Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda.
Bats are prodigious consumers of agricultural and forest pests, and are, therefore, a natural asset for agricultural productivity, suppressing populations of such pests. This study provides baseline information of diet of 143 bats belonging to eight insectivorous bat species from agricultural areas...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287536 |
| _version_ | 1827587607119265792 |
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| author | Olivier Nsengimana Faith M Walker Paul W Webala Innocent Twizeyimana Marie-Claire Dusabe Daniel E Sanchez Colin J Sobek Deo Ruhagazi Peace Iribagiza Richard Muvunyi Rodrigo A Medellin |
| author_facet | Olivier Nsengimana Faith M Walker Paul W Webala Innocent Twizeyimana Marie-Claire Dusabe Daniel E Sanchez Colin J Sobek Deo Ruhagazi Peace Iribagiza Richard Muvunyi Rodrigo A Medellin |
| author_sort | Olivier Nsengimana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bats are prodigious consumers of agricultural and forest pests, and are, therefore, a natural asset for agricultural productivity, suppressing populations of such pests. This study provides baseline information of diet of 143 bats belonging to eight insectivorous bat species from agricultural areas of Rwanda while evaluating the effectiveness of bats as pest suppressors. Using DNA metabarcoding to analyze bat fecal pellets, 85 different insect species were detected, with 60% (n = 65), 64% (n = 11) and 78% (n = 9) found to be agricultural pests from eastern, northern and western regions, respectively. Given the high percentages of agricultural pests detected, we submit that Rwandan insectivorous bats have the capacity for biocontrol of agricultural pests. Rwandan bat populations should be protected and promoted since they may foster higher crop yields and sustainable livelihoods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:20:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b9da8cb6dd44592b0a821dbd3592fdf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:20:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b9da8cb6dd44592b0a821dbd3592fdf2023-12-12T05:35:51ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01186e028753610.1371/journal.pone.0287536Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda.Olivier NsengimanaFaith M WalkerPaul W WebalaInnocent TwizeyimanaMarie-Claire DusabeDaniel E SanchezColin J SobekDeo RuhagaziPeace IribagizaRichard MuvunyiRodrigo A MedellinBats are prodigious consumers of agricultural and forest pests, and are, therefore, a natural asset for agricultural productivity, suppressing populations of such pests. This study provides baseline information of diet of 143 bats belonging to eight insectivorous bat species from agricultural areas of Rwanda while evaluating the effectiveness of bats as pest suppressors. Using DNA metabarcoding to analyze bat fecal pellets, 85 different insect species were detected, with 60% (n = 65), 64% (n = 11) and 78% (n = 9) found to be agricultural pests from eastern, northern and western regions, respectively. Given the high percentages of agricultural pests detected, we submit that Rwandan insectivorous bats have the capacity for biocontrol of agricultural pests. Rwandan bat populations should be protected and promoted since they may foster higher crop yields and sustainable livelihoods.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287536 |
| spellingShingle | Olivier Nsengimana Faith M Walker Paul W Webala Innocent Twizeyimana Marie-Claire Dusabe Daniel E Sanchez Colin J Sobek Deo Ruhagazi Peace Iribagiza Richard Muvunyi Rodrigo A Medellin Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. PLoS ONE |
| title | Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. |
| title_full | Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. |
| title_fullStr | Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. |
| title_short | Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. |
| title_sort | our good neighbors understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in rwanda |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287536 |
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