Altitudinal distribution of fruit bats (Pteropodidae) in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Abstract

Between March 2000 and July 2001, we studied the distribution of fruit bats in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Vegetation types and elevation belts between 350 and 2100 m a.s.l. were combined to characterize 17 habitat types, which were surveyed using standardized mist netting. Sixteen species of Pteropodidae (fruit bats) were identified in the park. Using an Euclidian distance dissimilarity index (EDD), the 16 species were clustered into four main groups. The results of cluster analysis were supported by Principal Component Analysis, PC1 and PC2 accounting for 71.94% and 27.39% of total variance, respectively. We suggest that PC2 primarily implies an altitudinal gradient, while PC1 is probably related to the gradient of humidity.