Chiropteran diversity and the key determinants of their distribution in Eastern Ghats, India

Understanding the patterns of biodiversity is central to species conservation planning. Here we illustrate chiropteran diversity and distribution pattern of the hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats of Odisha state, India using roost survey and mist net survey techniques. The present study recorded 23 bat species including two newly recorded species for the study site i.e., Hipposideros galeritus and Megaderma spasma. The bat capture rate was the highest in the moist deciduous forest describing higher bat populations compared with the places of human habitation. Utilities of 21 climate, three physiographic and two disturbance variables and species distribution modelling could reveal that the north-eastern part was more suitable for bat distributions than the southern part of the region. The climate, physiographic and disturbance variables were crucial in their distributions, where elevation and potential evapotranspiration were highly significant. Unlike other species, Taphozous melanopogon showed negative correlation with these variables. The mean diurnal temperature and precipitation seasonality have positive influence on bat distributions, indicating their resilience to seasonal precipitation changes and day time temperature fluctuations. The negative effect of temperature seasonality on the distribution of Pteropus giganteus could attribute to its vulnerability to climate change effects. The study provides inputs for monitoring the future spatio-temporal changes, suggesting long term conservation measures. It could generate basic information on the impacts of climate change on bat distribution in the future climate change scenario.