LiDAR metrics predict suitable forest foraging areas of endangered Mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis)

Rauchenstein, Katja; Ecker, Klaus; Bader, Elias; Ginzler, Christian; Düggelin, Christoph; Bontadina, Fabio; Obrist, Martin К.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120210

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In particular, understorey vegetation in forests (Clawges et al, 2008; Vogeler et al, 2014) and shrub vegetation such as hedgerows in agricultural landscapes (Pelletier‐Guittier et al, 2020) are often considered important factors for species richness, as they provide nesting and foraging habitats, affect visibility and prey abundance, and alter the near‐surface microclimate (Stickley & Fraterrigo, 2021). On the other hand, vegetation can also act as an obstacle, and it has been shown that forest‐dwelling aerial insectivores, such as some bird species or bats, prefer forests without a shrub layer as an optimal foraging habitat (Lesak et al, 2011; Rauchenstein et al, 2022). Similarly, Torre et al (2022) have shown that the diversity of Mediterranean small mammal communities is negatively affected by the structural complexity of vegetation.…”

Section: Which Vegetation Structure Variables Should Be Provided As S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We assume that stratifying the vegetation vertical structure into three basic layers (i.e., herbs, shrubs, and trees) is usually sufficient for modelling species distributions in temperate forests (e.g., Jones et al, 2013; Lesak et al, 2011; Müller et al, 2010; Rauchenstein et al, 2022), agricultural landscapes (Melin et al, 2018), as well as in early successional habitats (Moudrý et al, 2021). For Europe, we suggest calculating the cover of the herbaceous layer from returns below 1 m, the cover of the shrub layer from returns between 1 and 3 m, and the cover of the tree layer from returns above 3 m (Moudrý et al, 2021).…”

Section: Which Vegetation Structure Variables Should Be Provided As S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation structure derived from airborne laser scanning to assess species distribution and habitat suitability: The way forward

Moudrý

Cord

Gábor

et al. 2022

Diversity and Distributions

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Ecosystem structure, especially vertical vegetation structure, is one of the six essential biodiversity variable classes and is an important aspect of habitat heterogeneity, affecting species distributions and diversity by providing shelter, foraging, and nesting sites. Point clouds from airborne laser scanning (ALS) can be used to derive such detailed information on vegetation structure. However, public agencies usually only provide digital elevation models, which do not provide information on vertical vegetation structure.Calculating vertical structure variables from ALS point clouds requires extensive data processing and remote sensing skills that most ecologists do not have. However, such information on vegetation structure is extremely valuable for many analyses of habitat use and species distribution. We here propose 10 variables that should be easily accessible to researchers and stakeholders through national data portals. In addition, we argue for a consistent selection of variables and their systematic testing, which would allow for continuous improvement of such a list to keep it up-to-date with the latest evidence. This initiative is particularly needed not only to advance ecological and biodiversity research by providing valuable open datasets but also to guide potential users in the face of increasing availability of global vegetation structure products.

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Section: Which Vegetation Structure Variables Should Be Provided As S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Which Vegetation Structure Variables Should Be Provided As S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation structure derived from airborne laser scanning to assess species distribution and habitat suitability: The way forward

Moudrý

Cord

Gábor

et al. 2022

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Some laboratory-based evidence demonstrates that bats use visual and auditory cues to navigate [ 28 ] and fly in stereotyped flight paths [ 29 ], but studies in real-life environments are sparse, most likely because of the labour-intensiveness of 3D flight path assessment. Few studies have studied bats in their natural habitat using remote sensing methods such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) [ 17 , 30 – 33 ]. While aerial laser scan (ALS) was preferred to cover larger areas [ 17 , 31 – 34 ], very fine-scale vegetation information can be obtained at the plot level with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), especially below the canopy, where bats potentially fly to avoid predators or search for prey [ 35 – 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining acoustic tracking and LiDAR to study bat flight behaviour in three-dimensional space

