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Fialas PC, Froidevaux JSP, Jones G, Batáry P. Transition to organic farming negatively affects bat activity. J Appl Ecol 2023; 60:2167-2176. [PMID: 38505688 PMCID: PMC10947233 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The effectiveness of organic farming on biodiversity has been widely documented especially for plants, arthropods and birds; however, the effects of the transition period required to become an organic farm on wildlife remain poorly understood.We assessed the effects of organic farming on insectivorous bats in citrus orchards in the Republic of Cyprus employing two matched designs (conventional vs. 3-year organic-transitional and conventional vs. organic-certified) and a third unmatched design (3-year organic-transitional vs. organic-certified). We specifically investigated whether the transition period prior to full organic certification influenced bat activity with a special focus on any moderation effects from surrounding semi-natural areas.The activity of three (Pipistrellus kuhlii, Hypsugo savii and Miniopterus schreibersii) of four bat species was significantly lower in farms undergoing the transitional period than in conventional farms, and P. kuhlii and H. savii were significantly less active in organic transitional farming systems that in organic-certified ones. Furthermore, the activity of the most dominant species (P. kuhlii) was significantly higher on organic than transitional and conventional citrus orchards, thus suggesting a time-lag effect. Landscape complexity measured as the amount of semi-natural areas did not moderate the effects of farming system for any study species. Synthesis and application. The transition to organic farming had persistent detrimental effects on bats and potentially on the pest suppression services they provide. Future agri-environmental policy should consider the transition period and implement measures to mitigate any negative effects on biodiversity, alongside promoting asynchronous transition of nearby farms. Our findings further highlight the crucial need to consider the time since transition to organic farming when assessing potential benefits of organic management on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penelope C. Fialas
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Bristol, Life Sciences BuildingBristolUK
- College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Exeter, Hatherly BuildingExeterUK
| | - Jérémy S. P. Froidevaux
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Bristol, Life Sciences BuildingBristolUK
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO, UMR 7204), CNRS, MNHN, Sorbonne‐UniversitéConcarneauFrance
- Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of StirlingStirlingUK
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Bristol, Life Sciences BuildingBristolUK
| | - Péter Batáry
- ”Lendület” Landscape and Conservation EcologyInstitute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological ResearchVácrátótHungary
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2
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Tuneu-Corral C, Puig-Montserrat X, Riba-Bertolín D, Russo D, Rebelo H, Cabeza M, López-Baucells A. Pest suppression by bats and management strategies to favour it: a global review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1564-1582. [PMID: 37157976 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Fighting insect pests is a major challenge for agriculture worldwide, and biological control and integrated pest management constitute well-recognised, cost-effective ways to prevent and overcome this problem. Bats are important arthropod predators globally and, in recent decades, an increasing number of studies have focused on the role of bats as natural enemies of agricultural pests. This review assesses the state of knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by bats as pest consumers at a global level and provides recommendations that may favour the efficiency of pest predation by bats. Through a systematic review, we assess evidence for predation, the top-down effect of bats on crops and the economic value of ecosystem services these mammals provide, describing the different methodological approaches used in a total of 66 reviewed articles and 18 agroecosystem types. We also provide a list of detailed conservation measures and management recommendations found in the scientific literature that may favour the delivery of this important ecosystem service, including actions aimed at restoring bat populations in agroecosystems. The most frequent recommendations include increasing habitat heterogeneity, providing additional roosts, and implementing laws to protect bats and reduce agrochemical use. However, very little evidence is available on the direct consequences of these practices on bat insectivory in farmland. Additionally, through a second in-depth systematic review of scientific articles focused on bat diet and, as part of the ongoing European Cost Action project CA18107, we provide a complete list of 2308 documented interactions between bat species and their respective insect pest prey. These pertain to 81 bat species belonging to 36 different genera preying upon 760 insect pests from 14 orders in agroecosystems and other habitats such as forest or urban areas. The data set is publicly available and updatable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carme Tuneu-Corral
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Xavier Puig-Montserrat
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Daniel Riba-Bertolín
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Danilo Russo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università, 100, Portici, Naples, 80055, Italy
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
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3
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Can bats help paper industry? An evaluation of eucalypt insect-related predation by bats. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00333-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Silva-Souza M, Dias-Silva L, Talamoni SA. How different farming practices influence the activity of insectivorous Neotropical bats. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2022.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Uhrin M, Satterfield L, Kaňuch P, Benda P. Habitat use and seasonal activity of bats on a large eastern Mediterranean island: Insights from acoustic surveys (Mammalia: Chiroptera). ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2021.1992837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Uhrin
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia
| | - Lauren Satterfield
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A
| | - Peter Kaňuch
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Petr Benda
- Department of Zoology, National Museum (Natural History), Praha, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic
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Buchholz S, Kelm V, Ghanem SJ. Mono-specific forest plantations are valuable bat habitats: implications for wind energy development. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01440-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNear-natural or semi-natural forests such as relatively undisturbed and old deciduous or mixed woodland are considered worth protecting and ecologically valuable habitats for bat conservation. In contrast, mono-specific forest plantations are considered ecologically less valuable; thus, decision-makers recommend these plantations as suitable locations for wind power stations and therefore want to further expand wind turbines in these habitats. This is expected to have a strong negative impact on the landscape because forests would be cleared for wind turbine pads and access roads and wind turbines rise above the trees with adverse impacts for bats. Therefore, we argue that, in light of bat conservation, the suitability of forest plantations for wind energy development is not, per se, warranted and that implications of wind power stations, even in mono-specific forest plantations, should be assessed and evaluated. We conducted long-term bat activity monitoring and recorded bat echolocation calls above the canopies of different forest sites (coniferous monoculture plantations and semi-natural mixed deciduous forests) in Germany and compared different forest types in terms of species richness, total bat activity, activity of the three bat species groups and species composition. Generalised linear models revealed that forest type and the amount of forest biotopes did not enhance bat activity. Ordination showed that species composition was not affected by forest type, location and connectivity. Mono-specific forest plantations can harbour a diverse bat fauna with high species activity and are, therefore, valuable bat habitats just as near-natural or semi-natural woodlands are. Environmental impact assessment and mitigation measures are vital in all forest types before and after planning for wind energy turbines. In particular, future planning and approval processes must consider the importance of mono-specific forest plantations for bat species protection.
