Data from: Comparative landscape genetics of two frugivorous bats in a biological corridor undergoing agricultural intensification

Agricultural intensification in tropical landscapes poses a new threat to the ability of biological corridors to maintain functional connectivity for native species. We use a landscape genetics approach to evaluate impacts of expanding pineapple plantations on two widespread and abundant frugivorous bats in a biological corridor in Costa Rica. We hypothesize that the larger, more mobile Artibeus jamaicensis will be less impacted by pineapple than the smaller Carollia castanea. In 2012 and 2013, we sampled 735 bats in 26 remnant forest patches surrounded by different proportions of forest, pasture, crops, and pineapple. We used 10 microsatellite loci for A. jamaicensis and 16 microsatellite loci for C. castanea to estimate genetic diversity and gene flow. Canonical correspondence analyses indicate that land cover type surrounding patches has no impact on genetic diversity of A. jamaicensis. However, for C. castanea, both percentage forest and pineapple surrounding patches explained a significant proportion of the variation in genetic diversity. Least-cost transect analyses (LCTA) and pairwise G”st suggest that for A. jamaicensis, pineapple is more permeable to gene flow than expected, while as expected, forest is the most permeable land cover for gene flow of C. castanea. For both species, LCTA indicate that development may play a role in inhibiting gene flow. The current study answers the call for landscape genetic research focused on tropical and agricultural landscapes, highlights the value of comparative landscape genetics in biological corridor design and management, and is one of the few studies of biological corridors in any ecosystem to implement a genetic approach to test corridor efficacy.

热带景观中的农业集约化，正对生物廊道（biological corridors）维持本土物种功能连通性的能力构成新威胁。本研究采用景观遗传学（landscape genetics）方法，评估哥斯达黎加某生物廊道内不断扩张的菠萝种植园，对两种广布且常见的食果蝙蝠的影响。我们提出假说：体型更大、活动能力更强的Artibeus jamaicensis，相较于体型更小的Carollia castanea，受菠萝种植园的影响程度更低。2012至2013年间，我们在26块残存林块中采集了735只蝙蝠样本，这些林块周边的森林、牧场、农作物及菠萝种植园占比各不相同。我们分别为Artibeus jamaicensis和Carollia castanea选用10个和16个微卫星位点（microsatellite loci），以估算其遗传多样性与基因流（gene flow）水平。典范对应分析（Canonical correspondence analyses）结果显示，林块周边的土地覆盖类型，对Artibeus jamaicensis的遗传多样性无显著影响。然而对于Carollia castanea而言，林块周边的森林占比与菠萝种植园占比，均可解释其遗传多样性变异中的显著部分。最小成本样带分析（Least-cost transect analyses, LCTA）与成对G''_st分析结果表明：对于Artibeus jamaicensis，菠萝种植园对基因流的通透性高于预期；而正如预期，森林是Carollia castanea基因流通透性最高的土地覆盖类型。针对两个物种的LCTA分析均显示，人类开发活动可能对基因流产生抑制作用。本研究响应了针对热带与农业景观开展景观遗传学研究的呼吁，凸显了比较景观遗传学在生物廊道设计与管理中的应用价值，同时也是全球范围内少数采用遗传学方法验证廊道效能的生态系统生物廊道研究之一。