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Host traits and environment interact to drive persistence of bat populations impacted by white-nose syndrome
<p>Emerging infectious diseases have resulted in severe population declines across diverse taxa. In some instances, despite attributes associated with high extinction risk, disease emergence and host declines are followed by host stabilization for unknown reasons. While host, pathogen, and the environment are recognized as important factors that interact to determine host-pathogen coexistence, they are often considered independently. Here, we use a translocation experiment to disentangle the role of host traits and environmental conditions in driving the persistence of remnant bat populations a decade after they declined 70-99% due to white-nose syndrome and subsequently stabilized. While survival was significantly higher than during the initial epidemic within all sites, protection from severe disease only existed within a narrow environmental space, suggesting host traits conducive to surviving disease are highly environmentally dependent. Ultimately, population persistence following pathogen invasion is the product of host-pathogen interactions that vary across a patchwork of environments.</p>
Data from: Landscape composition and life-history traits influence bat movement and space use: analysis of 30 years of published telemetry data
<p><span><b>Aim: </b>Animal movement determines home range patterns, which in turn affect individual fitness, population dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Using temperate bats, a group of particular conservation concern, we investigated how morphological traits, habitat specialization and environmental variables affect home range sizes and daily foraging movements, using a compilation of 30 years of published bat telemetry data.</span></p> <p><span><b>Location</b>: Northern America and Europe.</span></p> <p><span><b>Time period</b>: 1988 – 2016.</span></p> <p><span><b>Major taxa studied</b>: Bats.</span></p> <p><span><b>Methods</b>: We compiled data on home range size and mean daily distance between roosts and foraging areas at both colony and individual levels from 166 studies of 3,129 radiotracked individuals of 49 bat species. We calculated multi-scale habitat composition and configuration in the surrounding landscapes of the 165 studied roosts. Using mixed models, we examined the effects of habitat availability and spatial arrangement on bat movements, while accounting for body mass, aspect ratio, wing loading and habitat specialization.</span></p> <p><span><b>Results:</b><i> </i>We found a significant effect of landscape composition on home range size and mean daily distance at both colony and individual levels. On average, home ranges were up to 42% smaller in the most habitat-diversified landscapes while mean daily distances were up to 30% shorter in the most forested landscapes. Bat home range size significantly increased with body mass, wing aspect ratio and wing loading, and decreased with habitat specialization.</span></p> <p><span><b>Main conclusions: </b>Promoting bat movements through the landscape surrounding roosts at large spatial scales is crucial for bat conservation. Forest loss and overall landscape homogenization lead temperate bats to fly farther to meet their ecological requirements, by increasing home range sizes and daily foraging distances. Both processes might be more detrimental for smaller, habitat-specialized bats, less able to travel increasingly longer distances to meet their diverse needs.</span></p>
Long-term study shows that increasing body size in response to warmer summers is associated with a higher mortality risk in a long-lived bat species
<p>Change in body size is one of the universal responses to global warming, with most species becoming smaller. While small size in most species corresponds to low individual fitness, small species typically show high population growth rates in cross-species comparisons. It is unclear, there- fore, how climate-induced changes in body size ultimately affect population persistence. Unravelling the relationship between body size, ambient temperature and individual survival is especially important for the conservation of endangered long-lived mammals such as bats. Using an individual-based 24-year dataset from four free-ranging Bechstein'sbat colonies (Myotis bechsteinii), we show for the first time a link between warmer summer temperatures, larger body sizes and increased mortality risk. Our data reveal a crucial time window in June–July, when juveniles grow to larger body sizes in warmer conditions. Body size is also affected by colony size, with larger colonies raising larger offspring. At the same time, larger bats have higher mortality risks throughout their lives. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the link between warmer weather and body size as a fitness-relevant trait for predicting species-specific extinction risks as consequences of global warming.</p>
