Spatial distribution of bat species on Hispaniola Island, the Greater Antilles

Abstract

Hispaniola shows the highest environmental heterogeneity among the Greater Antilles mainly due to its complex land relief, encompassing a high ecosystemic heterogeineity, and bats as one o the most representative group of vertebrates. However, the island remains the least studied in the greater Antilles. In this work, we present a first comprehensive approach to the distribution of chiropterans of Hispaniola, product of the synthesis of 5,212 unpublished locality records, and bioclimatic and topographic variables, we fitted Habitat Suitability Models (HSM) and projected bat potential distribution maps, using Maxent. Individual distribution maps were overlapped to obtain a chiropteran richness map, which showed an inverse relationship between species and the elevation. Only three out of the 20 species present on the island were found above 1,500 m a.s.l. As a trend, species richness concentrated in humid forests and dry subtropical forests, typical of the low and medium elevation zones.