The use by bats of habitat features in mixed farmland in Scotland

Downs, Nick C.; Racey, Paul A.

doi:10.3161/1733-5329(2006)8[169:tubboh]2.0.co;2

Cited by 98 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…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: 74%

“…They may prefer a combination of flooding and tree cutting found in beaver ponds with numerous snags, which are remains of the riparian forest, partially immersed in water after damming. The activity of pipistrelles appears to be the highest in close proximity to tree lines and gradually decreases at greater distances from them (Downs and Racey 2006). Thus, the forest habitats altered by beavers may be more frequently used than beaver-transformed open habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…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%

“…The first, apparently more obvious, is flooding (i.e., increase in water table and creation of beaver ponds, covering former terrestrial habitats). All four species that revealed significant differences between sections of the transect at site 1 (P. pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus, P. nathusii, N. noctula) are known to prefer water bodies or riparian zones (Rachwald 1992;Rydell et al 1994;Vaughan et al 1997a;Mickevičiené and Mickevičius 2001;Russ and Montgomery 2002;Downs and Racey 2006;Kaňuch et al 2007). As beavers extend riparian habitats, they improve the habitat quality for bats and provide them with large areas where prey is much more abundant than over the shallow and narrow streams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

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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“…Myotis lucifugus had been reported by Kalcounis and Brigham (1995) to use areas close to canopy edge also to forage. However, some bat species prefer open habitat for foraging and navigation, but may require nearby trees for roosting and protection (Burford and Lacki 1995, Downs and Racey 2006. Eptesicus fuscus and Lasiurus cinereus more often foraged above forest canopy and away from trees (Ober and Hayes 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roost-Site Characteristics of the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus) in the Red Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma

Miller¹,

Jensen²

2013

Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science

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approved:________________________________________________________There is limited understanding of habitat use by bats in the Great Plains and few steps taken toward their conservation, relative to other wildlife. This gap of knowledge, including specific knowledge of two Species in Need of Conservation (SINC) noted by the state of Kansas in the Red Hills region, must be filled for adequate bat conservation. I investigated bat distribution in relation to encroaching woody vegetation and elevation on both the landscape level and local scale habitat (e.g., tree cover) used within riparian corridors (Chapter 2). Acoustic data were used to model probability of occurrence in relation to vegetative and topographic characteristics within the region. The probability of occurrence of one species, Myotis velifer, was positively associated with tree canopy cover and negatively associated with elevation. I obtained habitat use within riparian corridors by mist netting live bats. The capture rates of M. velifer and Corynorhinus townsendii were found to be positively related with canopy cover. I also obtained information on the physical characteristics of summer roosting locations of a SINC species in Kansas, Antrozous pallidus, by tracking radioed individuals to their diurnal roosting sites (Chapter 3). Information gathered from these investigations, and published research, also was used to construct a recovery plan (Chapter 4) that will be submitted to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. This plan will help guide conservation and management decisions for these two species by including roosting and foraging habitat information that is critical for their persistence within the state of Kansas.

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Maximizing benefits to bat populations through management of power line corridors

Campbell,

Cheng,

Akre

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Power line corridors are ubiquitous worldwide and are commonly used by bats as habitat. Targeted management of these corridor habitats has the potential to aid bat populations, which is critically important given the multifaceted threats facing bat species, including the emerging infectious disease white‐nose syndrome (WNS) in North America. Here, we review known and potential impacts of management of existing power line corridors on three bat behaviours: foraging, roosting and commuting. We also identify bats in the United States that would benefit from changes to management of power line corridors for improvements to roosting and foraging habitats, particularly species of conservation concern that roost and forage along forest edges. Key recommendations are to avoid disturbance to roosting bats when maintaining vegetation along power line corridors, apply integrated vegetation management to maximize native plant diversity to improve prey options for bats and apply targeted interventions (e.g. artificial roost creation, creation of ponds) in a well‐justified ecological context. Practical implication. We highlight high‐priority research topics to fill knowledge gaps, including testing whether vegetation management treatments targeting plant and insect communities increase bat fitness and cause positive population‐level responses in focal bat species. We conclude that building evidence on how bats are affected by power line corridor management is a conservation need.

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The use by bats of habitat features in mixed farmland in Scotland

Cited by 98 publications

References 2 publications

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

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

Roost-Site Characteristics of the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus) in the Red Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma

Maximizing benefits to bat populations through management of power line corridors

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