Data, code, and metadata for: Daily torpor reduces the energetic consequences of microhabitat selection for a widespread bat
<p>This repository contains all data, code, and metadata required to reproduce the results detailed in "Daily torpor reduces the energetic consequences of microhabitat selection for a widespread bat" by Alston et al.</p>
Miniaturization eliminates detectable impacts of drones on bat activity
<p>A new way to survey wildlife populations may be possible with advancements in drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that render aerial technology more accessible and promote surveying in inapproachable habitats. However, it remains unclear whether UAV disturbance deters animals, which would make this method inaccurate for data collection and hazardous to wildlife welfare. This study addresses the viability of UAV use for wildlife research by measuring the effects of UAV flight on acoustic bat detection and comparing bat activity in response to varying UAV models. Depending on the way UAVs effect bat detection rate, it may be possible to identify whether wildlife surveys should be done with UAVs and the drone models best suited for this purpose. The results reveal that larger and louder UAVs deterred significantly more bats, and the smallest and quietest model had no effect on bat detection. Indeed, drone noise was positively correlated with drone size, but drone size had little effect on the range of frequencies emitted. While detecting bats with small and quiet UAVs may be possible, complications still arise with acoustic detection and the species-specific effects of drone flight. The reliability of automatic identification with the acoustic detecting software is limited, as over a quarter of detections were triggered by non-bat noises yet still classified as bats (25.99%). Overall, using drones for wildlife detection should be approached with caution, as this study illustrates that some drones deter and disturb wild bats. If drones are used in wildlife habitat, consider flying smaller and quieter models, which are significantly less disturbing. Otherwise, large and loud drones will likely deter more animals and skew the results of the survey.</p>
What makes a good bat box? How box occupancy depends on box characteristics and landscape-level variables
<p>Bat populations are in steep decline and presently, 16% of all species are classified as "threatened". One main driver identified for this decline is the loss of natural roosting opportunities, caused by the removal of natural habitats. Installation of bat boxes is one solution to compensate for the lack of natural roosting opportunities. Current recommendations for box design emphasize low maintenance costs and are rarely based on empirical evidence.</p> <p>We investigated occupancy of <span>13634 </span>bat boxes in northern Bavaria, Germany. In our study boxes differed in type, age and mounting height, as well as in maximum community age, i.e. the length of time a group of boxes had been installed in a particular place, the size of box groups and the distance to the next box in the surrounding area, i.e. box isolation.</p> <p>Our results showed that box occupancy depended on box type and bat species. As a case study, we analysed the two most common species found within the investigated boxes, <i>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</i> and <i>Myotis nattereri</i>, in more detail<i>. </i>Both species showed preference to a voluminous box that had a narrow entrance ("Gable box" 14 mm). For <i>P. pipistrellus</i>,<i> </i>only box type affected occupancy, whereas for <i>M. nattereri</i>,<i> </i>the relationship between box type and box age were important. Older boxes, and boxes in areas with higher maximum community age of boxes showed higher box occupancy by bats. Box occupancy decreased with the distance between adjacent box groups ("box isolation"). High mounting height showed a tendency for increased box occupancy, but the effect was only weakly significant.</p>
Weak effects of birds, bats and ants on their arthropod prey on pioneering tropical forest gap vegetation
<p>The relative roles of plants competing for resources versus top-down control of vegetation by herbivores, in turn impacted by predators, during early stages of tropical forest succession remain poorly understood. Here we examine the impact of insectivorous birds, bats and ants exclusion on arthropods communities on replicated 5x5 m of pioneering early successional vegetation plots in lowland tropical forest gaps in Papua New Guinea. In plots from which focal taxa of predators were excluded we observed increased biomass of herbivorous and predatory arthropods, and increased density, and decreased diversity of herbivorous insects. However, changes in the biomass of plants, herbivores and arthropod predators were positively correlated or uncorrelated between these three trophic levels and also between individual arthropod orders. Arthropod abundance and biomass correlated strongly with the plant biomass irrespective of the arthropods' trophic position – a signal of bottom-up control. Patterns in herbivore specialization confirm lack of a strong top-down control and were largely unaffected by the exclusion of insectivorous birds, bats and ants. No changes of plant-herbivore interaction networks were detected except for decrease in modularity of the exclosure plots. Our results suggest weak top-down control of herbivores, limited compensation between arthropod and vertebrate predators, and limited intra-guild predation by birds, bats and ants. Possible explanations are strong bottom-up control, a low activity of the higher order predators, especially birds, possibly also bats, in gaps, and continuous influx of herbivores from surrounding mature forest matrix.</p>
