SPATIAL EFFECTS OF VIRGIN JUNGLE RESERVES (VJR) ON THE COMMUNITY OF INSECTIVOROUS BATS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract

JOANN CHRISTINE L, FLETCHER C & ABD RAHMAN K. 2013. Spatial effects of virgin jungle reserves (VJR) on the community of insectivorous bats in Peninsular Malaysia. The virgin jungle reserve (VJR) network has been legally established amidst production forests in Peninsular Malaysia since 1984. However, the role of VJRs as natural arboreta and as genetic pool for forest bats has yet to be evaluated. Forest interior insectivorous bats are habitat-specific and sensitive to habitat changes, and many of them are listed as near threatened under the IUCN Red List. This paper looks at the influence of spatial patterning of VJRs such as size and distance from the boundary of logged forest on the species composition and distribution of these bats. The results of this study indicated that species richness and abundance did not increase with VJR size. Instead each study site had distinct species composition that was likely influenced by the dynamics of the landscape. Although most sites were dominated by cave/ boulder dwelling bats, the habitat-sensitive tree- or foliage-roosting bats had relatively higher abundance in the larger VJRs. As for distance, no significant differences were detected between species composition within the VJR and the adjacent logged-over forest, which suggested that the VJRs might have helped in re-colonising the surrounding logged-over forest.