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Niga Y, Fujioka E, Heim O, Nomi A, Fukui D, Hiryu S. A glimpse into the foraging and movement behaviour of Nyctalus aviator; a complementary study by acoustic recording and GPS tracking. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230035. [PMID: 37388314 PMCID: PMC10300664 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Species of open-space bats that are relatively large, such as bats from the genus Nyctalus, are considered as high-risk species for collisions with wind turbines (WTs). However, important information on their behaviour and movement ecology, such as the locations and altitudes at which they forage, is still fragmentary, while crucial for their conservation in light of the increasing threat posed by progressing WT construction. We adopted two different methods of microphone array recordings and GPS-tracking capturing data from different spatio-temporal scales in order to gain a complementary understanding of the echolocation and movement ecology of Nyctalus aviator, the largest open-space bat in Japan. Based on microphone array recordings, we found that echolocation calls during natural foraging are adapted for fast flight in open-space optimal for aerial-hawking. In addition, we attached a GPS tag that can simultaneously monitor feeding buzz occurrence, and confirmed that foraging occurred at 300 m altitude and that the flight altitude in mountainous areas is consistent with the turbine conflict zone, suggesting that the birdlike noctule is a high-risk species in Japan. Further investigations on this species could provide valuable insights into their foraging and movement ecology, facilitating the development of a risk assessment regarding WTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshifumi Niga
- Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Emyo Fujioka
- Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
- The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 9-61, Yamabe-Higashimachi, Furano, Hokkaido 079-1563, Japan
| | - Olga Heim
- Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Akito Nomi
- Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Dai Fukui
- The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 9-61, Yamabe-Higashimachi, Furano, Hokkaido 079-1563, Japan
| | - Shizuko Hiryu
- Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
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Behavioral innovation and genomic novelty are associated with the exploitation of a challenging dietary opportunity by an avivorous bat. iScience 2022; 25:104973. [PMID: 36093062 PMCID: PMC9459691 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging on nocturnally migrating birds is one of the most challenging foraging tasks in the animal kingdom. Only three bat species (e.g., Ia io) known to date can prey on migratory birds. However, how these bats have exploited this challenging dietary niche remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that I. io hunts at the altitude of migrating birds during the bird migration season. The foraging I. io exhibited high flight altitudes (up to 4945 m above sea level) and high flight speeds (up to 143.7 km h−1). I. io in flight can actively prey on birds in the night sky via echolocation cues. Genes associated with DNA damage repair, hypoxia adaptation, biting and mastication, and digestion and metabolism have evolved to adapt to this species’ avivorous habits. Our results suggest that the evolution of behavioral innovation and genomic novelty are associated with the exploitation of challenging dietary opportunities. Predation on nocturnally migrating birds is rare and challenging in nature Bats exhibit high flight altitude and speed associated with foraging on migrating birds Bats can actively prey on birds in the night sky via echolocation cues The adaptive evolution of genes enables bats to adapt to the avivorous habits
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3
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Aronson J. Current State of Knowledge of Wind Energy Impacts on Bats in South Africa. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2022. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2022.24.1.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Aronson
- Camissa Sustainability Consulting, Wenslauerstraat 4-3 1053BA Amsterdam, Netherlands
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O'Mara MT, Amorim F, Scacco M, McCracken GF, Safi K, Mata V, Tomé R, Swartz S, Wikelski M, Beja P, Rebelo H, Dechmann DKN. Bats use topography and nocturnal updrafts to fly high and fast. Curr Biol 2021; 31:1311-1316.e4. [PMID: 33545045 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
During the day, flying animals exploit the environmental energy landscape by seeking out thermal or orographic uplift, or extracting energy from wind gradients.1-6 However, most of these energy sources are not thought to be available at night because of the lower thermal potential in the nocturnal atmosphere, as well as the difficulty of locating features that generate uplift. Despite this, several bat species have been observed hundreds to thousands of meters above the ground.7-9 Individuals make repeated, energetically costly high-altitude ascents,10-13 and others fly at some of the fastest speeds observed for powered vertebrate flight.14 We hypothesized that bats use orographic uplift to reach high altitudes,9,15-17 and that both this uplift and bat high-altitude ascents would be highly predictable.18 By superimposing detailed three-dimensional GPS tracking of European free-tailed bats (Tadarida teniotis) on high-resolution regional wind data, we show that bats do indeed use the energy of orographic uplift to climb to over 1,600 m, and also that they reach maximum sustained self-powered airspeeds of 135 km h-1. We show that wind and topography can predict areas of the landscape able to support high-altitude ascents, and that bats use these locations to reach high altitudes while reducing airspeeds. Bats then integrate wind conditions to guide high-altitude ascents, deftly exploiting vertical wind energy in the nocturnal landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Teague O'Mara
- Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA; Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Francisco Amorim
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Martina Scacco
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Gary F McCracken
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Vanessa Mata
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Tomé
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sharon Swartz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Pedro Beja
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Institute of Agronomy, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO-InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Institute of Agronomy, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Dina K N Dechmann
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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Landscape and Species Traits Co-Drive Roadkills of Bats in a Subtropical Island. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13030117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The expansion of roads has threatened wildlife populations by driving casualties due to vehicle collisions. However, the ecological drivers of wildlife roadkills are not yet fully explored. We investigated the strength of landscape features and ecomorphological traits in determining spatial patterns of bat roadkills in Taiwan. In total, 661 roadkills that belonged to 20 bat species were acquired by citizen scientists between 2011 and 2019. The number and species richness of victim bats declined with increasing elevations with varying species compositions. Elevation and artificial light had significantly negative effects on the occurrence of roadkill, whereas protected area and its interaction with elevation had positive effects. Ordination analyses showed that roadkills were driven by different ecomorphological traits and landscape features. At low elevations, road casualties were associated with an aerial hawking hunting strategy. At higher elevations, roadkills were associated with higher elevational distribution. Roadkills of non-cave bats were associated with brighter environments, suggesting that bats might be exposed to higher risk when hunting insects near artificial light. Our findings suggest that management agencies shall consider both species traits and landscape features when planning impact assessments and mitigation practices of roadkills for bats and probably other wildlife, particularly when long environmental gradients are covered.
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Davy CM, Squires K, Zimmerling JR. Estimation of spatiotemporal trends in bat abundance from mortality data collected at wind turbines. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2021; 35:227-238. [PMID: 32424911 PMCID: PMC7984092 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, are essential tools for reducing the causes of climate change, but wind turbines can pose a collision risk for bats. To date, the population-level effects of wind-related mortality have been estimated for only 1 bat species. To estimate temporal trends in bat abundance, we considered wind turbines as opportunistic sampling tools for flying bats (analogous to fishing nets), where catch per unit effort (carcass abundance per monitored turbine) is a proxy for aerial abundance of bats, after accounting for seasonal variation in activity. We used a large, standardized data set of records of bat carcasses from 594 turbines in southern Ontario, Canada, and corrected these data to account for surveyor efficiency and scavenger removal. We used Bayesian hierarchical models to estimate temporal trends in aerial abundance of bats and to explore the effect of spatial factors, including landscape features associated with bat habitat (e.g., wetlands, croplands, and forested lands), on the number of mortalities for each species. The models showed a rapid decline in the abundance of 4 species in our study area; declines in capture of carcasses over 7 years ranged from 65% (big brown bat [Eptesicus fuscus]) to 91% (silver-haired bat [Lasionycteris noctivagans]). Estimated declines were independent of the effects of mitigation (increasing wind speed at which turbines begin to generate electricity from 3.5 to 5.5 m/s), which significantly reduced but did not eliminate bat mortality. Late-summer mortality of hoary (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red (Lasiurus borealis), and silver-haired bats was predicted by woodlot cover, and mortality of big brown bats decreased with increasing elevation. These landscape predictors of bat mortality can inform the siting of future wind energy operations. Our most important result is the apparent decline in abundance of four common species of bat in the airspace, which requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Davy
- Biology DepartmentTrent UniversityPeterboroughOntarioCanada
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring SectionOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and ForestryPeterboroughOntarioK9H 1Z8Canada
| | | | - J. Ryan Zimmerling
- Environment and Climate Change CanadaCanadian Wildlife Service351 St. Joseph BoulevardGatineauQCK1A 0H3Canada
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Vasenkov DA, Vasiliev NS, Sidorchuk NV, Rozhnov VV. Use of GPS–GSM Trackers in Studying the Biology of the Greater Noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus in Russia. BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s106235902006014x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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8
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Roeleke M, Blohm T, Hoffmeister U, Marggraf L, Schlägel UE, Teige T, Voigt CC. Landscape structure influences the use of social information in an insectivorous bat. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Roeleke
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Univ. Potsdam Am Mühlenweg 3 DE‐14467 Potsdam Germany
| | - Torsten Blohm
- Honorary bat conservationist Prenzlau OT Schönwerder Germany
| | - Uwe Hoffmeister
- Natura Büro für Zoologische und Botanische Fachgutachten Schulzendorf Germany
| | - Lara Marggraf
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Ulrike E. Schlägel
