Junior Abiazhem Moazenga
Bats are essential components of tropical biodiversity, representing the second most diverse order of mammals and providing important ecosystem services. Insectivorous bat species constitute two-thirds of the total number of bats worldwide and are distinguished by their echolocation ability. Echolocation calls are recommended as effective tools for monitoring and identifying bats, as traditional capture methods do not provide accurate information on their diversity and ecology. The use of echolocation calls in bat fauna studies requires the development of an acoustic database grouping the call characteristics of different species. The use of bat detectors, combined with conventional capture methods, could allow for better characterization of population assemblages and the development of appropriate conservation strategies.
Field studies will be conducted during 12 months (June 2025–May 2026) in Deng-Deng National Park (PNDD), located in eastern Cameroon, in the Lom and Djerem Department. This park lies at the border between the forest ecosystems of the southern Cameroonian plateau and the Sudano-Sahelian savannahs, thus offering three ecosystem types: forest, forest-savannah transition, and savannah. To date, no ecological studies on bats have been conducted in the PNDD, although its diverse microhabitats are conducive to numerous species.
The main objective of this study is to build a library of echolocation calls of insectivorous bats in Deng-Deng National Park. More specifically, this research aims to: i) identify the different bat species present in Deng-Deng National Park and assess the impact of habitat variation on their communities; ii) record the echolocation call frequencies of insectivorous species; iii) analyse the influence of the type of habitat on the characteristics of these calls.