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Teixeira D, Carrilho M, Silva M, Nunes M, Vieira ML, Novo MT, Santos‐Reis M, Rosalino LM. Mediterranean
Eucalyptus
plantations affect small mammal ectoparasites abundance but not individual body condition. Ecol Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Teixeira
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change (cE3c), Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- CESAM & Departamento de BiologiaUniversidade de Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
| | - Maílis Carrilho
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change (cE3c), Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Marcelo Silva
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change (cE3c), Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Mónica Nunes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT)Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (iBET), Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB)Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Oeiras Portugal
| | - Maria L. Vieira
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT)Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Maria T. Novo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT)Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Margarida Santos‐Reis
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change (cE3c), Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
| | - Luís M. Rosalino
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change (cE3c), Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de Lisboa Lisboa Portugal
- CESAM & Departamento de BiologiaUniversidade de Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
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Medinas D, Ribeiro V, Marques JT, Silva B, Barbosa AM, Rebelo H, Mira A. Road effects on bat activity depend on surrounding habitat type. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 660:340-347. [PMID: 30640102 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The effects of roads on bats are still a poorly documented issue. Most of the available research focuses on large and high-traffic highways, while low-medium-traffic roads are often assumed to have negligible impacts. However, small roads are ubiquitous in landscapes around the world. We examined the effects of these roads, as well as habitat types, on the activity of three bat guilds (short-, mid- and long-range echolocators) and the most common bat species Pipistrellus kuhlii. We performed three bat acoustic surveys between May and October 2015, with these surveys being performed along twenty transects that were each 1000 m long and perpendicular to three roads with different traffic volumes. The surveys were performed in dense Mediterranean woodland ("montado") and open agricultural field habitats, which were the two dominant land uses. At each transect, bat activity was simultaneously registered at 0, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 m from the road with the use of an ultrasound recorder. According to the generalized linear mixed effects models, the overall activity of bats and of the short- and mid-range echolocators increased with increased distance from the roads and was dependent on the surrounding habitats. In contrast, the long-range echolocators and P. kuhlii were more tolerant to road. Our results also show that the activity was higher in woodland areas, however road verges seem to be a significant habitat in an open agricultural landscape. The major negative effects extended to approximately 300 m from the roads in woodlands and penetrate further into the open field (>500 m). The management of roadside vegetation, combined with the bat habitat improvement in areas that are further from the roads, may mitigate the negative effects. To make road-dominated landscapes safer for bats, the transport agencies need to balance the trade-offs between habitat management and road kill risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Medinas
- Conservation Biology Unit, Department of Biology, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.
| | - Vera Ribeiro
- Conservation Biology Unit, Department of Biology, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - João Tiago Marques
- Conservation Biology Unit, Department of Biology, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Bruno Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Ana Márcia Barbosa
- CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; CEABN-InBIO, Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves", Institute of Agronomy, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG Bristol, UK.
| | - António Mira
- Conservation Biology Unit, Department of Biology, University of Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO-UE, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Évora, Rua Dr. Joaquim Henrique da Fonseca, 2nd, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.
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Froidevaux JS, Louboutin B, Jones G. Does organic farming enhance biodiversity in Mediterranean vineyards? A case study with bats and arachnids. AGRICULTURE, ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT 2017; 249:112-122. [PMID: 29104334 PMCID: PMC5614100 DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The effectiveness of organic farming for promoting biodiversity has been widely documented, yet most studies have been undertaken in temperate agroecosystems with a focus on birds, insects and plants. Despite the Mediterranean basin being a biodiversity hotspot for conservation priorities, the potential benefits of organic farming for biodiversity there has received little attention. Here, we assessed the effect of farming system, landscape characteristics and habitat structure on biodiversity in Mediterranean vineyards using two taxa with different functional traits (in terms of mobility, dispersal ability and home range size): bats and arachnids. We also tested the "intermediate landscape-complexity" hypothesis, which predicts that local conservation measures have greatest success in landscapes of intermediate complexity. Our study design involved pairs of matched organic and conventional vineyard plots in the south of France situated along a landscape complexity gradient. Abundance of arachnids were higher in organic vineyards, although arachnid species richness was positively associated with the amount of ground vegetation cover. Organic farming was ineffective on its own to enhance bat activity and species richness regardless of the landscape context. Rather, our results suggested that landscape features were more important for bats than vineyard management, with significantly higher bat activity recorded on vineyard plots located at close proximity to hedgerows and rivers. When designing conservation strategies in Mediterranean farmlands, we strongly recommend the implementation of a multi-scale approach to assure benefits for a wide range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy S.P. Froidevaux
- University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TQ Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Bastien Louboutin
- Office pour les insectes et leur environnement (Opie), Antenne Languedoc-Roussillon, 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34 988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
| | - Gareth Jones
- University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TQ Bristol, United Kingdom
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Charbonnier YM, Barbaro L, Barnagaud JY, Ampoorter E, Nezan J, Verheyen K, Jactel H. Bat and bird diversity along independent gradients of latitude and tree composition in European forests. Oecologia 2016; 182:529-37. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3671-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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