Nuclear phylogeography reveals strong impacts of gene flow in big brown bats
<p><strong>Aim: </strong>Understanding speciation mechanisms requires disentangling processes that promote and erode population-level divergence. Three hypotheses are raised that contemporary population structure is mainly shaped by refugial divergence, post-glacial gene flow, or combined effects of both. Testing these hypotheses requires range-wide phylogeography and integrative analyses across scales. Here we aim to 1) re-estimate the previously unresolved nuclear phylogeography of a widespread bat; 2) test the above three phylogeographic hypotheses; and 3) inform conservation management under climate change.</p> <p><strong>Location: </strong>North America including Caribbean.</p> <p><strong>Taxon: </strong>The big brown bat (<em>Eptesicus fuscus</em>).</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We collected range-wide samples and genome-wide markers using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing. Population structure was analyzed by clustering methods and spatial estimations. Nuclear phylogeography was estimated using tree methods (concatenation and coalescent) and network analyses (TreeMix). Phylogeographic hypotheses were tested by comparing alternative evolutionary scenarios using demographic modeling. Species distribution modeling was used to help identify Pleistocene refugia and predict future range shifts under climate change.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified three populations in the Caribbean, Eastern, and Western North America. The west population further split into three phylogeographic clades in Pacific, Southwestern North America, and Mexico. Discordances among mitochondrial and nuclear topologies reflected strong impacts of gene flow without sex biases. Demographic modeling supported scenarios of historical isolation followed by secondary gene flow and estimated Holocene divergence time. Species distribution was overall continuous during glaciation with possible regional isolation, and northward range shifts were predicted under future climate change.</p> <p><strong>Main Conclusions: </strong>Our results supported the hypothesis that combined effects of historical isolation and secondary gene flow shaped the contemporary population divergence. We showed that climate change probably triggered the initial divergence and that gene flow has strong impacts on the observed nuclear phylogeography. Our empirical study demonstrates dynamic within-species processes generating the population divergence that predates speciation.</p>
Data from: Even low light pollution levels affect the spatial distribution and timing of activity of a "light tolerant" bat species
<p>Abstract of the related publication :</p> <p>By disrupting nocturnal landscapes worldwide, light pollution caused by Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is recognised as a major threat to biodiversity. As even low light intensities might affect some taxa, concerns are arising about biological responses to widespread low light levels. We used data from a French citizen science bat monitoring program (1,894 full-nights monitored on 1,055 sites) to explore the landscape-scale effects of light on an open-space-foraging bat species, the Serotine bat (<em>Eptesicus serotinus</em>). We assessed this species' abundance and timing of night-time activity (median time of activity) at foraging sites. ALAN, and to a lesser extent moonlight, reduced <em>E. serotinus</em> abundance. ALAN delayed activity, and this delay was amplified during overcast nights. On the contrary, where there was no ALAN, the higher the cloud cover, the earlier the activity occurred. Cloud cover likely darkened the night sky in rural locations, whereas it amplified skyglow in light-polluted places, increasing ALAN effects on bats. Interestingly, moonlight also delayed activity but this effect was weakened where there was ALAN. Our study shows that even fine variations of light levels could affect the spatiotemporal distribution of a common species usually considered to be “light tolerant”, with potential cascading effects on individual fitness and population dynamics. It stresses how urgent it is to preserve and restore dark areas to protect biodiversity from light pollution while working on light intensity and directivity where ALAN is needed.</p>
