Even in urban areas, insect-eating bats can benefit agriculture. For example, by reducing the population of agricultural pests, insectivorous species can prevent US$391 million in losses per maize harvest in Brazil, according to an estimate by researchers from the University of Brasília (UnB) and the Vale Institute of Technology. Under the leadership of UnB ecologist Ludmilla Aguiar, the group collected DNA from the bat feces of five colonies in Brasília and two other cities and identified 83 groups of insects that were part of their diet. Some were agricultural pests, indicating that the bats leave the cities to feed (PLOS ONE, October 21). Using data on the diets of these mammals and the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), which attacks maize, the researchers calculated the value of the ecosystem service provided by bats.
RepublishECOLOGY
Eating out
Bat species Molossus molossus
Alcide Dessalines D’Orbigny / Voyages Dans L’amérique Méridionale (1847)
