Cacao Plantations Have Greater Diversity of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) than Regenerating Areas in the Brazilian Amazon

The ongoing conversion of tropical forests into anthropogenic landscapes has raised concerns about biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services. In this study, we evaluated bat species composition and trophic guilds across three land-use types in the Brazilian Amazon: forest fragments, regeneration areas, and agroforestry cacao plantations. Using mist nets, we recorded a total of 71 bat species, with marked differences among habitats. Forest fragments showed the highest diversity and richness, dominated by specialized insectivores and omnivores from the subfamily Phyllostominae, which are indicators of well-preserved habitats. Regeneration areas, although less diverse, harbored high abundances of frugivorous and nectarivorous species associated with pioneer plants, playing an important role in seed dispersal and pollination. Cacao plantations exhibited an intermediate species composition, with partial overlaps with both forest fragments and regeneration areas, including frugivores, nectarivores, and edge insectivores. The presence of rare and sensitive species, such as Scleronycteris ega and Rhogeessa hussoni, found exclusively in forest fragments, highlights the value of these remnants for conservation. Additionally, we observed that bats contribute to the biological control of agricultural pests, providing economic benefits and reducing the need for pesticide use. These findings demonstrate that different land-use types support distinct species assemblages and ecological functions. While forest fragments are irreplaceable for specialized species, regeneration areas and cacao plantations play complementary roles, particularly when managed with low disturbance and high structural heterogeneity. Maintaining a mosaic landscape that includes all these environments is crucial for conserving bat biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services in the Amazon.