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Hermans C, Litovska I, de Pastors M, Visser ME, Spoelstra K. Artificial light at night drives diel activity patterns of synanthropic pipistrelle bats and their prey. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 940:173699. [PMID: 38830420 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The use of artificial light at night (ALAN) has increased drastically worldwide over the last decades. ALAN can have major effects on nocturnal communities, including insects and bats. Insects are attracted to street lights and few bat species take advantage of this by foraging on the attracted insects. ALAN potentially affects the temporal patterns of insect abundance and thereby bat foraging behaviour. In a natural dark environment, these patterns are usually bimodal, with an activity peak in the early evening and the morning. Little is known about how ALAN affects insect presence throughout the night, and whether the light spectrum plays a role. This is important, as these temporal changes may be a key driver of disturbances in bat-insect interactions. Here, we studied how white and red light affect insects' and bats' nightly activity patterns. The activity of insects and bats (Pipistrellus spp.) was recorded throughout the night at seven experimentally illuminated sites in a forest-edge ecosystem. ALAN disrupted activity patterns, with both insects and bats being more active throughout the night. ALAN facilitated all-night foraging in bats especially near white light, but these effects were attenuated near red light. The ability to forage throughout the night may be a key advantage causing synanthropic bats to dominate in illuminated environments, but this could also prove detrimental in the long term. As red light reduced disturbing effects of ALAN on insects and bats diel activity pattern, it opens the possibility of using spectral composition as a mitigation measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Hermans
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Iryna Litovska
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mélyssa de Pastors
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kamiel Spoelstra
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands
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2
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Vescera C, Van Vyve C, Smits Q, Michaux JR. All-you-can-eat buffet: A spider-specialized bat species (Myotis emarginatus) turns into a pest fly eater around cattle. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302028. [PMID: 38718094 PMCID: PMC11078406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining the dietary spectrum of European insectivorous bats over time is the cornerstone of their conservation, as it will aid our understanding of foraging behavior plasticity in response to plummeting insect populations. Despite the global decline in insects, a restricted number of arthropod pest species thrive. Yet past research has overlooked the potential of European bats to suppress pests harmful to woodlands or livestock, in spite of their economic relevance. Here we investigated the diet composition, its breeding season variations and pest consumption of an insectivorous bat species (Myotis emarginatus), at the northern edge of its range (Wallonia, Belgium). We also explored the prey ecology to gain insight into the hunting strategies and foraging habitats of this bat species. We used DNA metabarcoding to amplify two COI markers within 195 bat droppings collected in June, July and August, thereby identifying 512 prey taxa predominated by Diptera, Araneae and Lepidoptera. Overall, in 97% of the samples we detected at least one of the 58 potential pest taxa, 41 of which targeting trees. The June samples were marked by a diet rich in orb-weaver spiders, in accordance with the archetypal diet of M. emarginatus bats. However, during the highly energy demanding July-August parturition and lactation period, roughly 55% of the dropping samples contained two cattle fly pests (Stomoxys calcitrans and Musca domestica). Moreover, among the 88 Diptera species preyed upon by M. emarginatus in July and August, these flies accounted for around 50% of the taxa occurrences. This plasticity-the switch from a spider-rich to a fly-rich diet-seems providential considering the dramatic ongoing drop in insect populations but this involves ensuring bat-friendly cattle farming. Our results revealed that bats widely consume pest entomofauna, thereby highlighting their potential role as allies of forest managers and farmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Vescera
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Quentin Smits
- Département de l’Etude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (DEMNA), Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Johan R. Michaux
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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3
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Zhu D, Liu Y, Gong L, Si M, Wang Q, Feng J, Jiang T. The Consumption and Diversity Variation Responses of Agricultural Pests and Their Dietary Niche Differentiation in Insectivorous Bats. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:815. [PMID: 38473199 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are generalist predators and can flexibly respond to fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of insect prey. To better understand the effects of bats on arthropod pests, the types of pests eaten by bats and the response of bats to insect prey need to be determined. In this study, we performed DNA metabarcoding to examine prey composition and pest diversity in the diets of four insectivorous species of bats (Hipposideros armiger, Taphozous melanopogon, Aselliscus stoliczkanus, and Miniopterus fuliginosus). We evaluated the correlation between bat activity and insect resources and assessed dietary niche similarity and niche breadth among species and factors that influence prey consumption in bats. We found that the diets of these bats included arthropods from 23 orders and 200 families, dominated by Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The proportion of agricultural pests in the diet of each of the four species of bats exceeded 40% and comprised 713 agricultural pests, including those that caused severe economic losses. Bats responded to the availability of insects. For example, a higher abundance of insects, especially Lepidoptera, and a higher insect diversity led to an increase in the duration of bat activity. In areas with more abundant insects, the number of bat passes also increased. The dietary composition, diversity, and niches differed among species and were particularly significant between H. armiger and T. melanopogon; the dietary niche width was the greatest in A. stoliczkanus and the narrowest in H. armiger. The diet of bats was correlated with their morphological and echolocation traits. Larger bats preyed more on insects in the order Coleoptera, whereas the proportion of bats consuming insects in the order Lepidoptera increased as the body size decreased. Bats that emitted echolocation calls with a high peak frequency and duration preyed more on insects in the order Mantodea. Our results suggest that dietary niche differentiation promotes the coexistence of different bat species and increases the ability of bats to consume insect prey and agricultural pests. Our findings provide greater insights into the role of bats that prey on agricultural pests and highlight the importance of combining bat conservation with integrated pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Yingying Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Lixin Gong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Man Si
