Food habits of the barbastelle bat <i>Barbastella barbastellus</i>

Rydell, Jens; Natuschke, Guenther; Theiler, Alex; Zingg, Peter E.

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1996.tb00155.x

Cited by 35 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In studies carried out by conventional (i.e. non-molecular) analysis of bat dropping contents such as those available for B. barbastellus (Beck 1995;Rydell et al 1996;Sierro and Arlettaz 1997) the various moth families featuring in diet are usually not recognised from prey remains. However, in both study sites we dealt with, two families (Pyralidae and Geometridae) rated second and third in frequency after the dominant Arctiidae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconsidering the importance of harvested forests for the conservation of tree-dwelling bats

et al. 2010

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Intensively managed forests are often seen as of low priority to preserve forest bats. The main conservation strategy recommended, i.e. saving unmanaged ''habitat islands'' from logging to preserve some suitable habitat, detracts conservationists' attention from ameliorating conditions for bats in harvested sites. We studied the threatened bat Barbastella barbastellus, mostly roosting in snags, in two beech forests: an unmanaged forest-the main maternity site-and a nearby, periodically logged area. We compared roost availability, roost use, capture rates, food availability and movement between these areas. The managed forest had a greater canopy closure, fewer dead trees, a smaller tree diameter and trees bearing fewer cavities than the unmanaged one. These differences helped explain the larger number of bats recorded in the unmanaged forest, where the sex ratio was skewed towards females. Prey availability was similar in both areas. We radiotracked bats to 49 day roosts. Five individuals caught in the managed area roosted in the unmanaged one at 6.7-8.2 km from the capture site. Few bats roosted in the managed forest, but those doing so proved flexible, using live trees and even rock crevices. Therefore, bats utilise areas in the matrix surrounding optimal roosting sites and sometimes roost there, highlighting the conservation potential of harvested forests. Besides leaving unmanaged patches, at least small numbers of dead trees should be retained in logged areas to favour population expansion and landscape connectivity. Our findings also question the validity of adopting presence records as indicators of forest quality on a site scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To account for the possible influence of differences in food availability between the two sites on the numbers of bats observed, we also recorded the occurrence of moths (favoured food of B. barbastellus: Rydell et al 1996;Sierro and Arlettaz 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconsidering the importance of harvested forests for the conservation of tree-dwelling bats

et al. 2010

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“…The western barbastelle is a medium-sized bat, occurring in Europe from southern England to the Caucasus, which preferentially inhabits forests (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997;Rydell and Bogda nowicz, 1997;Sierro, 1999) and feeds predominantly on moths (Beck, 1995;Rydell et al, 1996;Sierro and Arlettaz, 1997). Sierro and Arlettaz (1997) studied the diet of B. barbastellus in association with food availability and moths were heavily selected; however, the authors believed that smaller moths (wingspan < 30 mm) were the prevailing prey category.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey Selection and Seasonal Diet Changes in the Western Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus)

Andreas¹,

Reiter²,

Benda³

2012

Acta Chiropterologica

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“…The minimum number of each prey type and approximate volume represented by each type was determined for 75 droppings (WHITAKER 1988) from the three localities. The frequency of each prey type was determined by adding the minimum numbers (RYDELL et al 1996) of individuals found in each dropping and dividing the number of individuals of each prey type by the total number recovered. Assuming that all droppings represented equal parts of a whole sample, the relative volume represented by each species was estimated by adding the percentage volumes for each item (RYDELL et al 1996).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in the diet of Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat,Rhinolophus mehelyi, in three contrasting environments in western Iran

Sharifi

Hemmati

2004

Zoology in the Middle East

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The diet of Rhinolophus mehelyi was investigated through analysis of droppings collected from three maternity roosts in northern Zagros, mid-Zagros and the northern Mesopotamian plain. Moths (Lepidoptera) dominated in all areas (34.9-69.5% volume). The second most important food items in the northern Mesopotamian plain and the mid-Zagros are beetles (Coleoptera, 12.6-28.2% volume), while in northern Zagros Homoptera (16% volume) are the next important food items. The diet of R. mehelyi in northern Zagros is characterized by a low proportion of Coleoptera (10%) and the presence of more diverse prey species (12 categories). In the northern Mesopotamian plain and in mid-Zagros, the food items consist mainly of lepidopteran and coleopteran species with fewer additional prey species. Species groups occurring only in the diet of Mehely's Horseshoe Bat in the northern Zagros are Odonata, Trichoptera, Dictyoptera and Acarina.Kurzfassung. Die Nahrung von Rhinolophus mehelyi wurde mittels Kotanalysen in drei Höhlen im nördlichen Zagrosgebirge, im mittleren Zagros und im nördlichen Mesopotamien untersucht. Nachtschmetterlinge (Lepidoptera) waren in allen drei Gebieten dominant (34,5% Volumenanteile). Die nächsthäufigste Gruppe in der Nahrung stellen in der nordmesopotamischen Tiefebene und im mittleren Zagros Käfer (Coleoptera: 12,6-28,2% Volumenanteil) dar, während im nördlichen Zagros Homoptera (16% Volumenanteil) folgen. Die Nahrung von R. mehelyi im nördlichen Zagros kann durch einen geringen Anteil an Coleoptera (10%) und durch ein breites Nahrungsspektrum (12 Artengruppen) charakterisiert werden. In der nordmesopotamischen Tiefebene und im mittleren Zagros besteht die Nahrung hauptsächlich aus Nachtfaltern und Käfern, mit geringeren Anteilen an anderen Insektengruppen. Artengruppen, die nur in der Nahrung im nördlichen Zagros vorkommen, sind Odonata, Trichoptera, Dictyoptera und Acarina.

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Food habits of the barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus

Cited by 35 publications

References 14 publications

Reconsidering the importance of harvested forests for the conservation of tree-dwelling bats

Reconsidering the importance of harvested forests for the conservation of tree-dwelling bats

Prey Selection and Seasonal Diet Changes in the Western Barbastelle Bat (Barbastella barbastellus)

Variation in the diet of Mehely’s Horseshoe Bat,Rhinolophus mehelyi, in three contrasting environments in western Iran

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