The effects of illuminating the roost entrance on the emergence behaviour of Pipistrellus pygmaeus

Downs, Nick C.; Beaton, V.; Guest, James R.; Polanski, John Rosie; Robinson, Sue; Racey, Paul A.

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(02)00298-7

Cited by 55 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Most studies have focused on specific ecological behaviours such as foraging (Rydell 1992;Blake et al 1994), predator-prey interactions, particularly with moths Svensson and Rydell 1998), commuting routes (Stone et al 2009(Stone et al , 2012 and roost emergence (Downs et al 2003). No long-term studies have been carried out to determine whether any of these behavioural changes have fitness consequences (Beier 2006;Stone et al 2012).…”

Section: Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Light intensity has a significant effect on bat activity (Stone et al 2012) and delays roost emergence (Downs et al 2003). If bats delay foraging, they risk missing the peak abundance in insects that occurs shortly after dusk, so may not meet their energy requirements, which in turn could reduce fitness (Jones and Rydell 1994;Stone et al 2012).…”

Section: Mitigation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dark Matters: The Effects of Artificial Lighting on Bats

Rowse

Lewanzik

Stone

et al. 2015

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

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While artificial lighting is a major component of global change, its biological impacts have only recently been recognised. Artificial lighting attracts and repels animals in taxon-specific ways and affects physiological processes. Being nocturnal, bats are likely to be strongly affected by artificial lighting. Moreover, many species of bats are insectivorous, and insects are also strongly influenced by lighting. Lighting technologies are changing rapidly, with the use of light-emitting diode (LED) lamps increasing. Impacts on bats and their prey depend on the light spectra produced by street lights; ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths attract more insects and consequently insectivorous bats. Bat responses to lighting are species-specific and reflect differences in flight morphology and performance; fast-flying aerial hawking species frequently feed around street lights, whereas relatively slowflying bats that forage in more confined spaces are often light-averse. Both highpressure sodium and LED lights reduce commuting activity by clutter-tolerant bats of the genera Myotis and Rhinolophus, and these bats still avoided LED lights when dimmed. Light-induced reductions in the activity of frugivorous bats may affect ecosystem services by reducing dispersal of the seeds of pioneer plants and hence reforestation. Rapid changes in street lighting offer the potential to explore

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Section: Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mitigation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark Matters: The Effects of Artificial Lighting on Bats

Rowse

Lewanzik

Stone

et al. 2015

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

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“…Bats seem to adjust quickly to noise, yet as Rowse et al (2015) point out, some species may be quite sensitive to artificial light. For example, Pipistrellus pipistrellus are quite tolerant to artificial light during foraging, but altered their emergence behavior when exposed to different light intensities at their daytime roost (Down et al 2003). Directing artificial light at roost entrances may have a negative impact on bats roosting in buildings (Boldogh et al 2007).…”

Section: Avoiding or Mitigating Roost Losses In Buildingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bats and Buildings: The Conservation of Synanthropic Bats

Voigt

Phelps

Aguirre

et al. 2015

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

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Humans have shared buildings with bats for thousands of years, probably as early as first humans built primitive huts. Indeed, many bat species can be defined as synanthropic, i.e., they have a strong ecological association with humans. Bats have been observed using buildings as roosting and foraging sites, temporary shelters, for reproduction and hibernation. A synanthropic lifestyle may result in direct fitness benefits owing to energetic advantages in warmer roosts, which may ultimately lead to more rapid gestation and faster development of juveniles, or by being less exposed to natural predators in urban environments. All

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“…For many species, including bats, the natural light regime is a cue that synchronizes their window of activity with their environment (Gaston et al ., , ). The artificial illumination of maternity roosts can delay the emergence of female bats (Downs et al ., ; Boldogh et al ., ), which has important fitness costs for reproductive females as they miss the peak abundance of insects at dusk (Rydell, ; Jones & Rydell, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is part‐night lighting an effective measure to limit the impacts of artificial lighting on bats?

Azam

Kerbiriou

Vernet³

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

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As light pollution is currently considered to be a major threat to biodiversity, different lighting management options are being explored to mitigate the impact of artificial lighting on wildlife. Although part-night lighting schemes have been adopted by many local authorities across Europe to reduce the carbon footprint and save energy, their effects on biodiversity are unknown. Through a paired, in situ experiment, we compared the activity levels of 8 bat species under unlit, part-night, and full-night lighting treatments in a rural area located 60 km south of Paris, France. We selected 36 study locations composed of 1 lit site and a paired unlit control site; 24 of these sites were located in areas subject to part-night lighting schemes, and 12 sites were in areas under standard, full-night lighting. There was significantly more activity on part-night lighting sites compared to full-night lighting sites for the late-emerging, light-sensitive Plecotus spp., and a similar pattern was observable for Myotis spp., although not significant. In contrast, part-night lighting did not influence the activity of early emerging bat species around streetlights, except for Pipistrellus pipistrellus for which there was significantly less activity on part-night lighting sites than on full-night lighting sites. Overall, no significant difference in activity between part- and full-night lighting sites were observed in 5 of the 8 species studied, suggesting that current part-night lighting schemes fail to encompass the range of activity of most bat species. We recommend that such schemes start earlier at night to effectively mitigate the adverse effects of artificial lighting on light-sensitive species, particularly along ecological corridors that are especially important to the persistence of biodiversity in urban landscapes.

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The effects of illuminating the roost entrance on the emergence behaviour of Pipistrellus pygmaeus

Cited by 55 publications

References 5 publications

Dark Matters: The Effects of Artificial Lighting on Bats

Dark Matters: The Effects of Artificial Lighting on Bats

Bats and Buildings: The Conservation of Synanthropic Bats

Is part‐night lighting an effective measure to limit the impacts of artificial lighting on bats?

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