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Qiuya Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
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Augusto AM, Raposeira H, Horta P, Mata VA, Aizpurua O, Alberdi A, Jones G, Razgour O, Santos SAP, Russo D, Rebelo H. Bat diversity boosts ecosystem services: Evidence from pine processionary moth predation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169387. [PMID: 38110100 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Coniferous forests contribute to the European economy; however, they have experienced a decline since the late 1990s due to an invasive pest known as the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa. The impacts of this pest are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. Traditional control strategies involving pesticides have had negative effects on public health and the environment. Instead, forest managers seek a more ecological and sustainable approach to management that promotes the natural actions of pest control agents. This study aims to evaluate the role of bats in suppressing pine processionary moths in pine forests and examine how the bat community composition and abundance influence pest consumption. Bats were sampled in the mountainous environment of the Serra da Estrela in central Portugal to collect faecal samples for DNA meta-barcoding analysis. We assessed the relationship between a) bat richness, b) bat relative abundance, c) bat diet richness, and the frequency of pine processionary moth consumption. Our findings indicate that sites with the highest bat species richness and abundance exhibit the highest levels of pine processionary moth consumption. The intensity of pine processionary moth consumption is independent of insect diversity within the site. The highest occurrence of pine processionary moth presence in bat diets is primarily observed in species that forage in cluttered habitats. A typical predator of pine processionary moths among bats is likely to be a forest-dwelling species that specialises in consuming Lepidoptera. These species primarily use short-range echolocation calls, which are relatively inaudible to tympanate moths, suitable for locating prey in cluttered environments, employing a gleaning hunting strategy. Examples include species from the genera Plecotus, Myotis, and Rhinolophus. This study enhances our understanding of the potential pest consumption services provided by bats in pine forests. The insights gained from this research can inform integrated pest management practices in forestry.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Augusto
- ICS, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Aníbal de Bettencourt, 9, 1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - H Raposeira
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
| | - P Horta
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
| | - V A Mata
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - O Aizpurua
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - A Alberdi
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - O Razgour
- Biosciences, University of Exeter, Hatherly Laboratories, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - S A P Santos
- Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, ESTBarreiro, Rua Américo da Silva Marinho, 2839-001 Lavradio, Portugal; LEAF-Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Center, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - D Russo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, I-80055 Portici, Napoli, Italy
| | - H Rebelo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, ESS, Campus da Estefanilha, Setúbal, Portugal; NBI, Natural Business Intelligence, Régia Douro Park, 5000-033 Andrães, Vila Real, Portugal
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Janssen D, González-Miras E, Rodríguez E. Tuta absoluta-Specific DNA in Domestic and Synanthropic Vertebrate Insectivore Feces. INSECTS 2023; 14:673. [PMID: 37623383 PMCID: PMC10456033 DOI: 10.3390/insects14080673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The ecology of greenhouse pests generally involves parasitoid or predatory insects. However, we investigated whether the leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is part of the diet of domestic and synanthropic vertebrate animals, such as birds, reptiles, and mammals, and that take part in an ecosystem that contains a high density of tomato greenhouses. Feces from domesticated partridges, common quails, and chickens, as well as from wild lizards were collected within tomato greenhouses, and fecal pellets from bats, swallows, common swifts, and house martins living in the vicinity of tomato greenhouses were collected outside. The efficiencies of three different DNA extraction methods were compared on bird, reptile, and mammal stool samples, and the DNA extracts were analyzed using probe real-time PCR for the presence of T. absoluta DNA. The results showed that bats fed on the pest, which was also part of the diet of several bird species: partridges and common quails kept within tomato greenhouses and swallows and common swifts living outside but in the vicinity of tomato greenhouses. In addition, fecal samples of three lizard species living near tomato crops also tested positive for T. absoluta DNA. The results suggest that aerial foraging bats and insectivorous birds are part of ecosystems that involve leaf miners and tomato greenhouses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Janssen
- Department of Sustainable Crop Protection, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Paraje San Nicolás, Autovía del Mediterráneo, Exit 420, E-04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain;
| | - Emilio González-Miras
- SERBAL (Sociedad para Estudio y la Recuperación de la Biodiversidad Almeriense), E-04720 Almeria, Spain;
| | - Estefanía Rodríguez
- Department of Sustainable Crop Protection, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Paraje San Nicolás, Autovía del Mediterráneo, Exit 420, E-04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain;
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6
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Beilke EA, O'Keefe JM. Bats reduce insect density and defoliation in temperate forests: An exclusion experiment. Ecology 2023; 104:e3903. [PMID: 36310413 PMCID: PMC10078224 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Bats suppress insect populations in agricultural ecosystems, yet the question of whether bats initiate trophic cascades in forests is mainly unexplored. We used a field experiment to test the hypothesis that insectivorous bats reduce defoliation through the top-down suppression of forest-defoliating insects. We excluded bats from 20 large, subcanopy forest plots (opened daily to allow birds access), each paired with an experimental control plot, during three summers between 2018 and 2020 in the central hardwood region of the United States. We monitored leaf area changes and insect density for nine to 10 oak or hickory seedlings per plot. Insect density was three times greater on seedlings in bat-excluded versus control plots. Additionally, seedling defoliation was five times greater with bats excluded, and bats' impact on defoliation was three times greater for oaks than for hickories. We show that insectivorous bats drive top-down trophic cascades, play an integral role in forest ecosystems, and may ultimately influence forest health, structure, and composition. This work demonstrates insectivorous bats' ecological and economic value and the importance of conserving this highly imperiled group of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Beilke