et al. 2023

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Background Habitat structure strongly influences niche differentiation, facilitates predator avoidance, and drives species-specific foraging strategies of bats. Vegetation structure is also a strong driver of echolocation call characteristics. The fine-scale assessment of how bats utilise such structures in their natural habitat is instrumental in understanding how habitat composition shapes flight- and acoustic behaviour. However, it is notoriously difficult to study their species-habitat relationship in situ. Methods Here, we describe a methodology combining Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to characterise three-dimensional vegetation structure and acoustic tracking to map bat behaviour. This makes it possible to study fine-scale use of habitat by bats, which is essential to understand spatial niche segregation in bats. Bats were acoustically tracked with microphone arrays and bat calls were classified to bat guild using automated identification. We did this in multiple LiDAR scanned vegetation plots in forest edge habitat. The datasets were spatially aligned to calculate the distance between bats’ positions and vegetation structures. Results Our results are a proof of concept of combining LiDAR with acoustic tracking. Although it entails challenges with combining mass-volumes of fine-scale bat movements and vegetation information, we show the feasibility and potential of combining those two methods through two case studies. The first one shows stereotyped flight patterns of pipistrelles around tree trunks, while the second one presents the distance that bats keep to the vegetation in the presence of artificial light. Conclusion By combining bat guild specific spatial behaviour with precise information on vegetation structure, the bat guild specific response to habitat characteristics can be studied in great detail. This opens up the possibility to address yet unanswered questions on bat behaviour, such as niche segregation or response to abiotic factors in interaction with natural vegetation. This combination of techniques can also pave the way for other applications linking movement patterns of other vocalizing animals and 3D space reconstruction.

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“…For example, trail cameras have revolutionized our understanding of animal habitat use and activity patterns at the population level (Green et al., 2020), while GPS tracking has given insight into the processes underpinning complex movement decisions of individual animals (Hebblewhite & Haydon, 2010). Over the past decade, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) methods such as airborne laser scanning (ALS) have been increasingly used to assess how physical habitat structure influences animal ecology and behaviour across a range of taxa in terrestrial and aquatic environments (Acebes et al., 2021; Davies & Asner, 2014; Goetz et al., 2014; Rauchenstein et al., 2022; Wedding et al., 2019). However, when measuring structural characteristics of more closed habitats such as forest understory vegetation, the density and height of the overstory can limit the accuracy of ALS (Campbell et al., 2018; Hull & Shipley, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Horizontal viewsheds of large herbivores as a function of woodland structure

Gresham,

Healey,

Eichhorn

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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There is great potential for the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to quantify aspects of habitat structure in the study of animal ecology and behaviour. Viewsheds—the area visible from a given position—influence an animal's perception of risk and ability to respond to potential danger. The management and conservation of large herbivores and their habitats can benefit greatly from understanding how vegetation structure shapes viewsheds and influences animal activity patterns and foraging behaviour. This study aimed to identify how woodland understory structure influenced horizontal viewsheds at deer eye height. Mobile TLS was used in August 2020 to quantify horizontal visibility—in the form of Viewshed Coefficients (VC)—and understory leaf area index (LAI) of 71 circular sample plots (15‐m radius) across 10 woodland sites in North Wales (UK) where fallow deer (Dama dama) are present. The plots were also surveyed in summer for woody plant size structure, stem density and bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). Eight plots were re‐scanned twice in winter to compare seasonal VC values and assess scan consistency. Sample plots with higher densities of small stems had significantly reduced VC 1 m from the ground. Other stem size classes, mean percentage bramble cover and understory LAI did not significantly affect VC. There was no difference in VC between summer and winter scans, or between repeated winter scans. The density of small stems influenced viewsheds at deer eye height and may alter behavioural responses to perceived risk. This study demonstrates how TLS technology can be applied to address questions in large herbivore ecology and conservation.

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LiDAR metrics predict suitable forest foraging areas of endangered Mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis)

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Vegetation structure derived from airborne laser scanning to assess species distribution and habitat suitability: The way forward

Vegetation structure derived from airborne laser scanning to assess species distribution and habitat suitability: The way forward

Combining acoustic tracking and LiDAR to study bat flight behaviour in three-dimensional space

Horizontal viewsheds of large herbivores as a function of woodland structure

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