ESTIMATE OF THE ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF BATS SPECIES THAT ARE ROOSTING IN DIFFERENT HABITAT IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

The findings of this research evaluate the distribution of bat species roosting in three Oredo, Egor, Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo state. The main objective was to investigate and evaluate bat species population, the diversity, distribution and abundance that one roosting in different habitat of the study area. Visual and exit count was used to record bat population within the study area. Point count station was used to allowed for easy identifying bat existing and returning to the roosting, sites and also hanging on Tree at predefined spots allowing bat time to settle. Bat count was taken by 18:00h to 20:00h late evening and 4:300h to 6:300h in the early hours of the day. Data collected were analyzed using students test as recommended by (Alika 2006) to determine significant difference at 5 ²/r level of significant (ANOVA). A total of 920 individual bat species was identified belong to 5 families. Scotophilus dingannii had 245 individuals, representing (26.6%) of the total species of bats. Station (5) has the highest   42.5±29.8^a distribution of bat species during the wet season and station (4) recorded the highest 16.8±5.3 ^a numbers of bat species distribution during the dry season. The results show significant difference (p>0.05) between two habitats, tree roosting habitat (99.2±55.5^a) recorded the highest numbers of bat compared to building roosting habitat (84.8±83.2^b). Bat species diversity index shows that the population (1.396) was classified as medium diversified in the study area. Yellow house bat recorded the highest (0.27) relative abundance and distribution and Oredo had the highest number of bats species abundance of (0.42) in the study area while building construction (17.6±12.4) was higher significantly as compared to other anthropogenic factors also Egor had the highest (16.0±11.7) disturbed anthropogenic factors in the study area. Therefore, the study of bat species population is an important aspect of understanding the composition and diversity of species