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and ConservationIndiana State UniversityTerre HauteIndianaUSA
| | - Joy M. O'Keefe
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and ConservationIndiana State UniversityTerre HauteIndianaUSA
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7
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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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8
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Faria S, Barros P, Bacelar E, Santos M, Carvalho D, Vale-Gonçalves H, Braz L, Travassos P, Cabral JA. A seasonal multi-level trophic approach for bat habitat suitability assessments in peri-urban deciduous forests. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01560-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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9
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Banko PC, Peck RW, Yelenik SG, Paxton EH, Bonaccorso F, Montoya‐Aiona K, Hughes RF, Perakis S. Hypotheses and lessons from a native moth outbreak in a low‐diversity, tropical rainforest. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paul C. Banko
- Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center U.S. Geological Survey Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
| | - Robert W. Peck
- Hawai‘i Cooperative Studies Unit University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
| | - Stephanie G. Yelenik
- Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center U.S. Geological Survey Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
- Rocky Mountain Research Center U.S. Forest Service Reno Nevada USA
| | - Eben H. Paxton
- Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center U.S. Geological Survey Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
| | - Frank Bonaccorso
- Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center U.S. Geological Survey Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
| | - Kristina Montoya‐Aiona
- Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center U.S. Geological Survey Hawai‘i National Park Hawai'i USA
| | - R. Flint Hughes
- Institute for Pacific Island Forestry U.S. Forest Service Hilo Hawai'i USA
| | - Steven Perakis
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon USA
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10
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Baroja U, Garin I, Vallejo N, Caro A, Ibáñez C, Basso A, Goiti U. Molecular assays to reliably detect and quantify predation on a forest pest in bats faeces. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2243. [PMID: 35145165 PMCID: PMC8831491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06195-7] [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: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted molecular methods such as conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR), combined with species-specific primers and probes, are widely applied for pest species detection. Besides, the potential of qPCR to quantify DNA in samples makes it an invaluable molecular tool to infer the predation levels on specific prey by analysing predators’ stools. Nevertheless, studies on the diet of bats failed to find any empirical relationship, and it remains to be evaluated. Thus, we developed and evaluated two species-specific PCR assays to detect and quantify DNA of a major forest pest, the pine processionary, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, in bats’ faeces. Further, we empirically compared a range of different known DNA concentrations (input) of the target species mixed with mocks and bat faecal samples against DNA abundances yielded by qPCR (output) for a quantitative assessment. Overall, cPCR showed a lower detection rate than qPCR, but augmenting the replicate effort from one to three replicates led to a greater increase in the detection rate of the cPCR (from 57 to 80%) than the qPCR (from 90 to 99%). The quantitative experiment results showed a highly significant correlation between the input and output DNA concentrations (t = 10.84, p < 0.001) with a mean slope value of 1.05, indicating the accuracy of our qPCR assay to estimate DNA abundance of T. pityocampa in bat faeces. The framework of this study can be taken as a model to design similar assays applicable to other species of interest, such as agricultural pests or insects of public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unai Baroja
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Inazio Garin
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Nerea Vallejo
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Amaia Caro
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Andrea Basso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università, 10, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Urtzi Goiti
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
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Hornok S, Berkecz R, Sós E, Sándor AD, Körmöczi T, Solymosi N, Kontschán J, Hunyadi A. Arthropod moulting hormones (ecdysteroids) are present in the blood of insectivorous bats. Mamm Rev 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine István u. 2 1078 BudapestHungary
| | - Róbert Berkecz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis University of Szeged Somogyi u. 4 6720 SzegedHungary
| | - Endre Sós
- Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden Állatkerti krt. 6‐12 1146 BudapestHungary
| | - Attila D. Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology University of Veterinary Medicine István u. 2 1078 Budapest
- Hungary and Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Calea Mănăștur 3‐5 Cluj‐Napoca400372Romania
| | - Tímea Körmöczi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Analysis University of Szeged Somogyi u. 4 6720 SzegedHungary
| | - Norbert Solymosi
- Centre for Bioinformatics University of Veterinary Medicine István u. 2 1078 BudapestHungary
| | - Jenő Kontschán
- Plant Protection Institute Centre for Agricultural Research, ELKH Herman Ottó út 15 1022 BudapestHungary
| | - Attila Hunyadi
- Institute of Pharmacognosy Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre University of Szeged Eötvös u. 6 6720 SzegedHungary
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Natural Products University of Szeged Eötvös u. 6 6720 SzegedHungary
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12
