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 corridor）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，评估哥斯达黎加一处生物廊道内不断扩张的菠萝种植园对两种广布且种群丰富的食果蝙蝠的影响。我们提出研究假说：体型更大、活动能力更强的牙买加果蝠（Artibeus jamaicensis）受菠萝种植园的影响程度将低于体型更小的栗色短尾蝠（Carollia castanea）。2012年与2013年，研究团队在26块被不同比例森林、牧场、农作物及菠萝园环绕的残存森林斑块中，采集了735只蝙蝠样本。我们分别为牙买加果蝠选用10个微卫星位点（microsatellite loci）、为栗色短尾蝠选用16个微卫星位点，以估算二者的遗传多样性与基因流水平。典范对应分析（Canonical correspondence analyses）结果显示，斑块周边的土地覆被类型对牙买加果蝠的遗传多样性无显著影响。但对于栗色短尾蝠而言，斑块周边的森林占比与菠萝园占比均能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统计量结果表明：牙买加果蝠的基因流对菠萝园的通透性高于预期；而正如预期，森林是栗色短尾蝠基因流通透性最高的土地覆被类型。针对两种蝙蝠，LCTA结果均显示，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，同时也是全球各类生态系统中少数采用遗传学方法验证廊道效能的生物廊道研究之一。