In this article, we use species accumulation
models to fit the observed species accumulation
curves of bats. These models can be used
to predict the richness of the fauna of a site,
given the known accumulation curve. They
can also be used to predict the sampling effort
required to record a satisfactory proportion of
the total fauna. Th is will help us to estimate
the cost of our future field work to record
enough species of bats. From the results listed
in Tables 1 and 2, with rounding down the
lower limit and rounding up the upper limit,
the estimated total fauna is 9–16 at location
(a), 6–9 at location (b) and 6–10 at location
(c). So we predict that, of the three locations,
(a) is the most diversified with bat species.
From Table 3, the minimum sampling efforts
required to record 90% of the total fauna are
284.3 net-hours at location (a), 193.5 net-hours
at location (b) and 205.6 net-hours at
location (c). Th e use of species accumulation
models can help us to predict the richness of
bat biodiversity. It can also result in better sampling
protocols by providing reliable estimates
of the sampling effort required to obtain an
efficient number of species and, consequently,
can result in notable savings in time and field
expenses. Thus, application of these models is
highly recommended when comparing species
diversity from different locations and planning
further sampling field work.