Temperature explains variation in seasonal temporal activity of Miniopterus natalensis more than moonlight or humidity

Anthropogenic Light, Noise, and Vegetation Cover Differentially Impact Different Foraging Guilds of Bat on an Opencast Mine in South Africa

“…The observed pattern of activity in response to T min and moon phase is well known and well documented in the literature (Ciechanowski et al, 2007;Appel et al, 2016;Pech-Canché et al, 2018;Pretorius et al, 2020). Reduced bat activity has often been associated with the energetic costs of flight, reduced prey availability and maintaining stable body temperatures during cooler temperatures and unfavourable weather conditions (Erickson and West, 2002;Bender and Hartman, 2015).…”

Temporal partitioning of Bullacris unicolor (Orthoptera: Pneumoridae) calling activity to avoid predation

“…Bats increase their echolocation period under noisy conditions to maximise the likelihood of finding food. This foraging strategy is evident in Miniopterus natalesis behaviour during non-breeding seasons (Pretorius et al 2020). Due to increased anthropogenic noises and bat predators being active for much of the night, B. unicolor would be exposed to different selective pressures than in the northern regions of its distribution.…”

“…Weather conditions had an additional influence on the calling activity of Bullacris unicolor in this study. This is unsurprising as invertebrate physiological factors are known to be affected by weather conditions such a temperature (Rebelo et al 2010;Pretorius et al 2020) and abiotic factors often correlate with acoustic signalling in insects (Franklin et al 2009). Temperature had a positive influence on calling rate at southern locations and a negative influence at northern locations.…”

“…Within a diel period, animals allocate time for performing their daily activities, such as foraging, mating, or avoiding predation (Winandy et al 2016). This time management strategy is known as temporal partitioning (Halle et al 2000;Presley et al 2009;Pretorius et al 2020). Environmental changes during diel cycles act as a clock for species (Kronfeld-Schor and Dayan 2003), and species may adapt to perform certain activities within a specific period due to the constraints created by environmental pressures.…”

“…Environmental changes during diel cycles act as a clock for species (Kronfeld-Schor and Dayan 2003), and species may adapt to perform certain activities within a specific period due to the constraints created by environmental pressures. Both internal and external factors play a role in an organism's diel activity patterns (Pretorius et al 2020). These factors may include predation, foraging, weather conditions, interspecific interactions, and physiology.…”