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Barré K, Vernet A, Azam C, Le Viol I, Dumont A, Deana T, Vincent S, Challéat S, Kerbiriou C. Landscape composition drives the impacts of artificial light at night on insectivorous bats. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118394. [PMID: 34687777 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Among the most prevalent sources of biodiversity declines, Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is an emerging threat to global biodiversity. Much knowledge has already been gained to reduce impacts. However, the spatial variation of ALAN effects on biodiversity in interaction with landscape composition remains little studied, though it is of the utmost importance to identify lightscapes most in need of action. Several studies have shown that, at local scale, tree cover can intensify positive or negative effects of ALAN on biodiversity, but none have - at landscape scale - studied a wider range of landscape compositions around lit sites. We hypothesized that the magnitude of ALAN effects will depend on landscape composition and species' tolerance to light. Taking the case of insectivorous bats because of their varying sensitivity to ALAN, we investigated the species-specific activity response to ALAN. Bat activity was recorded along a gradient of light radiance. We ensured a large variability in landscape composition around 253 sampling sites. Among the 13 bat taxa studied, radiance decreased the activity of two groups of the slow-flying gleaner guild (Myotis and Plecotus spp.) and one species of the aerial-hawking guild (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), and increased the activity of two species of the aerial-hawking guild (Pipistrellus kuhlii and Pipistrellus pygmaeus). Among these five effects, the magnitude of four of them was driven by landscape composition. For five other species, ALAN effects were only detectable in particular landscape compositions, making the main effect of radiance undetectable without account for interactions with landscape. Specifically, effects were strongest in non-urban habitats, for both guilds. Results highlight the importance to prioritize ALAN reduction efforts in non-urban habitats, and how important is to account for landscape composition when studying ALAN effects on bats to avoid missing effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Barré
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France; Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Station de Biologie Marine, 1 Place de la Croix, 29900, Concarneau, France.
| | - Arthur Vernet
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Maison de l'environnement, 14 Avenue Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Clémentine Azam
- Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature, Musée de l'Homme, 17 Place Du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Le Viol
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France; Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Station de Biologie Marine, 1 Place de la Croix, 29900, Concarneau, France
| | - Agathe Dumont
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Maison de l'environnement, 14 Avenue Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Thomas Deana
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Maison de l'environnement, 14 Avenue Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Stéphane Vincent
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Maison de l'environnement, 14 Avenue Tony Garnier, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Samuel Challéat
- UMR CNRS 5602 GÉODE, INÉE-CNRS 3 Rue Michel-Ange, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Christian Kerbiriou
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, CP 135, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France; Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Station de Biologie Marine, 1 Place de la Croix, 29900, Concarneau, France
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13
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Erasmy M, Leuschner C, Balkenhol N, Dietz M. Three-dimensional stratification pattern in an old-growth lowland forest: How does height in canopy and season influence temperate bat activity? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17273-17288. [PMID: 34938507 PMCID: PMC8668798 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of animal-habitat interactions is of primary importance for the formulation of conservation recommendations. Flying, gliding, and climbing animals have the ability to exploit their habitat in a three-dimensional way, and the vertical canopy structure in forests plays an essential role for habitat suitability. Forest bats as flying mammals may seasonally shift their microhabitat use due to differing energy demands or changing prey availability, but the patterns are not well understood. We investigated three-dimensional and seasonal habitat use by insectivorous bats in a temperate lowland old-growth forest, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus. We acoustically sampled broadleaved and mixed coniferous plots in the forest interior and in gaps in three heights during two reproductive periods (pregnancy/lactation vs. postlactation). In canopy gaps, vertical stratification in bat activity was less pronounced than in the forest interior. Vertical activity patterns differed among species. The upper canopy levels were important foraging habitats for the open-space forager guild and for some edge-space foragers like the Barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus and the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Myotis species had highest activity levels near the ground in forest gaps. Moreover, we found species-dependent seasonal microhabitat shifts. Generally, all species and species groups considered except Myotis species showed higher activity levels during postlactation. Myotis species tended toward higher activity in the forest interior during postlactation. P. pygmaeus switched from high activity levels in the upper canopy during pregnancy and lactation to high activity levels near the ground during postlactation. We conclude that a full comprehension of forest bat habitat use is only possible when height in canopy and seasonal patterns are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maude Erasmy
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems ResearchAlbrecht‐von‐Haller Institute for Plant SciencesUniversity of GoettingenGoettingenGermany
| | - Christoph Leuschner
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems ResearchAlbrecht‐von‐Haller Institute for Plant SciencesUniversity of GoettingenGoettingenGermany
| | - Niko Balkenhol
- Wildlife SciencesFaculty of Forest SciencesUniversity of GoettingenGoettingenGermany
| | - Markus Dietz
- Institute for Animal Ecology and Nature EducationLaubachGermany
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14
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Roemer C, Julien J, Bas Y. An automatic classifier of bat sonotypes around the world. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Roemer
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université) Paris France
- CEFEUniversité de MontpellierCNRSEPHEIRDUniversité Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
| | - Jean‐François Julien
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université) Paris France
| | - Yves Bas
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université) Paris France
- CEFEUniversité de MontpellierCNRSEPHEIRDUniversité Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
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15
