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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

A Method for Quantifying Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods
Published on: October 20, 2019
Bats limit arthropods and herbivory in a tropical forest
Margareta B Kalka1, Adam R Smith, Elisabeth K V Kalko
1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apdo. 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama. mbkalka@gmail.com
Abstract:
Previous exclosure studies measuring the top-down control of arthropod abundance and herbivory combined the effects of birds and bats. We experimentally partitioned bird predation from bat predation in a lowland tropical forest in Panama and measured the direct effects (arthropod abundance) and indirect effects (herbivory). The exclusion of birds and bats each directly increased arthropod abundance on plants: Bird-exclosed plants contained 65% more, and bat-exclosed plants 153% more, arthropods than controls. Birds and bats also indirectly increased herbivory: Bird-exclosed plants suffered 67% more, and bat-exclosed plants 209% more, herbivory than controls. We conclude that bats have dramatic ecological effects that were previously overlooked.
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