Abstract

The cave nectar bat, Eonycteris spelaea, is one of the three fruit bats in mainland Southeast Asia that roost in caves, unlike other fruit bats roosting in the forest. This bat species is an important pollinator for many plant species, including economically important crops including durian, petai and jackfruit. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the population size of cave nectar bat (Eonycteris spelaea) at Gunung Reng, Kelantan, Malaysia, since no information was recorded for conservation purposes. We determined the bat population size using the photographic estimation method at the 13 E. spelaea roosts (5 times per roost) found inside Gunung Reng for 20 days (4-30 August 2019). Our bat population size estimate resulted in about 207 to 344 individuals of E. spelaea (F(4,0) = 5.66, p-value < 0.05). This estimate is a relatively modest population size of bats in an isolated limestone karst surrounded by human-dominated habitats. Though Eonycteris spelaea is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List, it is an important bat species ecologically and economically, contributing to the fruit agriculture economy in Jeli, Kelantan. Future studies should incorporate a combination of bat census techniques with long term planning in mind to completely understand the population dynamics of this paramount bat species.

Details

Title
Population Size Determination Using Photographic Estimation for The Conservation of Cave Nectar Bat (Eonycteris spelaea) at Gunung Reng, Kelantan, Malaysia
Author
Siti Fadzliana, M F 1 ; H F Muhammad Aminuddin Baqi 2 ; Fong, P H 3 ; Parasuraman, B 4 ; W M N W M Nasir 5 ; Jayaraj, V K 6 

 Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia. 
 Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.; Conservation & Research Program, Malayan Rainforest Station, 27210 Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia. 
 Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Centre, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan. 
 Faculty Of Entrepreneurship And Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK City Campus, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. 
 Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Centre, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan.; Faculty Of Entrepreneurship And Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK City Campus, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. 
 Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, UMK Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.; Conservation & Research Program, Malayan Rainforest Station, 27210 Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia.; Global Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation Centre, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Pengkalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan.; Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Level 20, West Wing, Menara MATRADE, Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
Aug 2021
Publisher
IOP Publishing
ISSN
17551307
e-ISSN
17551315
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2569674546
Copyright
© 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.