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Mirts HE, McLaughlin JP, Weller TJ, White AM, Young HS, Sollmann R. Bats in the megafire: assessing species’ site use in a postfire landscape in the Sierra Nevada. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Large high-severity fires are increasing in frequency in many parts of the world, including the coniferous forests of the Sierra Nevada mountains. These “megafires” alter vegetation and environmental conditions in forests, yet their impacts on native wildlife remain poorly understood. Bats play an important role in forest ecosystems, but their responses to megafires likewise are understudied. We investigated bat responses to the King Fire, a megafire that burned nearly 40,000 ha within the Eldorado National Forest in 2014, half of it at high severity. From June to September 2017, we used remote acoustic recorders to survey bats at 26 sites with varying fire severity (unburned, mixed, and high severity). We analyzed data with Royle–Nichols occupancy models to investigate how bat space use was influenced by megafires, and whether this response was driven by prey availability, fire severity, or fire-altered habitat conditions. We calculated prey species richness, biomass, and abundance, from moths sampled with blacklight surveys. Vegetation covariates included tree density, canopy cover, and shrub density, measured along vegetation transects. To capture general effects of fire, we also included fire severity and the percentage of dead trees as potential covariates on space use. Prey variables were highest in unburned forests, were the most common predictors of, and generally had positive effects on bat space use. Responses to tree density and canopy cover varied by species; the most common vegetation covariate, shrub density, had weak positive effects on bat space use. In spite of the varying prey and vegetation conditions across fire severity categories, most bats showed weak to no response in space use to fire severity and tree mortality. We attribute this to the highly mobile nature of bats, which reduces the impact of potentially negative local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley E Mirts
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - John P McLaughlin
- Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Theodore J Weller
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Angela M White
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Rahel Sollmann
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Ecological Dynamics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
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16
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Abstract
Moths (Lepidoptera) are major agricultural and forest pests in many parts of the world, including Europe, with many causing great economic damage to crops, horticultural plants, stored items, and wool products. Here, we focus on two ecologically similar inchworms, Operophtera brumata and Erannis defoliaria, known for their high foliage consumption during the spring emergence of caterpillars. We hypothesise that bats could play a role in reducing pests such as caterpillars by switching to this abundant emerging prey. At two infested and one control forest sites, caterpillars were sampled during spring to determine levels of infestation. At the same time, bat flight activity was monitored during the peak in caterpillar abundance. During the spring caterpillar outbreak, we collected faecal samples of forest-dwelling bats capable of using gleaning. The majority of samples were positive for our focus species, being 51.85% for O. brumata and 29.63% for E. defoliaria faecal samples. The foraging activity of two gleaning bats, Myotis nattereri and Myotis bechsteinii, increased at both infested sites, but not at the control site, during caterpillar emergence, as did foraging of Plecotus auritus/austriacus, which used both gleaning and aerial hawking. We conclude that both specialists and occasional gleaners, which prefer different prey but are able to switch their foraging strategies, aggregate at sites during pest emergence and, as such, our results confirm the high potential of bats to reduce numbers of pest species such as caterpillars.
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17
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Tiede J, Diepenbruck M, Gadau J, Wemheuer B, Daniel R, Scherber C. Seasonal variation in the diet of the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus): A high-resolution analysis using DNA metabarcoding. Basic Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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18
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Finch D, Schofield H, Mathews F. Traffic noise playback reduces the activity and feeding behaviour of free-living bats. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 263:114405. [PMID: 32320902 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Increasing levels of road noise are creating new anthropogenic soundscapes that may affect wildlife globally. Bats, which form about a third of all mammal species, are sensitive bioindicators, and may be particularly vulnerable because of their dependency on echolocation. Here we present the first controlled field experiment with free-living bats. Using a Before-After-Control-Impact phantom road experimental design, we examine the impacts of traffic noise on their activity and feeding behaviour. Disentangling the impacts of traffic noise from other co-varying exposures such as habitat quality, the experiment demonstrates a significant negative effect on the activity of each of the five, ecologically different, species (genus for Myotis spp.) examined. This suggests that the results are widely applicable. The negative effects are largely attributable to noise in the sonic spectrum, which elicited aversive responses in all bat species tested,whereas responses to ultrasoundwere restricted to a single species. Our findings demonstrate that traffic noise can affect bat activity at least 20m away from the noise source. For Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus, feeding behaviour, as well as overall activity, was negatively affected. Ecological Impact Assessments are therfore needed wherever there are significant increases in traffic flow, and not just when new roads are built. Further research is required to identify effective mitigation strategies, to delineate the zone of influence of road noise, and to assess whether there is any habituation over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domhnall Finch
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Henry Schofield
- Vincent Wildlife Trust, Bronsil Courtyard, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1EP, UK
| | - Fiona Mathews
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
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19
