚岛是地中海的一个小岛屿，也是欧洲和非洲之间的生物地理十字路口，是一个很好的模型，可以例证在这种地理环境下蝙蝠保护所面临的挑战。我们测试了三个假设：（1）由于岛屿景观的异质性，蝙蝠对景观组成的偏好模式较弱；（2）农田（尤其是葡萄园）会强烈影响蝙蝠的活动；（3）与水源的距离会高度影响蝙蝠的丰富度和活动。我们使用覆盖该岛大部分表面的Audiomoth录音机对蝙蝠进行了声学调查。我们记录了七种蝙蝠，包括濒危的[物种名称未给出]、[物种名称未给出]和[物种名称未给出]。蝙蝠对特定景观组成的偏好较弱，但优势物种（[物种名称未给出]）在景观中葡萄园比例增加时其活动减少。此外，与水的距离对蝙蝠的丰富度和活动有至关重要的影响。农业扩张、农药使用和人类活动对潘泰莱里亚岛的蝙蝠构成了重大威胁。我们倡导可持续的农业做法和谨慎的水资源管理，以保护蝙蝠栖息地并减轻这些威胁。保护工作应针对葡萄园，葡萄园是生产世界著名葡萄酒“潘泰莱里亚帕西托甜酒”的关键经济资源，通过减少农药使用和采用有机管理方式来实现。在关键的干旱栖息地可能需要补充水源。我们敦促保护蝙蝠多样性，以支持像潘泰莱里亚岛这样的小岛屿的生态系统健康和恢复力。
