Roost characteristics of Indian flying fox along urban noise gradient: A case study in Sallaghari Forest, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Hyongaju, Sandhya and Subba, Asmit and Maharjan, Madhu and Khanal, Laxman (2024) Roost characteristics of Indian flying fox along urban noise gradient: A case study in Sallaghari Forest, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. ECOCYCLES, 10 (1). pp. 105-114. ISSN 2416-2140

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Abstract

The Indian flying fox, Pteropus medius is a fruit bat that contributes significantly to seed dispersal and pollination services. These bats face serious threats from the loss of roosting trees due to urbanization and deforestation. This study aimed to assess the roost characteristics of Indian flying foxes and the effects of anthropogenic noise on roost tier selection in an urban forest patch. We carried out population surveys of Indian flying foxes in the Sallaghari Forest in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal by direct roost count method from July to November 2023. Further, we quantified the intensities of anthropogenic noise at every five-meter interval along the transects from the forest edge towards the main forest and recorded the minimum roosting heights at each point. Indian flying foxes were found to be roosting on trees belonging to six species. Eucalyptus sp. was the most abundant roost tree (50%) in the forest whereas the highest relative abundance of roosting Indian flying foxes was on Populus ciliata (40.1%). The regression analysis revealed that tree DBH and height and the combined interaction of height and canopy cover significantly increase the abundance of Indian flying foxes. The noise intensity at ground level and roosting height of Indian flying foxes showed a significant strong positive relationship indicating their roosting at higher tier under intense noise. We recommend measures for reducing anthropogenic noises and conserving large and tall trees to ensure the roosting habitat of Indian flying foxes in urban setups.

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