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Vasko V, Blomberg AS, Vesterinen EJ, Suominen KM, Ruokolainen L, Brommer JE, Norrdahl K, Niemelä P, Laine VN, Selonen V, Lilley TM. Within-season changes in habitat use of forest-dwelling boreal bats. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4164-4174. [PMID: 32489639 PMCID: PMC7244798 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats utilize forests as roosting sites and feeding areas. However, it has not been documented how bats utilize these habitats in the boreal zone with methods afforded by recent technological advances. Forest structure and management practices can create a variety of three-dimensional habitats for organisms capable of flight, such as bats. Here, we study the presence of boreal bats in a forest forming a mosaic of different age classes, dominant tree species, canopy cover, soil fertility, and other environmental variables, throughout their active season in the summer using passive ultrasound detectors. Our results indicate a preference for mature forest by Eptesicus nilssonii and a pooled set of Myotis bats. Both groups of bats also showed temporal changes in their habitat use regarding forest age. In June and July, both groups occurred more often in mature than young forests, but from August onwards, the difference in occurrence became less evident in Myotis and disappeared completely in E. nilssonii. In addition, E. nilssonii was more often present in forests with low canopy cover, and its occurrence shifted from coniferous forests to deciduous forests during the season. The results reflect the within-season dynamics of bat communities and their ability to utilize different types of forest as environmental conditions change. Yet, the results most importantly emphasize the importance of mature forests to bat diversity and the need to conserve such environments in the boreal zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ville Vasko
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | | | | | - Kati M. Suominen
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Lasse Ruokolainen
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyFaculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | | | - Kai Norrdahl
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | | | - Veronika N. Laine
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Vesa Selonen
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Thomas M. Lilley
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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20
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Cohen Y, Bar-David S, Nielsen M, Bohmann K, Korine C. An appetite for pests: Synanthropic insectivorous bats exploit cotton pest irruptions and consume various deleterious arthropods. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1185-1198. [PMID: 32153071 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Conservation biological control (CBC) seeks to minimize the deleterious effects of agricultural pests by enhancing the efficiency of natural enemies. Despite the documented potential of insectivorous bats to consume pests, many synanthropic bat species are still underappreciated as beneficial species. We investigated the diet of Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), a common synanthropic insectivorous bat that forages in urban and agricultural areas, to determine whether it may function as a natural enemy in CBC. Faecal samples of P. kuhlii were collected throughout the cotton-growing season from five roost sites near cotton fields located in a Mediterranean agroecosystem, Israel, and analyzed using DNA metabarcoding. Additionally, data on estimated abundance of major cotton pests were collected. We found that the diet of P. kuhlii significantly varied according to sites and dates and comprised 27 species of agricultural pests that were found in 77.2% of the samples, including pests of key economic concern. The dominant prey was the widespread cotton pest, the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella, found in 31% of the samples and in all the roosts. Pink bollworm abundance was positively correlated with its occurrence in the bat diet. Furthermore, the bats' dietary breadth narrowed, while temporal dietary overlap increased, in relation to increasing frequencies of pink bollworms in the diet. This suggests that P. kuhlii exploits pink bollworm irruptions by opportunistic feeding. We suggest that synanthropic bats provide important pest suppression services, may function as CBC agents of cotton pests and potentially contribute to suppress additional deleterious arthropods found in their diet in high frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Cohen
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Shirli Bar-David
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Martin Nielsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristine Bohmann
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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21
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Top-down pressure by generalist and specialist natural enemies in relation to habitat heterogeneity and resource availability. Basic Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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22
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Kolkert H, Andrew R, Smith R, Rader R, Reid N. Insectivorous bats selectively source moths and eat mostly pest insects on dryland and irrigated cotton farms. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:371-388. [PMID: 31988733 PMCID: PMC6972826 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are efficient predators of pest arthropods in agroecosystems. This pest control service has been estimated to be worth billions of dollars to agriculture globally. However, few studies have explicitly investigated the composition and abundance of dietary prey items consumed or assessed the ratio of pest and beneficial arthropods, making it difficult to evaluate the quality of the pest control service provided. In this study, we used metabarcoding to identify the prey items eaten by insectivorous bats over the cotton-growing season in an intensive cropping region in northern New South Wales, Australia. We found that seven species of insectivorous bat (n = 58) consumed 728 prey species, 13 of which represented around 50% of total prey abundance consumed. Importantly, the identified prey items included major arthropod pests, comprising 65% of prey relative abundance and 13% of prey species recorded. Significant cotton pests such as Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian bollworm) and Achyra affinitalis (cotton webspinner) were detected in at least 76% of bat fecal samples, with Teleogryllus oceanicus (field crickets), Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm), and Crocidosema plebejana (cotton tipworm) detected in 55% of bat fecal samples. Our results indicate that insectivorous bats are selective predators that exploit a narrow selection of preferred pest taxa and potentially play an important role in controlling lepidopteran pests on cotton farms. Our study provides crucial information for farmers to determine the service or disservice provided by insectivorous bats in relation to crops, for on-farm decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Kolkert
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rose Andrew
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rhiannon Smith
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Romina Rader
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Nick Reid
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
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Suárez-Muñoz M, Bonet-García F, Hódar JA, Herrero J, Tanase M, Torres-Muros L. INSTAR: An Agent-Based Model that integrates existing knowledge to simulate the population dynamics of a forest pest. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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24
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O’Keefe JM, Pettit JL, Loeb SC, Stiver WH. White-nose syndrome dramatically altered the summer bat assemblage in a temperate Southern Appalachian forest. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2019.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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25
