Roads have direct and indirect impacts on animals present in the surrounding habitats. Bats have extensive foraging ranges which may include roads, and are therefore particularly affected by them. This study aimed to analyze the effects of roads on bat activity and diversity in the Brazilian savanna. Nine transects were established in protected areas in central Brazil with sampling points at 0, 500, 1,000, and 1,500 m away from roads. At each point, we recorded bat echolocation for 12 h and evaluated the influence of road type and distance from the road on bat activity, diversity, and foraging effort. Season, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and distance to water also were included in the models. We found that species richness in the dry season and activity of open space insectivores were significantly higher on road verges than on areas farther from roads, while foraging effort and activity of edge space insectivores were only influenced by season. The activity of edge space insectivores also increased significantly with increasing distance to water during the rainy season. We suggest that bat individuals do not forage near roads, but rather use them as flyways or cross them to forage in sites outside the protected areas, which can increase the risk of collision with vehicles.

中文翻译：

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上路蝙蝠！巴西稀树草原道路上的蝙蝠活动频繁

道路对周围栖息地的动物有直接和间接的影响。蝙蝠的觅食范围很广，可能包括道路，因此特别受它们的影响。本研究旨在分析道路对巴西稀树草原蝙蝠活动和多样性的影响。在巴西中部的保护区建立了 9 个样带，采样点分别位于距离道路 0、500、1000 和 1500 m 处。在每一点，我们记录了 12 小时的蝙蝠回声定位，并评估了道路类型和与道路的距离对蝙蝠活动、多样性和觅食努力的影响。季节、归一化植被指数 (NDVI) 和到水的距离也包含在模型中。我们发现，旱季的物种丰富度和开放空间食虫动物的活动在道路边缘明显高于远离道路的区域，而边缘空间食虫动物的觅食努力和活动仅受季节影响。在雨季，边缘空间食虫动物的活动也随着与水的距离的增加而显着增加。我们建议蝙蝠个体不要在道路附近觅食，而是将其用作飞行路线或穿过道路在保护区外的地点觅食，这会增加与车辆碰撞的风险。