Craniodental traits predict feeding performance and dietary hardness in a community of Neotropical free-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Molossidae)
<p>Form-function studies have established a strong link between dental morphology and the mechanical properties of food items, with animals evolving tooth shapes theoretically ideal for their diets. However, information on how teeth perform under natural conditions is rare, which limits our understanding of how dental morphology influences dietary ecology and niche partitioning within animal communities.</p> <p>Free-tailed bats (Chiroptera: Molossidae) are a diverse clade of aerial insectivorous mammals that exhibit an outstanding variation in size and craniodental traits, which have been directly related to ecological segregation among sympatric species.</p> <p>We investigate the mechanisms that allow functional dietary specialization and trophic segregation among sympatric free-tailed bat species inhabiting a Neotropical forest. To do so, we coupled data on 3D dental topographic metrics, head and skull dimensions, field-collected feeding performance and dietary hardness measurements.</p> <p>We found that evolved differences in molar topography and skull size vary in tandem with the mechanical demands of prey items naturally consumed by sympatric molossid species. This may be explained by feeding performance capabilities resulting from both molar shape and the overall size of the feeding apparatus, which seem to allow efficient processing of prey items with specific mechanical properties. For instance, smaller bats with higher molar topographic values (sharper, more complex molars) and more gracile heads mainly feed on softer insects, whereas bigger bats with lower molar topographic values (blunter, less complex molars) and more robust heads mostly feed on tougher insects. Species with a broader range of sizes, craniodental morphologies, and insect hardness are also present in the community.</p> <p>Our results illustrate how the morphology and size of feeding structures, and how they perform, may facilitate trophic segregation among sympatric insectivorous bats. Similar mechanisms may help structure other communities of insectivorous mammals, therefore the approaches presented here could be used to generate a better understanding of the ecomorphological traits and processes that underlie their diversity.</p>
Parasitization of bats by bat flies (Streblidae) in fragmented habitats
Parasites represent a large fraction of the world's biodiversity. They control host population sizes and contribute to ecosystem functioning. However, surveys on species diversity rarely include parasitic species. Bats often present traits favoring parasite diversity, such as large home ranges, long life spans, and large colonies. The most conspicuous bat parasites are the highly host specific, blood-sucking bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae). Recent studies have found a direct effect of habitat alteration on the abundance of bat species. We expected, therefore, that changes in the host community in response to anthropogenic habitat modification will also result in changes in the associated parasite community. We captured bats in three different habitats in Central Panama between 2013 and 2015. We recorded information on prevalence and intensity of bat fly parasitization of the seven most commonly captured bat species. Prevalence and intensity were both significantly influenced by roost type, abundance, and host sex and age. We found that habitat variables and matrix type significantly influenced the prevalence and intensity of parasitization, while the direction of the responses were host species- and parasite species-specific. In general, roosting conditions and behavior of host bats appear to be fundamental in explaining changes in prevalence and intensity of parasitization between different habitat types, as bat flies are bound to the roost during their reproductive cycle. Habitat alterations affects next to the host community composition also the availability of possible roost structures as well as microclimatic conditions, which all three reflect in parasitization.
Code and source data for the paper: Global warming leads to larger bats with a faster life history pace in the long-lived Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteinii)
<p>Contains two R scripts necessary to perfom the analysis for the paper "Global warming leads to a faster life history pace in the long-lived Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii)"</p> <ul> <li>1st Script (" Script_analysis paper_bodysize_AFR_fecundity_LRS_GAMs_revised": Descriptive statistics, calculation of all GAMs and code for figure 1, 2 and 3</li> <li>2nd Script (" Script_size specific generation times"): Calculation of reproductive and mortality rates, calculation of generation time and population growth rates (lambda) as well as code for figure 4 and 5</li> </ul> <p>And also .csv files with the data points of all figures.</p>
Data and code from: Fruit bat migration matches green wave in seasonal landscapes
