Biodiversity and abundance of bats community using bioacoustic method in mountain-forest ecosystem of Roudbar, Gilan province

Biodiversity is one of the most prominent features of a biological community, and bats are considered as indicator in forest ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to estimate the parameters of bat community using bioacoustic method in Hyrcanian forests in Roudbar district of Gilan province. Sampling was performed in the summer (July and August) of 2019 using the bat logger's automatic recorder in the reproductive and wintering habitats of the bats. A total of 20 species of bat from 3 families and 8 different genera were identified in the study area. The genus Myotis with 8 species followed by Pipistrellus with 4 species had the highest number of species. The genera Plecotus and Nyctalus each with two species and the genera Rhinolophus, Miniopterus, Barbastella and Eptesicus each with one species had least number of species. Species richness was estimated to be 26.9 (18.7-35) by Jackknife method. The Simpson diversity criterion was 0.79 (0.77- 0.81) and the Smith and Wilson homogeneity criterion was 0.22. It was generally found that the study area had a high diversity of bat due to its diverse mountainous, forest, aquatic and agricultural habitats. Finally, considering the application of Bioacoustics in forest biodiversity conservation and management programs, it is recommended to use BATLOGGER (M, C) devices for ease of use and efficiency in field sampling in monitoring of forest ecosystems in landscape level