Acoustic monitoring reveals spatiotemporal occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle at the southern North Sea during autumn migration

Lagerveld, Sander; Wilkes, Tony; van Puijenbroek, Marinka E. B.; Noort, Bart C. A.; Geelhoed, Steve C. V.

doi:10.1007/s10661-023-11590-2

Cited by 3 publications

References 63 publications

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Strategies for Mitigating Impacts to Aerofauna from Offshore Wind Energy Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps

Gulka,

Knapp,

Soccorsi

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Offshore wind energy (OSW) development, while a key strategy for reducing global reliance on fossil fuels, nevertheless has environmental effects that should be mitigated. We reviewed the scientific literature and gray literature to identify approaches for mitigating (e.g., avoiding, minimizing, or compensating for) the effects of OSW development on birds and bats (aerofauna). The review included studies from other industries where relevant, including terrestrial wind energy and the offshore oil and gas industry. Of a total of 212 mitigation approaches from 233 source documents, 59% of proposed approaches were not tested in the reviewed literature to assess effectiveness at mitigating anthropogenic impacts to aerofauna. Of the mitigation approaches that were field tested or implemented, the reviewed literature indicated evidence of their effectiveness in only about 36% of cases. Thus, there was no evidence of effectiveness for 86% of the mitigation approaches identified in this literature review. For birds, minimization approaches related to lighting (e.g., reducing artificial light, avoiding white and steady-burning lights) were the most commonly tested and effective methods for reducing maladaptive attraction and collisions. For bats, minimization via alteration of turbine operations (e.g., curtailment and feathering of turbine blades) were most commonly shown to be effective. Minimization was the main focus of this review but there is limited evidence of effectiveness for most approaches, and we suggest implementation of dedicated testing to explore the effectiveness of commonly suggested and implemented mitigation measures such as curtailment for birds. As such, avoidance of effects (via careful siting of industrial activity and related measures to avoid effects to wildlife and their habitats) remains the best available option for mitigation. To fully mitigate the effects of OSW development on aerofauna, compensation and offset strategies should also be further explored.

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Strategies for Mitigating Impacts to Aerofauna from Offshore Wind Energy Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps

Gulka,

Knapp,

Soccorsi

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Migratory movements of bats are shaped by barrier effects, sex-biased timing and the adaptive use of winds

Lagerveld,

de Vries,

Harris

et al. 2024

Mov Ecol

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Background Migratory bats perform seasonal movements between their summer and winter areas. When crossing ecological barriers, like the open sea, they are exposed to an increased mortality risk due to energetically demanding long-distance flights and unexpected inclement weather events. How such barriers affect bat migratory movements is still poorly known. Methods To study bat migration patterns in response to an ecological barrier, we tagged 44 Nathusius’ pipistrelles Pipistrellus nathusii with radio-transmitters on the East coast of the United Kingdom (UK) in spring 2021 and 2022. Subsequently, we assessed their movements to continental Europe using the MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System. We investigated route selection, timing of migration, overall migration speed and the influence of wind on airspeed, groundspeed and flight altitude during migratory overseas flights. Results Barrier effects cause migratory movements along the coast, and crossings over sea are shortened by deviating from the general migration direction. Males depart from the UK later in the season compared to females. The overall migration speed of females was 61 km/day and 88 km/day after their last detection in the UK. Our estimated airspeeds during oversea flights correspond well with airspeeds measured in a wind tunnel. Bats use wind adaptively to reduce airspeed when flying under tailwind and increase airspeed when flying under crosswind conditions. Departures over sea coincidence with tailwinds, enabling bats to more than double their airspeed, reaching ground speeds of up to 16.8 m/s (60.5 km/h). Our analysis suggests that bats select altitudes with favourable wind conditions and that they seek altitudes of several hundred meters, possibly extending up to 2,500 m. Low-altitude migration occurs when wind conditions are less favourable. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that bat migratory movements are highly influenced by barrier effects, sex-biased timing of migration and the adaptive use of winds. The results of our study contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the decision-making process and adaptations bats employ during their migration. Elucidating bat migration patterns will enable us to develop effective conservation measures, for example in relation to the development and operation of coastal and offshore wind farms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40462-024-00520-7.

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Diverse but declining? Population genetic structure and genetic diversity of Nathusius’ pipistrelle along the Dutch coastline during the autumn migration period

Schaik,

Schuler,

Stienstra

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Migratory bats are experiencing substantial increases in mortality risk from wind energy developments, but data on their migratory behavior and population dynamics are often lacking. Here, we develop a novel microsatellite panel for one such migratory bat species, the Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii), and apply it to 448 samples collected at stopover sites along the Dutch coast during autumn migration over four consecutive years. With this dataset, we assessed whether the population is genetically sub-structured, characterize its current genetic diversity, and evaluate whether mothers guide their offspring during migration. We found that the population is panmictic and diverse, with an effective population size estimate that cannot be distinguished from infinite. However, we also observed a consistent decline in allelic richness across the sampling period, as well as a heterozygote excess in individuals sampled as juveniles, both suggesting an ongoing population decline. We did not find any parent-offspring pairs in our dataset, which included 30 box captures where adult female and juvenile bats were found roosting together, suggesting that juvenile bats do not follow their mothers during their first migration. Our findings provide an initial characterization and baseline measure of genetic diversity for the Nathusius’ pipistrelle that can be used as a reference for subsequent studies and systematic efforts to monitor the genetic diversity of the species. Given that monitoring population trends of migratory bat species with traditional methods remains challenging, such tracking of genetic diversity may offer a valuable proxy by which to observe substantial population declines if they occur.

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Acoustic monitoring reveals spatiotemporal occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle at the southern North Sea during autumn migration

Cited by 3 publications

References 63 publications

Strategies for Mitigating Impacts to Aerofauna from Offshore Wind Energy Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps

Strategies for Mitigating Impacts to Aerofauna from Offshore Wind Energy Development: Available Evidence and Data Gaps

Migratory movements of bats are shaped by barrier effects, sex-biased timing and the adaptive use of winds

Diverse but declining? Population genetic structure and genetic diversity of Nathusius’ pipistrelle along the Dutch coastline during the autumn migration period

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