A nursery roost of the soprano pipstrelle bat Pipistrellus pygmaeus has been monitored continuously between 1 April and 27 September (Weeks 1−26) for 20 yr to promote conservation of the species, which declined over the last century. The long-term study, essential to estimate a reliable population trend, is linked to environmental changes as possible causes of decline. The main emergence was from May to July (Weeks 6−18) when 550 ± 190 (SD) P. pygmaeus were counted. Analysis showed that the year-to-year change in population size of female P. pygmaeus (ΔN) and the time of the peak exit count of the females from the roost in May to June could be predicted from the integrated air temperature (degree days, D) between 1 January and 31 March.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.