Swarming behaviour associated with group cohesion in tree-dwelling bats

Naďo, Ladislav; Kaňuch, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2015.09.005

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While we found a clear selection by roost type ( Table 3 ), undoubtedly the result of a combination of underlying factors, we did not isolate structural and microhabitat differences in this study, and assessed only one colony of one species. Factors such as group formation [ 59 , 60 ], predation risk [ 57 ], parasite loads in the roost [ 30 ], roost familiarity, and regional preferences (e.g., [ 55 ]) may also contribute to roost preferences. We advise replicating this study with structures that isolate important factors affecting size and microclimate, and recommend exploring roost microhabitat preferences for multiple colonies and bat species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In artificial roost comparison, bats show preference for rocket box style

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding microhabitat preferences of animals is critical for effective conservation, especially for temperate-zone bats, which receive fitness benefits from selecting optimal roost microhabitats. Artificial roost structures are increasingly being used in conservation efforts for at-risk bat species. To evaluate microhabitat differences in common artificial roost structures and determine if roost selection occurs based on structure type, we installed artificial roosts of three different styles (bat box, rocket box, and bark mimic) in six clusters. We compared size and measured temperature parameters (12 points/roost) while bats were excluded from one cluster. We simultaneously conducted census counts during the active season at five more clusters open to bats for 1–2 years. The rocket box style provided larger entrance area, surface area, and volume versus other roost types. Microclimate varied with roost design. More positions inside the bat box and rocket box stayed within critical temperature limits for bats (0–45°C)—i.e., were usable. The bark-mimic provided less usable space than the rocket box and, often, large proportions of the roost were > 45°C. The rocket box provided the widest temperature availability in a given hour (max range available 7°C) and was more stable than the bark mimic. A maternity colony of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) selected the rocket box style; four of five available rocket boxes became primary maternity roosts, with 2–210 bats emerging per night. Future work should aim to manipulate roost size, temperature availability, and temperature stability in isolation to identify which features drive roost microhabitat selection by bats. Comparative studies of artificial roosts account for some inherent irregularity in natural systems, allowing us to study the dynamics of roost microhabitats. We recommend season-long monitoring of microhabitat in novel artificial refuges and comparative studies of artificial and natural roosts, and urge managers to consider potential positive and negative effects when substituting artificial roosts for natural habitat.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In artificial roost comparison, bats show preference for rocket box style

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Leisler’s bat ( Nyctalus leisleri ) is a medium-sized, insectivorous vespertilionid species inhabiting a predominantly forested landscape in temperate zone throughout most of Europe. It roosts almost exclusively in tree cavities [ 6 ] and, during the breeding season, maternity groups of adult females and their young switch these roosts every several days [ 7 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why sampling ratio matters: Logistic regression and studies of habitat use

Naďo

Kaňuch

2018

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Logistic regression (LR) models are among the most frequently used statistical tools in ecology. With LR one can infer if a species’ habitat use is related to environmental factors and estimate the probability of species occurrence based on the values of these factors. However, studies often use inadequate sampling with regards to the arbitrarily chosen ratio between occupied and unoccupied (or available) locations, and this has a profound effect on the inference and predictive power of LR models. To demonstrate the effect of various sampling strategies/efforts on the quality of LR models, we used a unique census dataset containing all the used roosting cavities of the tree-dwelling bat Nyctalus leisleri and all cavities where the species was absent. We compared models constructed from randomly selected data subsets with varying ratios of occupied and unoccupied cavities (1:1, 1:5, 1:10) with a full dataset model (ratio 1:31). These comparisons revealed that the power of LR models was low when the sampling did not reflect the population ratio of occupied and unoccupied cavities. The use of weights improved the subsampled models. Thus, this study warns against inadequate data sampling and highly encourages a randomized sampling procedure to estimate the true ratio of occupied:unoccupied locations, which can then be used to optimize a manageable sampling effort and apply weights to improve the LR model. Such an approach may provide robust and reliable models suitable for both inference and prediction.

show abstract

“…The swarming phase describes the aggregation of bats that y around a box at dawn before they will eventually use it as day roost (Na¤o and Ka¬uch, 2015). During this swarming phase the bats presumable make their collective decisions about where to communally roost during the day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data-driven modeling of group formation in the fission-fusion dynamics of Bechstein’s bats

Perony

Kerth

Schweitzer

2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Communal roosting in Bechstein's bat colonies is characterized by the formation of several groups that use dierent day roosts and that regularly dissolve and re-merge (ssion-fusion dynamics). Analyzing data from two colonies of dierent size over many years, we nd that (i) the number of days bats stay in the same roost before changing follows an exponential distribution that is independent of the colony size, and (ii) the number and size of groups bats formed for roosting depend on the size of the colony such that above a critical colony size two to six groups of dierent sizes are formed. To model these two observations, we propose an agent-based model in which agents make their decisions about roosts based on both random and social inuences. For the latter, they copy the roost preference of another agent which models the transfer of the respective information. Our model is able to reproduce both the distribution of stay length in the same roost and the emergence of groups of dierent sizes dependent on the colony size. Moreover, we are able to predict the critical system size at which the formation of dierent groups emerges without global coordination. We further comment on dynamics that bridge the roosting decisions on short time scale (less than one day) with the social structures observed at long time scales (more than one year).

show abstract

Swarming behaviour associated with group cohesion in tree-dwelling bats

Cited by 20 publications

References 41 publications

In artificial roost comparison, bats show preference for rocket box style

In artificial roost comparison, bats show preference for rocket box style

Why sampling ratio matters: Logistic regression and studies of habitat use

Data-driven modeling of group formation in the fission-fusion dynamics of Bechstein’s bats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About