<p><span>Migrating </span><span>grazers and carnivores</span><span> respond to seasonal changes in the environment and often match peaks in resource abundance. However, it is unclear if and how frugivorous animals use phenological events to time migration, especially in the tropics.<strong> </strong></span>The straw-colored fruit bat (<em>Eidolon helvum</em>), Africa's most gregarious fruit bat, forms large seasonal colonies throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that aggregations of <em>E. helvum</em> match the timing of their migration with phenologies of plant growth or precipitation.<strong> </strong>Using monthly colony counts from across much of the species' range, we matched peak colony size to landscape phenologies and explored the variation among colonies matching the overall closest phenological event.<strong> </strong>Peak colony size was closest to <span>the </span><span>peak</span><span> instantaneous</span><span> rate of green-up</span><span>,</span><span> and sites with closer temporal matching were associated with higher maximum greenness, short growing season, and larger peak colony size. <em>E</em></span><span><em>idolon</em></span><em><span> helvum</span></em><span> seem to time their migrations to move into highly seasonal landscapes to exploit short-lived explosions of food and may benefit from collective sensing to time migrations.<strong> </strong></span>The link between rapid changes in colony size and phenological match may also imply potential collective sensing of the environment. O<span>verall decreasing bat numbers along with various threats might cause this property of large colonies to be lost</span><span>.<strong> </strong></span>R<span>emote sensing data</span><span>, although, indirectly linked to fruiting events,</span><span> can potentially be used to globally describe and predict the migration of frugivorous species in a changing world</span><span>.</span></p>
Thermoregulation of European bats inhabiting artificial roosts
<p><span>Anthropogenic land use changes, such as deforestation and commercial forestry, have substantially reduced natural roost sites for European bats. </span><span>A common conservation solution is to provide artificial roosts (i.e., bat boxes), but there are concerns that these </span><span>can become hotter than natural roosts in summer and could be death traps during heat waves. Nevertheless, females of several bat species form maternity colonies in these boxes, thus occupying hotter and more humid microclimates than solitarily roosting males. We tested if cooling </span><span>efficiency</span><span> and heat tolerance differ between sexes in European bats, and estimated the evaporative water requirements of living in bat boxes during hot summer days.</span></p> <p><span>We used indirect calorimetry and thermometry to </span><span>quantify thermoregulation at high air temperatures (T<sub>a</sub>) in four species of verspitilionid bats that regularly occupy artificial roosts. We measured resting metabolic heat production, evaporative water loss rates (EWL), and body temperature (T<sub>b</sub>) at </span><span>T<sub>a</sub> between 28 </span><span>°C and 48 °C during summer. We predicted that females have higher evaporative cooling capacity (evaporative heat loss/metabolic heat production)</span><span> than males, allowing them to reach their heat tolerance limit at higher T<sub>a</sub>.</span></p> <p><span>We found no sex differences in maximum evaporative cooling efficiency, maximum T<sub>b</sub>, and maximum T<sub>a</sub> tolerated. However, the patterns of increasing EWL with T<sub>a</sub> differed between sexes. Females tolerated higher T<sub>a</sub> before increasing EWL than males and then rapidly increased EWL to higher values than males at the maximum T<sub>a</sub> tolerated. These sex differences in heat‑dissipation strategies may reflect varying ecological and physiological constraints associated with different summer roosting habits.</span></p> <p><span>Our study revealed that small European bat species are already at risk of succumbing to lethal dehydration during present-day heat waves. For conservation managers working with common European bat species, particularly those in monoculture forests with woodcrete bat-boxes, our physiologically-informed recommendations include positioning boxes in diverse locations varying in aspect and sun exposure. This will ensure thermal heterogeneity of roost sites and provide a wide gradient of microclimate conditions, allowing for roost switching when necessary.</span></p>
Systematics of the New World bats Eptesicus and Histiotus suggest trans-marine dispersal followed by Neotropical cryptic diversification
