Bat boxes and climate change: testing the risk of over-heating in the Mediterranean region

Bideguren, Garazi Martin; López‐Baucells, Adrià; Puig-Montserrat, Xavier; Mas, M. T.; Porres, Xavier; Flaquer, Carles

doi:10.1007/s10531-018-1634-7

Cited by 39 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The deployment of bat box designs that differ in thermal profiles and the use of boxes that offer a thermal gradient within the box itself is likely an important factor for boxes to be a suitable artificial roost resource for heterothermic bats. Box microclimate is considered particularly important during ambient temperature extremes [32,41,56] and for energy conservation, such as through passive rewarming from torpor [28,57] and through warm roosts for dependent young and lactating females [14,43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bideguren et al [56] investigated the internal temperatures of bat box designs made from different construction materials in a Mediterranean climate. In other climates, the investigation of box temperature differences between plywood, a commonly used construction material in Australia and North America [22,59] and wood-cement, a commonly used material in Europe [22], has not been assessed in detail.…”

Section: Box Construction Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the vent for the front chamber and the multiple chambers of the black plywood box resulted in a thermal gradient, providing cooler areas to that of the upper section of the front chamber. In very warm climates, box designs that facilitate warm roosts, such as the black boxes tested here, are unlikely to be suitable during hot ambient conditions [41,49,56] with dependent young particularly vulnerable to heat stress.…”

Section: Maternity Roostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unclear if short durations of temperatures over 40.0 • C are detrimental to bats [50,51,66] and likely varies between species and location [19,49]. Some bat box studies conducted in warm climates have raised concerns that bat boxes become lethal during hot ambient conditions [41,56], with Hoeh et al [61] recording box temperatures of up to 61 • C. The data obtained in this study indicates that at the study site, box temperatures experienced in black boxes (with an afternoon sun aspect) installed on poles with a natural groundcover underneath, were suitable for bats on an average summer day (mean maximum: 29.7 • C). However, during spells of very hot ambient temperatures or in climates experiencing warmer ambient temperatures to that at the study site, the availability of box designs buffering from very hot ambient temperatures and providing a thermal gradient are important.…”

Section: Thermal Limits and Box Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study indicated that: white boxes, box materials that buffer warm ambient temperature (e.g., wood-cement over plywood) and box designs that comprise a temperature gradient within the box (e.g., multiple chambers with vents) can negate hot ambient temperature to some extent. Consideration of these box design elements and identifying other design elements to further improve the buffering capacity from extreme heat [56,67] may be particularly important given the predicted climate warming and increased periods of extreme heat [68].…”

Section: Thermal Limits and Box Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in Summer and Winter Microclimate in Multi-Chambered Bat Boxes in Eastern Australia: Potential Eco-Physiological Implications for Bats

Rueegger

2019

Environments

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Bat boxes are commonly used as a conservation tool. Detailed knowledge on the influence of box elements on microclimate is lacking, despite eco-physiological implications for bats. Summer and winter box temperature and relative humidity patterns were studied in narrow multi-chambered plywood and wood-cement boxes in eastern Australia. Box exteriors were black or white and plywood boxes comprised vents. Relative humidity was higher in white boxes than black boxes and box colour, construction material, chamber sequence and vents influenced temperatures. Maximum box temperature differences between designs varied by up to 9.0 • C in summer and 8.5 • C in winter. The black plywood box consistently recorded the warmest temperatures. This design comprised a temperature gradient between chambers and within the front chamber (influenced by vent). During the 32-day summer sampling period, the front chamber rarely recorded temperatures over 40.0 • C (postulated upper thermal tolerance limit of bats), while the third and fourth chamber never reached this threshold. At the study site, the tested black boxes are considered most thermally suitable for bats during average summer conditions. However, during temperature extremes black boxes likely become too hot. Wood-cement, a durable material not previously tested in Australia should be considered as an alternative construction material.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Box Construction Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Maternity Roostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thermal Limits and Box Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thermal Limits and Box Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in Summer and Winter Microclimate in Multi-Chambered Bat Boxes in Eastern Australia: Potential Eco-Physiological Implications for Bats

Rueegger

2019

Environments

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Design modifications affect bat box temperatures and suitability as maternity habitat

Tillman

Bakken

O’Keefe

2021

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Artificial roosting structures (e.g. bat boxes) are widely used as conservation tools for many animals, including bats. Although it is relatively easy to monitor bat box temperatures, we know little about the effect of design on temperatures within a box. Box microclimate affects energy budgets and physiological processes and, thus, suitability as a roost. Optimal temperature varies during the period when reproductive females aggregate to rear pups; warm roosts enhance pup development during gestation and lactation, while cool roosts facilitate energy savings by torpor, which is often important during post‐lactation. To better understand the relation of design to internal temperature, we simultaneously compared 20 box designs (19 variations of a rocket box and one three‐chamber flat box) in an open site, May to September 2018. We measured temperatures at the top, middle and bottom of each box and tallied counts of daytime and nighttime cool (≤30°C; TCOOL), permissive (30.1–39.9°C; TPERM) and stressful (≥40°C; TSTRS) temperature observations. We also measured temperature, solar radiation and wind speed at the site. We used generalized linear models with negative binomial distributions to test the effects of design, environmental variables and their interactions. Adding an external jacket or decreasing ventilation increased daytime and nighttime counts of TPERM. Increasing box volume (i.e. lengthening box by 50%) also positively affected daytime counts of TPERM, whereas decreasing box volume (by 50%) had the opposite effect. Adding an external water jacket was the only modification we tested that decreased counts of TCOOL at night. Counts of TSTRS were elevated by warmer, sunnier and less windy conditions outside, but these effects were lessened by increasing roof shading or reflectivity, adding ventilation or external jackets, or decreasing box volume. These results inform the development and implementation of novel bat box designs as conservation and management tools for maternal colonies of bats, with consideration for the effects of weather on internal temperatures.

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Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus (Leach, 1825)

Jones,

Froidevaux

2023

Handbook of the Mammals of Europe

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Bat boxes and climate change: testing the risk of over-heating in the Mediterranean region

Cited by 39 publications

References 35 publications

Variation in Summer and Winter Microclimate in Multi-Chambered Bat Boxes in Eastern Australia: Potential Eco-Physiological Implications for Bats

Variation in Summer and Winter Microclimate in Multi-Chambered Bat Boxes in Eastern Australia: Potential Eco-Physiological Implications for Bats

Design modifications affect bat box temperatures and suitability as maternity habitat

Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus (Leach, 1825)

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