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Garin I, Aihartza J, Goiti U, Arrizabalaga-Escudero A, Nogueras J, Ibáñez C. Bats from different foraging guilds prey upon the pine processionary moth. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7169. [PMID: 31316870 PMCID: PMC6613530 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Outbreaks of the processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), a forest pest from the Palearctic, are thought to induce a behavioral response of bats, but up to now the moth has been seldom identified as bats’ prey. Studies on bat diets suggest moths with cyclical outbreaks attract a wide array of bat species from different foraging guilds. We test whether bats feed upon T. pityocampa in the Iberian Peninsula irrespective of the predator’s ecological and morphological features. We found that seven out of ten bat species belonging to different foraging guilds contained T. pityocampa DNA in their faeces and no difference was found in the foraging frequency among foraging guilds. A different size of the typical prey or the lack of fondness for moths can explain the absence of the pest in some bat species. Moreover, the intraspecific foraging frequency of T. pityocampa also changed with the sampling site likely representing differential availability of the moth. Lack of information on flight and dispersal behavior or the tympanate nature of the adult moth complicates understanding how different foraging guilds of bats prey upon the same prey. Our data suggests that T. pityocampa is a remarkable food source for many thousands of individual bats in the study area and we anticipate that more bats besides the species studied here are consuming this moth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inazio Garin
- Zoologia eta Animali Zelulen Biologia Saila, UPV/EHU, Leioa, The Basque Country
| | - Joxerra Aihartza
- Zoologia eta Animali Zelulen Biologia Saila, UPV/EHU, Leioa, The Basque Country
| | - Urtzi Goiti
- Zoologia eta Animali Zelulen Biologia Saila, UPV/EHU, Leioa, The Basque Country
| | | | - Jesús Nogueras
- Evolutionary Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Evolutionary Ecology Department, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
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Bat Pass Duration Measurement: An Indirect Measure of Distance of Detection. DIVERSITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11030047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Few reports have been published on detection distances of bat calls because the evaluation of detection distance is complicated. Several of the approaches used to measure detection distances are based on the researcher’s experience and judgment. More recently, multiple microphones have been used to model flight path. In this study, the validity of a low-cost and simple detectability metric was tested. We hypothesize that the duration of an echolocating-bat-pass within the area of an ultrasonic bat detector is correlated with the distance of detection. Two independent datasets from a large-scale acoustic bat survey—a total of 25,786 bat-passes from 20 taxa (18 species and two genera)—were measured. We found a strong relationship between these measures of bat-pass duration and published detection distances. The advantages of bat-pass duration measures are that, for each study, experimenters easily produce their own proxy for the distance of detection. This indirect measure of the distance of detection could be mobilized to monitor the loss in microphone sensitivity used to monitor long-term population trends. Finally, the possibility of producing an index for distance of detection provides a weight for each bat species’ activity when they are aggregated to produce a bat community metric, such as the widely used “total activity”.
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Barbaro L, Allan E, Ampoorter E, Castagneyrol B, Charbonnier Y, De Wandeler H, Kerbiriou C, Milligan HT, Vialatte A, Carnol M, Deconchat M, De Smedt P, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Le Viol I, Muys B, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Verheyen K, van der Plas F. Biotic predictors complement models of bat and bird responses to climate and tree diversity in European forests. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182193. [PMID: 30963868 PMCID: PMC6367190 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats and birds are key providers of ecosystem services in forests. How climate and habitat jointly shape their communities is well studied, but whether biotic predictors from other trophic levels may improve bird and bat diversity models is less known, especially across large bioclimatic gradients. Here, we achieved multi-taxa surveys in 209 mature forests replicated in six European countries from Spain to Finland, to investigate the importance of biotic predictors (i.e. the abundance or activity of defoliating insects, spiders, earthworms and wild ungulates) for bat and bird taxonomic and functional diversity. We found that nine out of 12 bird and bat diversity metrics were best explained when biotic factors were added to models including climate and habitat variables, with a mean gain in explained variance of 38% for birds and 15% for bats. Tree functional diversity was the most important habitat predictor for birds, while bats responded more to understorey structure. The best biotic predictors for birds were spider abundance and defoliating insect activity, while only bat functional evenness responded positively to insect herbivory. Accounting for potential biotic interactions between bats, birds and other taxa of lower trophic levels will help to understand how environmental changes along large biogeographical gradients affect higher-level predator diversity in forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Barbaro
- Dynafor, INRA-INPT, University of Toulouse, Auzeville, France
- CESCO, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-University, Paris, France
| | - Eric Allan
- Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Evy Ampoorter
- Forest & Nature Laboratory, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Hans De Wandeler
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christian Kerbiriou
- CESCO, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-University, Paris, France
| | - Harriet T. Milligan
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University, London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Aude Vialatte
- Dynafor, INRA-INPT, University of Toulouse, Auzeville, France
| | - Monique Carnol
- Laboratory of Plant and Microbial Ecology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Marc Deconchat
- Dynafor, INRA-INPT, University of Toulouse, Auzeville, France
| | - Pallieter De Smedt
- Forest & Nature Laboratory, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hervé Jactel
- Biogeco, INRA, University of Bordeaux, Cestas, France
| | - Julia Koricheva
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University, London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Isabelle Le Viol
- CESCO, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-University, Paris, France
| | - Bart Muys
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Laboratory, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Biodiversity, and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
