A seasonal multi-level trophic approach for bat habitat suitability assessments in peri-urban deciduous forests

• Published in: European journal of wildlife research Vol. 68; no. 2
• Main Authors: Faria, Sandra, Barros, Paulo, Bacelar, Eunice, Santos, Mário, Carvalho, Diogo, Vale-Gonçalves, Hélia, Braz, Luís, Travassos, Paulo, Cabral, João Alexandre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air temperature; Arthropods; Availability; Bats; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Breeding seasons; Castanea sativa; Chiroptera; Deciduous forests; Ecological effects; Ecology; Environmental conditions; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management; Food availability; Forest conservation; Forest management; Forests; Habitats; Hibernation; Life Sciences; Original Article; Periodicity; Primary production; Quercus robur; Resource availability; Seasons; Weather; Wind; Wind speed; Zoology; Arthropods; Phenology; Peri-urban deciduous forest; Conservation; Bat activity; Primary production
• ISSN: 1612-4642; 1439-0574
• DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01560-3

Although deciduous forests are usually associated with high levels of arthropod availability, bats seem to adjust their phenological requirements also as a response to other ecological and environmental conditions. In order to assess the potential influence of these conditions on bat activity phenological patterns, a peri-urban deciduous forest was selected as representative Mediterranean habitat, dominated by sweet chestnut trees ( Castanea sativa L.) and English oaks ( Quercus robur L.). Data on bat activity, arthropod biomass, primary production, and weather conditions were collected with a fortnightly periodicity, between March and October. To conduct the dataset analyses, we considered three different bats phenological periods. Our approach suggests that bat activity, food resource availability, and primary production are interdependent throughout the bat phenological periods. Moreover, in order to understand the potential multi-factor relationships for each specific phenological period, a generalized linear mixed effect model was applied. The results suggest that bat activity in deciduous forests was influenced by different drivers’ during each phenological period. The bat activity in the post-hibernation season was mainly influenced by wind speed, air temperature, and humidity. In the breeding season arthropod biomass, wind speed and temperature were the most significant variables to explain bat activity. Primary production was the only variable with statistical influence on bat activity in the pre-hibernation season. This integrative approach represents a step forward in evaluating seasonal habitat suitability for bats, which can be used in the future to guide the deciduous forest management for conservation purposes.