The species richness of bats in Brazil, analyzed by guilds and conservation status by the IUCN, indicates that places considered biodiversity hotspots, such as the Amazon and Atlantic Forest33, are also areas of diversity for organisms of the order Chiroptera34. However, it is estimated that only up to 20% of the species in these biomes are likely to be protected by the country's conservation units. This context further jeopardizes the ecosystem services provided by bats, given that insectivorous bats have their distribution area largely outside conservation areas, a pattern observed for other trophic guilds as well. Consequently, this also hinders conservation strategies for these animals, as species classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN have a high estimated distribution outside protected area.
In general, the percentage of each biome in conservation units is not homogeneous in the country: Amazon, 28%; Atlantic Forest, 9.5%; Caatinga, 8.8%; Cerrado, 8.3%; Pantanal, 4.6%; Pampas, 3%35. Although the system of Full Protection Units (UPIs) in the Amazon is considered to have the highest coverage among Brazilian biomes29, on average only 20% of bat species are protected, even though recent studies have shown that fish and turtle species are also not adequately protected36,37. In the Cerrado, approximately 60% of bat occurrence areas are outside any protected area, also threatened by anthropogenic actions, mainly due to agribusiness expansion38, exacerbating the preservation of life for endemic and endangered species such as Lonchophylla bokermanni (Taddei, Vizotto, and Sazima, 1983) and Lonchophylla dekeyseri (Taddei, Vizotto, and Sazima, 1983), pollinating bats.
High values and areas with the potential distribution of bats outside any protected area compromise the provision of ecosystem resources offered by this taxon, especially to dispersing, pollinating, and insect pest-controlling bats. Both dispersal and pollination are the main ways in which bats contribute to ecosystem succession, facilitated by their tendency to defecate and spit seeds while flying, allowing for long-distance dispersal38. Genera of bats such as Carollia, Sturnira, and Artibeus are important in the seed rain of pioneer species such as Cecropia spp., Piper spp., Solanum spp., and Vismia spp., which are among the most abundant plants during the early stages of primary and secondary succession in the Neotropical region6,9,39,40. Similarly, pollination services are observed in about 528 species of angiosperms worldwide, with approximately 360 of these pollinated by individuals of the Phyllostomidae family in the Neotropical region6. The role of insectivorous bats in controlling agricultural pests is also recognized7,41. For example, the species Tadarida brasiliensis (I. Geoffroy, 1824) consumes a variety of arthropods, including agricultural pests such as the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) and the tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens)42.
In terms of richness, studies indicate the occurrence of at least 146 species, distributed in 64 genera solely in the Amazon43, and the species list compiled9 presents richness of seven families, 40 genera, and 59 species, with the majority belonging to the Phyllostomidae family, in the Atlantic Forest. This is justified by the extensive distribution of the former domain, covering 2/3 of the national territory, in addition to the diversity of environments and phytophysiognomies, which ensure high richness to the morphoclimatic domains. However, lately these domains have been suffering intense exploitation, particularly in the Amazon since 201944, besides the fact that the Atlantic Forest holds only 13% of intact primary vegetation45,46. These factors are pointed out as main drivers of biodiversity loss47,48, including bats, especially for species dependent on vegetation cover or that respond to fragmentation9,49, leading to a reduction in shelter and food supply for the community.
Tropical regions harbor high biological diversity, but with limited knowledge of the real distribution of species (Wallacean Deficit)50. With these factors, it becomes impossible to have a general protocol that is sufficient to represent all species. However, SDMs can play an important role in the conservation of Chiroptero species and in determining priority conservation areas through Systematic Conservation Planning51. It is important to consider that part of the pattern we find may result from a sampling bias of bat records available for Brazil. In line with other research52, we also highlight a significant number of individuals sampled from the Phyllostomidae family, justified by the excessive use of mist nets, an effective method for capturing individuals of this family53. However, the limitation imposed by the use of this method underestimates other insectivorous species, such as those of the Vespertilionidae, Molossidae, and Mormoopidae families52, which have a high ability to detect and avoid nets, and other species that forage above the canopy or even in open areas, beyond the reach of nets53,54.