Banca de DEFESA: Ilanna Maria Holanda Almeida

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : Ilanna Maria Holanda Almeida
DATE: 08/12/2023
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: Videoconferência
TITLE:

"DINNER BY STREETLIGHTS: URBAN BATS PREFER FORAGING IN ILLUMINATED AREAS?"

KEY WORDS:

bats, Chiroptera, molossides, artificial light at night, urbanization, insects

PAGES: 85
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUMMARY:

Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is an anthropogenic stressor responsible for inducing alterations in bat behavior. A significant portion of studies regarding the effects of ALAN on chiropterans is concentrated in temperate regions, limiting the global understanding of the impacts of nocturnal artificial illumination on bats and potentially concealing distinct responses between hemispheres. Consequently, I investigated whether and which families of insectivorous bats inhabiting the Brazilian Cerrado reside in urban areas and exhibit aversion or preference for foraging in areas with ALAN, in response to increased insect abundances around streetlights. To accomplish this, I established ten sampling sites within a metropolis, each consisting of a pair of sampling points: one with a High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamp and one in a dark area. At each site, we recorded bat echolocation for 12 hours and quantified the abundance of insects collected in traps. The results indicate that only species within the Molossidae family displayed a higher number of passes and feeding buzzes in ALAN, with insect abundance being significant for the number of passes but not for the feeding buzz. I believe that the lack of foraging response to insects may be related to dietary preferences, seasonality, and a reduction in prey-searching time under ALAN. In the context of this study, molossid bats, in contrast to vespertilionid and emballonurid bats, appear to be pre-adapted to tolerate and opportunistically utilize ALAN. These findings demonstrate how ALAN distinctly affects the behavior of urban insectivorous bats in the neotropical region.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - WILLIAM DOUGLAS DE CARVALHO - UAM
Interno - 1438994 - ANDRE FARIA MENDONCA
Presidente - 1339890 - LUDMILLA MOURA DE SOUZA AGUIAR
Interno - 1147029 - PEDRO HENRIQUE BRUM TOGNI