title: Bird and bat predation services in tropical forests and agroforestry landscapes.
abstract: Understanding distribution patterns and multitrophic interactions is critical for managing bat- and bird-mediated ecosystem services such as the suppression of pest and non-pest arthropods. Despite the ecological and economic importance of bats and birds in tropical forests, agroforestry systems, and agricultural systems mixed with natural forest, a systematic review of their impact is still missing. A growing number of bird and bat exclosure experiments has improved our knowledge allowing new conclusions regarding their roles in food webs and associated ecosystem services. Here, we review the distribution patterns of insectivorous birds and bats, their local and landscape drivers, and their effects on trophic cascades in tropical ecosystems. We report that for birds but not bats community composition and relative importance of functional groups changes conspicuously from forests to habitats including both agricultural areas and forests, here termed 'forest-agri' habitats, with reduced representation of insectivores in the latter. In contrast to previous theory regarding trophic cascade strength, we find that birds and bats reduce the density and biomass of arthropods in the tropics with effect sizes similar to those in temperate and boreal communities. The relative importance of birds versus bats in regulating pest abundances varies with season, geography and management. Birds and bats may even suppress tropical arthropod outbreaks, although positive effects on plant growth are not always reported. As both bats and birds are major agents of pest suppression, a better understanding of the local and landscape factors driving the variability of their impact is needed.
authors.affiliation: Agroecology, Georg-August University, Grisebachstraße 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany. beamaas@gmx.at.|Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria. beamaas@gmx.at.
authors.forename: Bea
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.affiliation: The Nature Conservancy, 201 Mission Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94105, U.S.A.|Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Mulford Hall, 130 Hilgard Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Karp
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand 15 Karnjanavanich Rd., Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bumrungsri
authors.affiliation: Agroecology, Georg-August University, Grisebachstraße 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Darras
authors.affiliation: The Nature Conservancy, 201 Mission Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94105, U.S.A.|School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gonthier
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Box 43131, Lubbock, TX, 79409, U.S.A.|Southeast Asian Bat Conservation and Research Unit, Department of Biological Science, Box 43131, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409-3131, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Joe C-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Integrative Biology Department, Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane RM 203, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lindell
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL, 62901, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Josiah J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Maine
authors.affiliation: CREAF, Carretera de Bellaterra a l'Autònoma, s/n, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès,, Barcelona, Spain.|Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma, Carretera de Bellaterra a l'Autònoma, s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.|Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mestre
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5C8, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicole L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: Integrative Biology Department, Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane RM 203, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Emily B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Ivette
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Perfecto
authors.affiliation: Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95062, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Stacy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Philpott
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Rm. 201, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, U.S.A.|College of Sciences, Koç University, Rumelifeneri, Sariyer, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Çagan H
authors.initials: ÇH
authors.lastname: Şekercioğlu
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, 45662-900, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberta M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa.|SARChI Chair on Biodiversity Value & Change and Centre for Invasion Biology, School of Mathematical & Natural Sciences, University of Venda, P. Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Agroecology, Georg-August University, Grisebachstraße 6, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Teja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tscharntke
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70118, U.S.A.|Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: Sunshine A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Van Bael
authors.affiliation: Illinois Natural History Survey, c/o Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Whelan
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, U.S.A.|Paso Pacífico, PO Box 1244, Ventura, CA, 94302, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams-Guillén
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D065928:Forests; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D014329:Tropical Climate
keywords: agricultural landscapes; arthropod suppression; bird and bat ecology; cacao; coffee; ecosystem services; exclosure experiments; flying vertebrates; food webs; pest suppression