Prey availability and foraging activity of grassland bats in relation to urbanization

Coleman, Joanna L.; Barclay, Robert M. R.

doi:10.1644/12-mamm-a-217.1

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…fuscus activity in areas with a higher degree of urbanization [22, 30, 91, 92, 105], lower levels of insect abundance [11, 22] and higher levels of pollution [116]. It is possible that the extremely high level of urbanization and low insect levels in the core city area restrict these bats to the suburban areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These areas are novel ecosystems in several ways: they are saturated with light, so patterns of nocturnal biodiversity are likely to be significantly disrupted [7, 8]; the food supply is quite different from natural areas, with an abundance of resources even in winter for granivores or other generalist animals [9, 10] but a reduced supply of invertebrates for insectivores [11–13]; an abundance of potential roosts [14, 15]; a harsh matrix between foraging areas [16, 17]; and increased warmth in all seasons [18]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns of Bat Distribution and Foraging Activity in a Highly Urbanized Temperate Environment

Krauel

LeBuhn

2016

PLoS ONE

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Understanding how to manage biodiversity in urban areas will become increasingly important as density of humans residing in urban centers increases and urban areas expand. While considerable research has documented the shifts in biodiversity along urbanization gradients, much less work has focused on how characteristics of dense urban centers, effectively novel environments, influence behavior and biodiversity. Urban bats in San Francisco provide an opportunity to document changes in behavior and biodiversity to very high-density development. We studied (1) the distribution and abundance of bat foraging activity in natural areas; and (2) characteristics of natural areas that influence the observed patterns of distribution and foraging activity. We conducted acoustic surveys of twenty-two parks during 2008–2009. We confirmed the presence of four species of bats (Tadarida brasiliensis, Myotis yumanensis, Lasiurus blossevillii, and M. lucifugus). T. brasiliensis were found in all parks, while M. yumanensis occurred in 36% of parks. Results indicate that proximity to water, park size, and amount of forest edge best explained overall foraging activity. Proximity to water best explained species richness. M. yumanensis activity was best explained by reduced proportion of native vegetation as well as proximity to water. Activity was year round but diminished in December. We show that although bats are present even in very densely populated urban centers, there is a large reduction in species richness compared to that of outlying areas, and that most habitat factors explaining their community composition and activity patterns are similar to those documented in less urbanized environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Bat Distribution and Foraging Activity in a Highly Urbanized Temperate Environment

Krauel

LeBuhn

2016

PLoS ONE

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“…To aid in manual validation, we compiled a reference library of echolocation calls from hand‐released bats captured in mist nets and around known roost locations in south Florida (Braun de Torrez et al , ). We further examined all files identified as Florida bonneted bats to classify those containing feeding buzzes, reflective of foraging activity (Fenton , Coleman and Barclay ). Feeding buzzes are characterized by increasing call repetition rates culminating in a rapid burst of calls as the bat attacks its prey (Griffin et al , Kalko ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity of an endangered bat increases immediately following prescribed fire

2018

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Spatiotemporal responses of bats to fire are not well understood. Fire can indirectly influence bat activity through changes to understory vegetation, insect prey availability, and roost tree abundance. High‐flying bats may be less influenced by fire‐induced changes to the understory because they forage above the forest canopy. Fire‐dependent forests are prevalent across the range of the endemic Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus), a large, high‐flying, and critically endangered species, yet effects of fire management on this species are completely unknown. To investigate short‐term responses of these bats to fire, we conducted pre‐post‐treatment‐control experiments in 4 prescribed burns during 2 seasons (dry, wet). For 12 nights pre‐burn and 24 nights post‐burn, we surveyed bat activity acoustically at 3 sites within each burn (treatment) and 3 adjacent sites (control). Using mixed‐effects models to test the effect of treatment on bat activity, we found that bat activity significantly increased post‐burn in treatment sites relative to control sites, with more pronounced effects during dry season burns. We also detected significantly more feeding buzzes (foraging activity) in treatment sites than control sites, and a negative trend over time in the burn effect size post‐burn. We suggest that bats are attracted to increased availability of insect prey immediately following burns, particularly during the dry season when prey may be limited. Our results suggest that burns have short‐term positive effects on Florida bonneted bats and that restoring fire to fire‐dependent forests may improve foraging habitat for this species. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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“…We identified all files that contained ≥ 2 bat calls from Florida bonneted bats and used the number of such files per night as an index of bat activity (Britzke et al 1999;Tibbels and Kurta 2003;Davidai et al 2015). We further examined all files identified as Florida bonneted bats to classify those containing feeding buzzes, as a measure of foraging activity (Fenton 1970;Coleman and Barclay 2013). To reduce subjectivity, two researchers independently confirmed all manually validated files (program settings and call identification protocol; Additional file 1).…”

Section: Acoustic Surveys and Species Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring historical fire regimes increases activity of endangered bats

2018

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Background: Fire suppression has altered ecological communities globally. Prescribed fire regimes strive to restore function to these fire-dependent ecosystems by mimicking natural fire regimes. Although fire frequency is a widely acknowledged component of fire regimes, the importance of fire seasonality for biodiversity is less clear but appears to play a critical role for a variety of taxa, particularly in the North American Coastal Plain. In subtropical Florida, USA, fire historically occurred primarily at the transition from the dry to wet season (early wet season: April to June) when dry fuel accumulation coincides with a high incidence of lightning. We investigated the effects of fire frequency and season on endangered Florida bonneted bats (Eumops floridanus [G.M. Allen, 1932]), a species endemic to a region that evolved with frequent fires. Results: We surveyed bat activity acoustically in 149 sites in fire-dependent vegetation communities (pine flatwoods and prairies), and evaluated the effects of fire frequency and seasonality, using burn records from the previous 18 years. Variation in bat activity was best explained by both fire frequency and season: bat activity decreased with early wet season (April to June) burn interval and increased with dry season (November to March) burn interval. Bat activity and foraging activity were highest in sites burned at > 3-to 5-year intervals during the early wet season. Conclusion: Fires during the historic fire season at a moderate frequency (> 3 to 5 yr) appear to optimize habitat for bats in both pine flatwoods and prairies, likely through increases in roosts, flight space, and insect prey availability. It appears that Florida bonneted bats are fire-adapted and benefit from prescribed burn programs that closely mimic historical fire regimes. We encourage consideration of both fire frequency and seasonality when managing ecosystems with fire.

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Prey availability and foraging activity of grassland bats in relation to urbanization

Cited by 21 publications

References 59 publications

Patterns of Bat Distribution and Foraging Activity in a Highly Urbanized Temperate Environment

Patterns of Bat Distribution and Foraging Activity in a Highly Urbanized Temperate Environment

Activity of an endangered bat increases immediately following prescribed fire

Restoring historical fire regimes increases activity of endangered bats

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