Mexican Bats: Threats in the Anthropocene

Abstract

Anthropocene is the current geological epoch on planet Earth, characterized by climate change, land use change, deforestation, pollution, among other phenomena related to human activities. In this chapter, we revised the effects of these human activities on the Mexican bat populations. To achieve this goal, we designed a literature review protocol and executed it using Google Scholar search engine and Web of Science database. Our literature protocol resulted in 2571 documents, with only 68 related with the Anthropocene threats to Mexican bats. The topics most studied were land use change (e.g., deforestation and agriculture), human-bat conflicts, and human infrastructure impact. There is a significant taxonomic bias toward phyllostomid bats, a group mainly studied by mist-netting. Overall, studies show that human activities in Mexico result in the reduction of activity and relative abundance of bats, suggesting that species richness and changes in the composition are not the best diversity parameters to evaluate the effect of human activities on Mexican bats. Pollution and climate change effects on Mexican bats are poorly investigated topics. Finally, Anthropocene effects on Mexican bat diversity threaten the benefits provided to the Mexican populace.