Conservação de morcegos no estado do Rio de Janeiro: como e onde já foram amostrados e que locais merecem atenção

Abstract

The establishment of Conservation Units is a supposedly effective way for the biodiversity conservation. The Atlantic Forest is characterized by having a high biodiversity and high levels of threat. The Rio de Janeiro state is fully inserted in this biome and its forest remnants are considered hotspots inside another hotspot. Rio de Janeiro may be considered one of the best-sampled states, but there are still gaps in knowledge about the geographic occurrence of bats. This thesis was developed in three chapters with the purpose of contributing to the bats conservation in Rio de Janeiro state, focusing on how and where they have already been sampled and sites that still require attention. For this study were used data from literature searches and data sampling from the Laboratório de Diversidade de Morcegos of Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro. The first chapter shows that the localities with more than 30 bats species are the result of high capture effort and samplings using several methodologies. For a better sampling of local richness, mist nets must be armed not only on trails and near fruiting trees, but also over bodies of water. Diurnal roosts searches is also advisable. Samplings must be performed throughout all the night and vary the lunar phase cycle, not just one or restricted phases of the lunar cycle. In the second chapter was observed that 43% of the protected areas from these study presented 20 or more species. Localities presenting 20 to 40 bat species in the Atlantic could be considered well sampled. It demonstrates that over half of the protected areas can not be considered well sampled. Many research projects prioritize the conservation units localities, but there are few long-term studies. In Rio de Janeiro state, there are still several unsampled Conservation Units, especially those with difficult access and high altitudes. In the third chapter was observed that there is a higher proportion of species with restricted geographical distribution. This pattern is an important information in terms of conservation, as this might indirectly indicate a lower dispersal ability of these animals in medium and large distances. However, there are gaps in knowledge due to lack of studies in some areas, where further capture efforts are needed. Important municipalities for conservation and/or preservation of bats as Varre-Sai, Cambuci, Miracema, Carmo, Cantagalo, Valença, Barra do Piraí e Piraí and are not under legal protection, even being possible corridors between protected areas or even important fragments that still holds species, which are not represented in Conservation Units already established. It is imperative that more studies and conservation efforts are directed to these areas