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Univ. Potsdam Am Mühlenweg 3 DE‐14467 Potsdam Germany
| | - Tobias Teige
- Büro für Faunistisch‐Ökologische Fachgutachten Berlin Germany
| | - Christian C. Voigt
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
- Inst. of Biology, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
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Voigt CC, Kravchenko K, Liechti F, Bumrungsri S. Skyrocketing Flights as a Previously Unrecognized Behaviour of Open-Space Foraging Bats. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2019.21.2.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian C. Voigt
- Department Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kseniia Kravchenko
- Department Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Liechti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, CH-6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Sara Bumrungsri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
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Milchram M, Suarez‐Rubio M, Schröder A, Bruckner A. Estimating population density of insectivorous bats based on stationary acoustic detectors: A case study. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:1135-1144. [PMID: 32076503 PMCID: PMC7029071 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Automated recording units are commonly used by consultants to assess environmental impacts and to monitor animal populations. Although estimating population density of bats using stationary acoustic detectors is key for evaluating environmental impacts, estimating densities from call activity data is only possible through recently developed numerical methods, as the recognition of calling individuals is impossible.We tested the applicability of generalized random encounter models (gREMs) for determining population densities of three bat species (Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Northern bat Eptesicus nilssonii, and Natterer's bat Myotis nattereri) based on passively collected acoustical data. To validate the results, we compared them to (a) density estimates from the literature and to (b) Royle-Nichols (RN) models of detection/nondetection data.Our estimates for M. nattereri matched both the published data and RN-model results. For E. nilssonii, the gREM yielded similar estimates to the RN-models, but the published estimates were more than twice as high. This discrepancy might be because the high-altitude flight of E. nilssonii is not accounted for in gREMs. Results of gREMs for P. pipistrellus were supported by published data but were ~10 times higher than those of RN-models. RN-models use detection/nondetection data, and this loss of information probably affected population estimates of very active species like P. pipistrellus.gREM models provided realistic estimates of bat population densities based on automatically recorded call activity data. However, the average flight altitude of species should be accounted for in future analyses. We suggest including flight altitude in the calculation of the detection range to assess the detection sphere more accurately and to obtain more precise density estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Milchram
- Institute of ZoologyDepartment of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Marcela Suarez‐Rubio
- Institute of ZoologyDepartment of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Annika Schröder
- Institute of ZoologyDepartment of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Alexander Bruckner
- Institute of ZoologyDepartment of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity ResearchUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
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11
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Armstrong KN, Broken-Brow J, Hoye G, Ford G, Thomas M, Corben C. Effective detection and identification of sheath-tailed bats of Australian forests and woodlands. AUST J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/zo20044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Assessing the risk to threatened species of population decline from anthropogenic disturbances is challenging when there are issues with species identification, and little is known of their biology, distribution, population size, and habitat preference. The bare-rumped sheath-tailed bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus) is one such species that has a poorly defined distribution over two broad areas of northern Australia. Environmental impact assessments are expected to consider the possibility of its presence in intervening areas outside the known distributions. Our study presents new empirical data that can assist with detection of S. saccolaimus across the entire expanse of northern Australia, provides a critical analysis of acoustics-based identification of the species, and assessed presence within the potentially high value habitat of tall Eucalyptus tetrodonta-dominated forest on the western side of Cape York Peninsula using a combination of trapping and acoustic recordings. Capture of other Saccolaimus species was the greatest of any survey conducted to date in Australia, demonstrating that the capture of these high-flying bat species in tall forest habitats can be relatively effective with mist net arrays hoisted into the tree canopy. In addition, reference echolocation call collections from the focal trapping area plus other locations across northern Australia allowed characterisation and comparison of the calls of most low-frequency-emitting (LFE) echolocating bat species of northern Australia. In addition to separation of species-specific search phase call types using multivariate statistics, a compilation of features from search phase, approach phase and feeding buzz echolocation calls will help distinguish S. saccolaimus from most other LFE species. However, the similarity of the echolocation calls of S. mixtus and S. saccolaimus prevented them from being distinguished from one another. A multi-method approach that emulates the present study and incorporates our recommendations and cautions will lead to robustness in ecological studies and greater clarity in environmental impact assessments.
