Effect of Microclimate to Bat Diversity in Mangrove Forest of Brgy. Tubajon, Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines (Mammalia Chiroptera)

Abstract

Bat diversity is declining in the country because of habitat loss. Hence, an assessment study of the environmental factors affecting bat diversity was conducted in mangrove forest of Tubajon, Misamis Oriental. Quadrat sampling and mist-netting were used to assess mangroves and bats respectively, and mapped using the Geographic Information System (GIS). Shannon Diversity Index was used for both mangroves and bats while the Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Canonical Correspondence Coefficient were used to correlate bats with rainfall, temperature and humidity. Results showed that there are two species of mangroves, namely Rhizophora mucronata and Rhizophora apiculata, and three species of bats, namely Cynopterus brachyotis, Macroglossus minimus, and Ptenochirus minor, in the site. Mangroves and bats obtained the diversity index of 0.6428 and 1.018 respectively. Among the three species of bats, only C. brachyotis has relationship with humidity with a result of 0.04065. Thus, bats in the area highly depend on the quality of the habitat with low diversity of mangroves and varied climatic factors.