<p>Biodiversity can be boosted by colonization of new habitats, such as different continents and remote islands. Molecular studies have suggested that recently evolved organisms probably colonized already separated continents by dispersal, either via land bridge connections or crossing the ocean. Here we test the on-land and trans-marine dispersal hypotheses by evaluating possibilities of colonization routes over Bering land bridge and across the Atlantic Ocean in the cosmopolitan bat genus <em>Eptesicus</em> (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). Previous molecular studies have found New World <em>Eptesicus</em> more closely related to <em>Histiotus</em>, a Neotropical endemic lineage with enlarged ears, than to Old World <em>Eptesicus</em>. However, phylogenetic relationships within the New World group remained unresolved and their evolutionary history was unclear. Here we studied the systematics of New World <em>Eptesicus</em> and <em>Histiotus</em> using extensive taxonomic and geographic sampling, and genomic data from thousands of ultra-conserved elements (UCEs). We estimated phylogenetic trees using concatenation and multispecies coalescent. All analyses supported four major New World clades and a novel topology where <em>E. fuscus</em> and <em>Histiotus</em> are sister clades that together diverged from two sister clades of Neotropical <em>Eptesicus</em>. Intra-clade divergence suggested cryptic diversity that has been concealed by morphological features, especially in the Neotropics where taxonomic re-evaluations are warranted. Molecular dating estimated that Old World and New World clades diverged around 17 million years ago followed by radiation of major New World clades in the mid-Miocene, when climatic changes might have facilitated global dispersal and radiation events. Biogeographic ancestral reconstruction supported the Neotropical origin of the New World clades, suggesting a trans-Atlantic colonization route from North Africa to the northern Neotropics. We highlight that trans-marine dispersal may be more prevalent than currently acknowledged and may be an important first step to global biodiversification.</p>
Multifaceted DNA metabarcoding of bat guano
<p>DNA sequences from multiple different loci recovered as part of multifaceted DNA metabarcoding (MDM) of guano samples collected from two bat communities. One community was located in New York, USA, and the other in Arizona, USA. Data classes recovered from each guano sample (individual scat) using DNA included bat species, bat sex (multiple zinc-finger gene primer sets), arthropod diet items (16S and 18S rRNA loci), bat parasites (16S and 18S rRNA loci), and, depending on bat community, exposure to <em>Pseudogymnoascus destructans</em> (white-nose syndrom pathogen) or plant diet (trnH-psbA, 18S rRNA loci). </p>
Functional diversity and trait filtering of insectivorous bats on forest islands created by an Amazonian mega dam
<p>1. Mega dams in lowland tropical forests often create large archipelagos, leading to biodiversity decay and disruption of ecosystem functioning in remnant habitat islands.</p> <p>2. We investigated the functional diversity and functional trait filtering of aerial insectivorous bats in both insular forest patches created by a vast ~30-yr-old hydropower reservoir and the adjacent mainland continuous forest in Central Amazonia.</p> <p>3. Bats were surveyed using passive bat recorders across 34 forest sites. Based on a set of morphological traits derived for each species recorded, we estimated both the bat functional richness, functional evenness and functional dispersion at each surveyed site. We further assessed the effects of local vegetation, patch and landscape features on patterns of functional diversity. The interaction between functional traits, environmental characteristics, and species distribution was investigated using a combination of RLQ and fourth-corner analyses.</p> <p>4. We found that mainland sites retained higher functional richness and lower functional evenness compared to forest islands, indicating a more complete functional assemblage in the mainland. Additionally, species composition was affected by local vegetation structure and forest area, with small isolated islands exhibiting pervasive loss of functional traits. RLQ and fourth-corner analyses showed that larger understorey foraging species with greater dispersal capacity, constant frequency-frequency modulated calls, and higher frequency of maximum energy were associated with more isolated small islands. Conversely, forest subcanopy species, exhibiting quasi-constant frequency calls and presenting low dispersal capacity were associated with continuous forests and islands with greater forest area, and were therefore more sensitive to habitat insularization.</p> <p>5. Our study calls attention to the pervasive impacts induced by large dams on the functional diversity of tropical insectivorous bats. We recommend that future assessments of the effects of habitat fragmentation on mammals should include traits linked to ecosystem services. In designing and licensing new dams, we suggest the creation of extensive protected areas surrounding mainland forests to minimize the detrimental impacts of small isolated islands and safeguard the full complement of key ecological functions provided by insectivorous bats.</p>
Three-dimensional stratification pattern in an old-growth lowland forest: how does height in canopy and season influence temperate bat activity?