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Kinney KA, Pintor LM, Byers JE. Does predator-driven, biotic resistance limit the northward spread of the non-native green porcelain crab, Petrolisthes armatus? Biol Invasions 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-018-1821-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Braun de Torrez EC, Ober HK, McCleery RA. Activity of an endangered bat increases immediately following prescribed fire. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Braun de Torrez
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall Gainesville FL 32611 USA
| | - Holly K. Ober
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; 155 Research Road Quincy FL 32351 USA
| | - Robert A. McCleery
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; 314 Newins-Ziegler Hall Gainesville FL 32611 USA
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Barré K, Le Viol I, Julliard R, Chiron F, Kerbiriou C. Tillage and herbicide reduction mitigate the gap between conventional and organic farming effects on foraging activity of insectivorous bats. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1496-1506. [PMID: 29435227 PMCID: PMC5792571 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased use of pesticides and tillage intensification is known to negatively affect biodiversity. Changes in these agricultural practices such as herbicide and tillage reduction have variable effects among taxa, especially at the top of the trophic network including insectivorous bats. Very few studies compared the effects of agricultural practices on such taxa, and overall, only as a comparison of conventional versus organic farming without accurately accounting for underlying practices, especially in conventional where many alternatives exist. Divergent results founded in these previous studies could be driven by this lack of clarification about some unconsidered practices inside both conventional and organic systems. We simultaneously compared, over whole nights, bat activity on contiguous wheat fields of one organic and three conventional farming systems located in an intensive agricultural landscape. The studied organic fields (OT) used tillage (i.e., inversion of soil) without chemical inputs. In studied conventional fields, differences consisted of the following: tillage using few herbicides (T), conservation tillage (i.e., no inversion of soil) using few herbicides (CT), and conservation tillage using more herbicide (CTH), to control weeds. Using 64 recording sites (OT = 12; T = 21; CT = 13; CTH = 18), we sampled several sites per system placed inside the fields each night. We showed that bat activity was always higher in OT than in T systems for two (Pipistrellus kuhlii and Pipistrellus pipistrellus) of three species and for one (Pipistrellus spp.) of two genera, as well as greater species richness. The same results were found for the CT versus T system comparison. CTH system showed higher activity than T for only one genus (Pipistrellus spp.). We did not detect any differences between OT and CT systems, and CT showed higher activity than CTH system for only one species (Pipistrellus kuhlii). Activity in OT of Pipistrellus spp. was overall 3.6 and 9.3 times higher than CTH and T systems, respectively, and 6.9 times higher in CT than T systems. Our results highlight an important benefit of organic farming and contrasted effects in conventional farming. That there were no differences detected between the organic and one conventional system is a major result. This demonstrates that even if organic farming is presently difficult to implement and requires a change of economic context for farmers, considerable and easy improvements in conventional farming are attainable, while maintaining yields and approaching the ecological benefits of organic methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Barré
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationMuséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMCParisFrance
- AgrosolutionsParisFrance
| | - Isabelle Le Viol
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationMuséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMCParisFrance
- Station de biologie marineMuséum National d'Histoire NaturellePlace de la croixConcarneauFrance
| | - Romain Julliard
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationMuséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMCParisFrance
| | - François Chiron
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, AgroParisTechCNRS, Université Paris‐Sud, Université Paris‐SaclayOrsayFrance
| | - Christian Kerbiriou
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationMuséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMCParisFrance
- Station de biologie marineMuséum National d'Histoire NaturellePlace de la croixConcarneauFrance
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Kerbiriou C, Bas Y, Le Viol I, Lorrilliere R, Mougnot J, Julien JF. Potential of bat pass duration measures for studies of bat activity. BIOACOUSTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2017.1423517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kerbiriou
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Ringgold standard institution - Station de Biologie Marine de Concarneau, Place de la croix, 29900 Concarneau, France
| | - Yves Bas
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Le Viol
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Romain Lorrilliere
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Justine Mougnot
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean François Julien
- Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
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Kortmann M, Hurst J, Brinkmann R, Heurich M, Silveyra González R, Müller J, Thorn S. Beauty and the beast: how a bat utilizes forests shaped by outbreaks of an insect pest. Anim Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Kortmann
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach; Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocenter University of Würzburg; Rauhenebrach Germany
| | - J. Hurst
- Freiburg Institute of Applied Animal Ecology; Freiburg Germany
| | - R. Brinkmann
- Freiburg Institute of Applied Animal Ecology; Freiburg Germany
| | - M. Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park; Zoology; Department of Conservation and Research; Grafenau Germany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management; University of Freiburg; Freiburg Germany
| | - R. Silveyra González
- Department of Biometry and Environmental System Analysis; University of Freiburg; Freiburg Germany
| | - J. Müller
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach; Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocenter University of Würzburg; Rauhenebrach Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park; Zoology; Department of Conservation and Research; Grafenau Germany
| | - S. Thorn
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach; Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Biocenter University of Würzburg; Rauhenebrach Germany
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Correction: numerical and functional responses of forest bats to a major insect pest in pine plantations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117652. [PMID: 25625940 PMCID: PMC4308102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
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