Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo
Bats play key roles in ecosystem functions and provide services to human populations. There is a need to protect bat populations and to mitigate the risks associated with pathogen spillover. Caves are key habitats for many bat species, which use them as roosting and breeding sites. Caves, bats and t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/18145.pdf |
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| _version_ | 1841545862289817600 |
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| author | Morgane Labadie Serge Morand Mathieu Bourgarel Fabien Roch Niama Guytrich Franel Nguilili N’Kaya Tobi Alexandre Caron Helene De Nys |
| author_facet | Morgane Labadie Serge Morand Mathieu Bourgarel Fabien Roch Niama Guytrich Franel Nguilili N’Kaya Tobi Alexandre Caron Helene De Nys |
| author_sort | Morgane Labadie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bats play key roles in ecosystem functions and provide services to human populations. There is a need to protect bat populations and to mitigate the risks associated with pathogen spillover. Caves are key habitats for many bat species, which use them as roosting and breeding sites. Caves, bats and their guano also attract many other animals along trophic chains which might favor direct or indirect interspecies interactions. Two caves hosting colonies of insectivorous bats have been investigated in the Republic of Congo to characterize habitat sharing and interactions between bats, humans and animals. We set up a camera-trap monitoring protocol during 19 months at the entrance of and inside each cave. Our results demonstrated the richness and complexity of the species interactions around and within these caves. We identified and/or quantified mainly rodents, but also numerous categories of animals such as insects, birds, reptiles and carnivores using the caves. We investigated the temporal variation in the use of caves and the potential interactions between humans, wild animals and bat colonies. Our study contributes to the understanding of the interface and interactions, for the first time quantified, between cave-dwelling animal species, including humans. This knowledge is important to promote the conservation of cave ecosystems and better understand the ecology of infectious diseases. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da95f0f3163448dcbe06626fe2c2416e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj-art-da95f0f3163448dcbe06626fe2c2416e2025-01-11T15:05:07ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-01-0113e1814510.7717/peerj.18145Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of CongoMorgane Labadie0Serge Morand1Mathieu Bourgarel2Fabien Roch Niama3Guytrich Franel Nguilili4N’Kaya Tobi5Alexandre Caron6Helene De Nys7CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, FranceKasetsart University, Faculty of Veterinary Technology, Bangkok, ThailandCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, FranceLaboratoire National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the CongoDirection Générale de l’Élevage (Service vétérinaire), Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’élevage et de la pêche, Brazzaville, Republic of the CongoDirection Générale de l’Élevage (Service vétérinaire), Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’élevage et de la pêche, Brazzaville, Republic of the CongoCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, FranceCIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, FranceBats play key roles in ecosystem functions and provide services to human populations. There is a need to protect bat populations and to mitigate the risks associated with pathogen spillover. Caves are key habitats for many bat species, which use them as roosting and breeding sites. Caves, bats and their guano also attract many other animals along trophic chains which might favor direct or indirect interspecies interactions. Two caves hosting colonies of insectivorous bats have been investigated in the Republic of Congo to characterize habitat sharing and interactions between bats, humans and animals. We set up a camera-trap monitoring protocol during 19 months at the entrance of and inside each cave. Our results demonstrated the richness and complexity of the species interactions around and within these caves. We identified and/or quantified mainly rodents, but also numerous categories of animals such as insects, birds, reptiles and carnivores using the caves. We investigated the temporal variation in the use of caves and the potential interactions between humans, wild animals and bat colonies. Our study contributes to the understanding of the interface and interactions, for the first time quantified, between cave-dwelling animal species, including humans. This knowledge is important to promote the conservation of cave ecosystems and better understand the ecology of infectious diseases.https://peerj.com/articles/18145.pdfAfrican batsHuman-wildlife interfaceBridge hostCamera-trapDisease ecology |
| spellingShingle | Morgane Labadie Serge Morand Mathieu Bourgarel Fabien Roch Niama Guytrich Franel Nguilili N’Kaya Tobi Alexandre Caron Helene De Nys Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo PeerJ African bats Human-wildlife interface Bridge host Camera-trap Disease ecology |
| title | Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo |
| title_full | Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo |
| title_fullStr | Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo |
| title_short | Habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the Republic of Congo |
| title_sort | habitat sharing and interspecies interactions in caves used by bats in the republic of congo |
| topic | African bats Human-wildlife interface Bridge host Camera-trap Disease ecology |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18145.pdf |
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