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Highly selective roosting of the giant noctule bat and its astonishing foraging activity by GPS tracking in a mountain environment. MAMMAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-019-00446-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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13
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Nguyen TN, Ruangwiset A, Bumrungsri S. Vertical stratification in foraging activity of Chaerephon plicatus (Molossidae, Chiroptera) in Central Thailand. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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15
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Ruadreo N, Voigt CC, Bumrungsri S. Large Dietary Niche Overlap of Sympatric Open-space Foraging Bats Revealed by Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotopes. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.2.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nittaya Ruadreo
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Christian C. Voigt
- Department Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sara Bumrungsri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
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16
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The Monumental Mistake of Evicting Bats from Archaeological Sites—A Reflection from New Delhi. HERITAGE 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/heritage2010036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
We highlight the importance of an integrated management policy for archaeological monuments and the insect-eating bats that roost inside them. We refer to India, but the issue is general and of worldwide significance. There is increasing evidence that the ecosystem services provided by insect-eating bats in agricultural fields are of vital economic importance, which is likely to increase as chemical pest-control methods become inefficient due to evolving multi-resistance in insects. We visited five archaeological sites in the city of New Delhi. We found bats at all five locations, and three of them harbored large colonies (many thousands) of mouse-tailed bats and tomb bats. These bats likely disperse over extensive areas to feed, including agricultural fields in the vicinity and beyond. All insect-eating bats should be protected and properly managed as a valuable resource at the archaeological sites where they occur. We firmly believe that “fear” of bats can be turned into curiosity by means of education and that their presence should instead enhance the value of the sites. We suggest some means to protect the bats roosting inside the buildings, while mitigating potential conflicts with archaeological and touristic interests.
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Amorim F, Jorge I, Beja P, Rebelo H. Following the water? Landscape-scale temporal changes in bat spatial distribution in relation to Mediterranean summer drought. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5801-5814. [PMID: 29938094 PMCID: PMC6010748 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how the spatial distribution of ecological resources shapes species' diversity and abundance in human-modified landscapes is a central theme in conservation biology. However, studies often disregard that such patterns may vary over time, thereby potentially missing critical environmental constraints to species persistence. This may be particularly important in highly mobile species such as bats, which are able to track temporal variations in spatial resource distribution. Here we test the hypothesis that bats in Mediterranean landscapes are strongly affected by the progressive reduction in water availability during the seasonal summer drought. We analyzed the effects of landscape composition and structure on bat diversity and activity, during pregnancy, lactation, and postlactation periods, and identified the most influential variables within and across periods. Water bodies showed the strongest positive effect on bats, followed by riparian habitats and areas with steeper (>30%) slopes. However, while during pregnancy, there were only small landscape effects, these increased during lactation and postlactation, highlighting a progressively stronger association with water habitats during the summer drought. The spatial projection of habitat models showed that the landscape distribution of bat diversity and activity hotspots changed markedly over time. During pregnancy, the spatial pattern of hotspot distribution was weakly defined, while during lactation and particularly postlactation, there was a concentration of hotspots along permanently flowing watercourses. Our study highlights that permanently flowing watercourses are critical for bat conservation in Mediterranean landscapes, calling for measures to counteract their ongoing degradation due in particular to climate change, water abstraction and damming. More generally, our study underlines the importance of considering the temporal dimension in habitat selection studies, without which there is the risk of overlooking the importance of habitats that are key for species persistence only at certain times of the year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Amorim
- CIBIO‐InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoPortoPortugal
- CEABN‐InBIOCentre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”Institute of AgronomyUniversity of LisbonLisbonPortugal
- Faculty of SciencesUniversity of PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Inês Jorge
- Faculty of SciencesUniversity of PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Pedro Beja
- CIBIO‐InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoPortoPortugal
- CEABN‐InBIOCentre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”Institute of AgronomyUniversity of LisbonLisbonPortugal
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO‐InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoPortoPortugal
- CEABN‐InBIOCentre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”Institute of AgronomyUniversity of LisbonLisbonPortugal
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
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18
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Voigt CC, Currie SE, Fritze M, Roeleke M, Lindecke O. Conservation Strategies for Bats Flying at High Altitudes. Bioscience 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biy040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christian C Voigt
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, Germany
| | - Shannon E Currie
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus Fritze
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuel Roeleke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Lindecke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, in Berlin, Germany
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