Abstract Water abundance, distribution, and quality are key elements affecting species distributions in arid environments, yet how their interactions structure specific animal communities is often unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we examined relationships between bodies of water and bat communities in the northern Namib Desert. We predicted that water quality would be poorer (i.e., higher indices of electrical conductivity and ion concentrations) during the dry season and at artificial pools, and that bat species richness and activity would consequently be lower at these sites. We conducted extensive fieldwork at the terminus of the hot, dry season from November 2016 to January 2017 and at the conclusion of the following wet season from March to May 2017, collecting water samples and acoustic recordings of bat activity at both natural springs (n = 18) and artificial pools (n = 5). Overall activity (but not species richness) was greater during the wet season and at artificial pools, but we did not find systematic differences in water quality driven by seasonality or water body type. Although individual artificial pools harbored significantly greater bat activity, >35% of the species that we recorded were present only at natural springs. While bat species richness was reduced at saline sites, only the activity of the Zulu serotine also related to water quality. In general, water surface area was more often associated with bat activity in the Namib Desert than was water quality.

中文翻译：

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蝙蝠会寻找干净的水吗？从纳米布沙漠看生物多样性

摘要 水的丰度、分布和质量是影响干旱环境中物种分布的关键因素，但它们之间的相互作用如何构建特定的动物群落往往还不清楚。为了解决这一知识差距，我们研究了纳米布沙漠北部水体与蝙蝠群落之间的关系。我们预测，在旱季和人工池中水质会更差（即更高的电导率和离子浓度指数），因此这些地点的蝙蝠物种丰富度和活动会降低。我们在 2016 年 11 月至 2017 年 1 月的炎热旱季结束时以及下一个雨季（2017 年 3 月至 5 月）结束时进行了广泛的实地考察，在天然泉水（n = 18）和人工池（n = 5）收集水样和蝙蝠活动的声学记录。在雨季和人工池中，整体活动（但不是物种丰富度）更大，但我们没有发现季节性或水体类型导致的水质系统差异。尽管个别人工池中蝙蝠活动明显增多，但我们记录的超过 35% 的物种仅存在于天然泉水中。虽然盐碱地的蝙蝠物种丰富度减少，但只有祖鲁族血清素的活性也与水质有关。一般来说，与水质相比，纳米布沙漠中的水表面积更常与蝙蝠活动相关。在雨季和人工池中，整体活动（但不是物种丰富度）更大，但我们没有发现季节性或水体类型导致的水质系统差异。尽管个别人工池中蝙蝠活动明显增多，但我们记录的超过 35% 的物种仅存在于天然泉水中。虽然盐碱地的蝙蝠物种丰富度减少，但只有祖鲁族血清素的活性也与水质有关。一般来说，与水质相比，纳米布沙漠中的水表面积更常与蝙蝠活动相关。在雨季和人工池中，整体活动（但不是物种丰富度）更大，但我们没有发现季节性或水体类型导致的水质系统差异。尽管个别人工池中蝙蝠活动明显增多，但我们记录的超过 35% 的物种仅存在于天然泉水中。虽然蝙蝠物种丰富度在盐碱地减少，但只有祖鲁血清素的活性也与水质有关。一般来说，与水质相比，纳米布沙漠中的水表面积更常与蝙蝠活动相关。我们记录的 35% 的物种仅存在于天然泉水中。虽然盐碱地的蝙蝠物种丰富度减少，但只有祖鲁族血清素的活性也与水质有关。一般来说，与水质相比，纳米布沙漠中的水表面积更常与蝙蝠活动相关。我们记录的 35% 的物种仅存在于天然泉水中。虽然盐碱地的蝙蝠物种丰富度减少，但只有祖鲁族血清素的活性也与水质有关。一般来说，与水质相比，纳米布沙漠中的水表面积更常与蝙蝠活动相关。