The distribution of Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) and pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) (Vespertilionidae) in relation to small-scale variation in riverine habitat

Warren, Ruth D.; Waters, Dean A.; Altringham, John D.; Bullock, D.H.

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(99)00062-2

Cited by 112 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Another bias might result from sampling only the first hours after sunset, as some bat species may shift from more shaded/cluttered to more open habitats during night (Lima and O'Keefe 2013). However, if application of the two successive walks of the transect allows to record the activity of species differing in timing of emergence in a comparable way (Warren et al 2000), it is likely that it allows to control for also such temporal habitat shifts, as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences of bats in anthropogenically altered, mosaic landscapes of northern Poland

Ciechanowski

2015

Eur J Wildl Res

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Few studies refer to the large-scale habitat preferences of bat assemblages in temperate mainland Europe. The study aimed at habitat associations of bats in the postglacial lakelands of northern Poland. Sixty-nine walking transects were divided into sections belonging to 36 habitat classes. Broadband ultrasound detectors were applied to record bat echolocation calls, identified to the species level by spectral analysis. Selection or avoidance of habitat categories was tested using Z statistic with a Bonferroni adjustment, and niche breadth was estimated by calculating Levin's formula and niche overlap-Pianka index. All bats (except Eptesicus serotinus) selected water bodies. They avoided arable land, coniferous and mixed forests, their edges and suburbs. Nyctalus noctula was the most eurytopic species, using most habitats in proportion to their availability. E. serotinus selected villages and roads in coniferous forests. Narrower habitat niches were occupied by morphologically similar pipistrelles. Pipistrellus pipistrellus preferred tree lines, Pipistrellus nathusii avoided tree lines and villages, and Pipistrellus pygmaeus preferred roads in deciduous forests but avoided tree lines. The most stenotopic Myotis sp. avoided roads in mixed and coniferous forests, tree lines and built-up areas. Most species strongly overlapped in habitat niches, and thus, their resource partitioning was probably based on using different hunting tactics. P. pygmaeus, although considered a sibling species of P. pipistrellus, overlapped in habitat niche much more with P. nathusii. In the latter case, resource partitioning may result from larger differences in body size and frequency of echolocation calls. The importance of water bodies for bats was higher than in Western Europe, and importance of woodland was lower, presumably due to much higher limnicity. The results provide a base for regionspecific landscape planning guidelines, applicable to bat conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences of bats in anthropogenically altered, mosaic landscapes of northern Poland

Ciechanowski

2015

Eur J Wildl Res

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“…In such situations, further reduction of clutter, associated with tree cutting on valley slopes, would be of negligible importance. Locally, some negative effects of beaver reintroduction on local bat assemblages might also be expected, as beavers select trees mostly at closest distance from the water (Haarberg and Rosell 2006), whereas in open agricultural landscapes, bats forage mostly along river sections lined with trees from both sides (Warren et al 2000;Downs and Racey 2006). Extensive removal of such tree lines would lead, in fact, to degradation of bat foraging habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each time, the transect was walked twice in the evening. The first walk began half an hour after sunset (Rachwald 1992;Warren et al 2000) while the second walk began immediately after the end of the first. Such an approach allowed us to record activity of several species that differ in timing of evening emergence from daily roosts (cf.…”

Section: Recording Of Bat Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These modifications may increase attractiveness of a beaver-inhabited valley as a foraging site for several bat species. In general, distribution of hunting bats along rivers and streams relates to the spatial structure of riparian vegetation (Warren et al 2000;Downs and Racey 2006), physical characteristics of the current (Rydell et al 1999;Warren et al 2000), and water quality (Vaughan et al 1996;Biscardi et al 2007;KalcounisRueppell et al 2007), which are all features known to be modified by beavers (Rosell et al 2005). Documenting relationships between bats and beavers would support the hypothesis about the keystone function of beavers in such ecosystems that is justified based on data about the impact of beavers on the other groups of fauna and flora (Rosell et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In forests, aerial hawkers hunt mostly in canopy gaps, on glades, in ecotones (Kusch et al 2004), or in corridors formed by streams and trails, which are apparently used as flyways to avoid high clutter (Lloyd et al 2006). Some species prefer calm sections of rivers and avoid those with fast current (Warren et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reintroduction of beavers Castor fiber may improve habitat quality for vespertilionid bats foraging in small river valleys

et al. 2010

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Beavers strongly modify their environment by not only building dams and creating ponds, which slow the water flow, but also by selective cutting and removing of trees, which change the spatial structure of the forest. We aimed to test the hypothesis that beaver activity promotes new foraging sites for insectivorous bats. The beaver's influence can be especially significant on aerial hawkers that prefer moderate structural clutter, like the Pipistrellus species (by creating new canopy gaps), and on water-surface foragers, like Myotis daubentonii (by creating ponds with smooth water surface). The study was conducted on small streams in forest areas of northern Poland, which were colonized by the European beaver (Castor fiber). Bat activity was recorded with a Pettersson D-980 ultrasound detector on line transects. The number of bat passes was significantly higher in the stream sections modified by beavers (flooded and subjected to intensive tree cutting) than in the unmodified sections (for Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Nyctalus noctula, and all species lumped together). Contrary to our expectations, the activity of the Myotis species was significantly lower on the transect with the largest beaver ponds, possibly due to the blanket of duckweed (Lemnaceae), which is known to produce clutter echoes, thereby reducing prey detection by echolocating M. daubentonii.

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Assessing the impact of festival music on bat activity

Hooker,

Daley,

Stone

et al. 2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Sound is a critical component of an animal's habitat, where it is used to glean important environmental information from their surroundings. The modification of natural soundscapes due to the global rise in anthropogenic noise pollution over recent decades can have serious negative impacts on species fitness and survival. Nocturnal species such as bats are reliant on sound for many aspects of their life history and are, therefore, highly sensitive to anthropogenic noise. Music festivals are a source of unregulated and potentially harmful, acute noise pollution; however, they have become ubiquitous across our landscapes throughout the summer months and are increasingly being held in settings important for wildlife. Using an experimental approach, we provide the first evidence of the negative impacts of music festivals on bat activity in a habitat that represents a typical festival setting, that is, woodland edge. We found that loud music playback alone can reduce the activity of bats even in the absence of other anthropogenic factors commonly associated with music festivals such as lighting and habitat disturbance. Activity of Nyctalus/Eptesicus spp. was reduced along woodland edge habitats exposed to loud music, whereas no effect was recorded for Myotis spp., Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Pipistrellus pipistrellus compared with quiet nights. We also provide the first evidence of the spatial scale of negative effects from festival music on activity for P. pygmaeus as well as highlighting differential responses between cryptic species. In light of the paucity of research or guidance into acute noise impacts on nocturnal biodiversity, we outline the potential negative impacts of music festivals for bats. We show that music alone can reduce the activity of bats even in the absence of other anthropogenic factors commonly associated with music festivals, which could potentially fragment important habitats for certain species, leading to a degradation of functional connectivity across the landscape.

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The distribution of Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) and pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) (Vespertilionidae) in relation to small-scale variation in riverine habitat

Cited by 112 publications

References 18 publications

Habitat preferences of bats in anthropogenically altered, mosaic landscapes of northern Poland

Habitat preferences of bats in anthropogenically altered, mosaic landscapes of northern Poland

Reintroduction of beavers Castor fiber may improve habitat quality for vespertilionid bats foraging in small river valleys

Assessing the impact of festival music on bat activity

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