Investigating the effects of environmental change on tropical montane bats

Deforestation is a major threat to biodiversity in South-East Asia, particularly in Malaysia where more than 14% of forest cover was lost in the last decade [1]. Montane forest is being decimated at a greater rate than lowland forest because of the additional effect of climate change [2].
Approximately 20% of the 336 Malaysian mammalian species are threatened and these species are particularly sensitive to deforestation [3]. Malaysian montane forests are the last refuges for many vulnerable species. These forests are essential for maintaining habitat connectivity and gene flow across the peninsula and between the highlands and the lowlands. However, little research to date has attempted to assess how the volant mammalian (bats) community responds to the deterioration of montane forests in peninsula Malaysia.
This project will combine well established ecological research methods, such as bioacoustics technique and mist netting, with molecular analysis to assess the bat community composition, distribution, diversity, population structure and gene flow across multiple montane forest sites with varying levels of disturbance. The outcome of this project will provide the scientific basis to inform conservation management and mitigation in high risk mammal biodiversity hotspots.