<p class="PaperLauftext">The study of animal-habitat interactions is of primary importance for the formulation of conservation recommendations. Flying, gliding and climbing animals have the ability to exploit their habitat in a three-dimensional way and the vertical canopy structure in forests plays an essential role for habitat suitability. Forest bats as flying mammals may seasonally shift their microhabitat use due to differing energy demands or changing prey availability, but the patterns are not well understood.</p> <p>We investigated three-dimensional and seasonal habitat use by insectivorous bats in a temperate lowland old-growth forest, the <i>Belovezhskaya Pushcha</i> in Belarus. We acoustically sampled broadleaved and mixed coniferous plots in the forest interior and in gaps in three heights during two reproductive periods (pregnancy/lactation versus post-lactation). In canopy gaps, vertical stratification in bat activity was less pronounced than in the forest interior. Vertical activity patterns differed among species. The upper canopy levels were important foraging habitats for the open-space forager guild and for some edge-space foragers like the Barbastelle bat <i>Barbastella barbastellus</i> and the soprano pipistrelle <i>Pipistrellus pygmaeus</i>. <i>Myotis</i> species had highest activity levels near the ground in forest gaps. Moreover, we found species-dependent seasonal microhabitat shifts. Generally, all species and species groups considered except <i>Myotis</i> species showed higher activity levels during post-lactation. <i>Myotis</i> species tended towards higher activity in the forest interior during post-lactation. <i>P. pygmaeus</i> switched from high activity levels in the upper canopy during pregnancy and lactation to high activity levels near the ground during post-lactation. We conclude that a full comprehension of forest bat habitat use is only possible when height in canopy and seasonal patterns are considered.</p>
Activity of forest specialist bats decreases towards wind turbines at forest sites
<p><span>Worldwide, wind turbines are increasingly being built at forest sites to meet the goals of national climate strategies. Yet, the impact on forest ecosystems and biodiversity is barely understood. Bats may be heavily affected by wind turbines in forests, because many species depend on forest ecosystems for roosting and hunting and can experience high fatality rates at wind turbines. <br></span></p> <p><span>We performed acoustic surveys in 24 temperate forests in the low mountain ranges of Central Germany to monitor changes in the acoustic activity of bats in relation to wind turbine proximity, rotor size, vegetation structure and season. Call sequences were identified and assigned to one of three functional guilds: open-space, edge-space and narrow-space foragers, the latter being mainly forest specialists. <br></span></p> <p><span>Based on the response behaviour of bats towards wind turbines in open landscapes, we predicted decreasing bat activity towards wind turbines at forest sites, especially for narrow-space foragers. <br></span></p> <p><span>Vertical vegetation heterogeneity had a strong positive effect on all bats, yet responses to wind turbines in forests varied across foraging guilds. Activity of narrow-space foragers decreased towards turbines over distances of several hundred meters, especially towards turbines with large rotors and during midsummer months. The activity of edge-space foragers did not change with distance to turbines or season, whereas the activity of open-space foragers increased close to turbines only in late summer. </span><span><br></span></p> <p><span><em>Synthesis and applications</em>: We show that narrow-space foragers avoid wind turbines in forests over a spatial scale of several hundred meters. This response was most apparent towards turbines with large rotors. Since forests are an important habitat for this guild, we advise to exclude forests with diverse vegetation structure as potential wind turbine sites and to consider compensation measures to account for habitat degradation associated with the operation of wind turbines in forests.</span></p>
Active season body mass patterns of Little Brown Bats and Northern Myotis: Raw and fitted mass values, environmental conditions and inflection point estimates
<p><span>Animals are expected to adjust their behavioural patterns to improve fitness outcomes, such as fecundity or offspring survival. For long-lived hibernators, decisions made in each annual cycle may reflect considerations not just for concurrent survival and reproduction, but also the pressure to maximize overwinter survival and future reproductive success. We examined how these elements manifest themselves in the body mass variation patterns of North American northern latitude temperate bats, whose size and roosting habits present considerable monitoring challenges. We characterized and compared the summer and fall mass variation patterns of little brown myotis (<em>Myotis lucifugus</em>) and northern myotis (<em>M. septentrionalis</em></span><span>) from a historic dataset. In summer, the estimated date of parturition was strongly associated with spring foraging conditions (low wind, low precipitation, warm temperatures), and mass gain associated with female reproduction conferred considerable differentiation between the mass variation patterns of females and males. In fall, differences were most apparent among species, although adults exhibited a greater capacity for rapid mass gain than juveniles. These results demonstrate how reproductive constraints and interannual survival have important influences on the behaviour of temperate bats. Future work should seek to quantify the fitness benefits of patterns identified in this study, such as the rate of prehibernation mass gain.</span></p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
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International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.