Bat responses to climate change: a systematic review

Festa, Francesca; Ancillotto, Leonardo; Santini, Luca; Pacifici, Michela; Rocha, Ricardo; Toshkova, Nia; Amorim, Francisco; Benítez‐López, Ana; Domer, Adi; Hamidović, Daniela; Kramer‐Schadt, Stephanie; Mathews, Fiona; Radchuk, Viktoriia; Rebelo, Hugo; Ruczyński, Ireneusz; Solem, Estelle; Tsoar, Asaf; Russo, Danilo; Razgour, Orly

doi:10.1111/brv.12893

Cited by 55 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 154 publications

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“…Negative responses are especially likely to occur in animal species whose life cycles’ crucial phases are directly or indirectly affected by ambient temperatures. Bats are certainly among such species, yet observed, clear responses are still limited, and much evidence comes from model-based predictions based on future scenarios [ 5 ]. Some thermophilic bat species, such as Pipistrellus kuhlii [ 6 ] and Hypsugo savii [ 7 ], appear to benefit from rising temperatures by expanding their geographical distribution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some thermophilic bat species, such as Pipistrellus kuhlii [ 6 ] and Hypsugo savii [ 7 ], appear to benefit from rising temperatures by expanding their geographical distribution. However, many other sensitive bat species are or will be affected adversely by warmer temperatures’ direct or indirect consequences [ 5 , 8 ]. As facultative heterotherms, bats are especially selective towards specific roost temperatures for hibernation and reproduction [ 9 , 10 ] so climate change may decrease the availability of suitable roosting sites and reduce bat fitness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Admittance to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres Points to Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Insectivorous Bats

Salinas‐Ramos

Tomassini

Ferrari³

et al. 2023

Biology

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Climate change is exerting a broad range of (mostly adverse) effects on biodiversity, and more are expected under future scenarios. Impacts on species that deliver key ecosystem services, such as bats, are especially concerning, so their better understanding is key to preventing or mitigating them. Due to their physiological requirements, bats are especially sensitive to environmental temperatures and water availability, and heatwave-related mortality has been reported for flying foxes and, more anecdotally, other bat species. For temperate regions, to date, no study has highlighted an association between temperature extremes and bat mortality, mostly due to the difficulty of relying on data series covering long timespans. Heatwaves may affect bats, causing thermal shock and acute dehydration so bats can fall from the roost and, in some cases, are rescued by the public and brought to wildlife rehabilitation centres (WRCs). In our work, we considered a dataset spanning over 20 years of bat admittance to Italian WRCs, covering 5842 bats, and hypothesised that in summer, the number of admitted bats will increase in hotter weeks and young bats will be more exposed to heat stress than adults. We confirmed our first hypothesis for both the overall sample and three out of five synurbic species for which data were available, whereas hot weeks affected both young and adults, pointing to an especially concerning effect on bat survival and reproduction. Although our study is correlative, the existence of a causative relationship between high temperatures and grounded bats is still the best explanation for the recorded patterns. We urge such a relationship to be explored via extensive monitoring of urban bat roosts to inform appropriate management of bat communities in such environments and preserve the precious ecosystem services such mammals provide, especially insectivory services.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Admittance to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres Points to Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Insectivorous Bats

Salinas‐Ramos

Tomassini

Ferrari³

et al. 2023

Biology

Self Cite

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“…They perform key ecological services, such as pest suppression, pollinating plants, or dispersing seeds (Festa et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of ambient temperature on the phenology of the greater mouse‐eared bat (Myotis myotis)

Matthäus

Kugelschafter²,

Fietz

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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In order to assess the consequences of climate change and evaluate its impacts on wildlife, it is essential to do so on a species-specific level. It is assumed that changes in the ambient temperature influence energy consumption as well as food availability and thus foraging behavior, reproduction, survival, and therefore population dynamics in bats. Based on this assumption, the present study aims to gain insights into the roosting and breeding behavior of the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) in relation to changes of the ambient temperature. For this purpose, we investigated the effect of ambient temperature on the phenology of the greater mouse-eared bat by using activity data of the bats collected using light barriers at the maternity roosts.The light barrier used in this study is a system that detects the interruption of two light beams, for example, by a flying bat, and displays it as an electrical signal.The investigations have shown that 1. the higher the winter temperatures, the earlier the greater mouse-eared bats returned to the roosts to form the maternity colony; however, this was only true for

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“…They provide important ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control (Boyles et al, 2011 ; Jones et al, 2009 ; Kunz et al, 2011 ; Maas et al, 2016 ). Many bat species are at risk of population decline from largely anthropogenic factors including habitat loss, mortality at wind farms, and climate change, therefore many bat species must be actively managed for recovery (Festa et al, 2022 ; Frick et al, 2019 ; Voigt & Kingston, 2016 ). Fine‐scale distribution maps can help prioritize management activities for bats by predicting potential refugia, guiding survey efforts, or providing insights on population connectivity (reviewed in Razgour et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fine‐scale distribution maps can help prioritize management activities for bats by predicting potential refugia, guiding survey efforts, or providing insights on population connectivity (reviewed in Razgour et al, 2016 ). Climate change is predicted to cause varying responses in bat species—modeling studies predict both positive (e.g., range expansions and population growth) and negative (e.g., range contractions and population decline) responses, and monitoring studies confirm range shifts have already occurred in some bat species (Ancillotto et al, 2016 ; Festa et al, 2022 ; Loeb & Winters, 2013 ; Piccioli Cappelli et al, 2021 ; Voigt & Kingston, 2016 ; Zamora‐Gutierrez et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting habitat suitability for Townsend's big‐eared bats across California in relation to climate change

Hamilton

Morrison

Harris

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Effective management decisions depend on knowledge of species distribution and habitat use. Maps generated from species distribution models are important in predicting previously unknown occurrences of protected species. However, if populations are seasonally dynamic or locally adapted, failing to consider population level differences could lead to erroneous determinations of occurrence probability and ineffective management. The study goal was to model the distribution of a species of special concern, Townsend's big‐eared bats ( Corynorhinus townsendii ), in California. We incorporate seasonal and spatial differences to estimate the distribution under current and future climate conditions. We built species distribution models using all records from statewide roost surveys and by subsetting data to seasonal colonies, representing different phenological stages, and to Environmental Protection Agency Level III Ecoregions to understand how environmental needs vary based on these factors. We projected species' distribution for 2061–2080 in response to low and high emissions scenarios and calculated the expected range shifts. The estimated distribution differed between the combined (full dataset) and phenologically explicit models, while ecoregion‐specific models were largely congruent with the combined model. Across the majority of models, precipitation was the most important variable predicting the presence of C. townsendii roosts. Under future climate scenarios, distribution of C. townsendii is expected to contract throughout the state, however suitable areas will expand within some ecoregions. Comparison of phenologically explicit models with combined models indicates the combined models better predict the extent of the known range of C. townsendii in California. However, life‐history‐explicit models aid in understanding of different environmental needs and distribution of their major phenological stages. Differences between ecoregion‐specific and statewide predictions of habitat contractions highlight the need to consider regional variation when forecasting species' responses to climate change. These models can aid in directing seasonally explicit surveys and predicting regions most vulnerable under future climate conditions.

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Bat responses to climate change: a systematic review

Cited by 55 publications

References 154 publications

Admittance to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres Points to Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Insectivorous Bats

Admittance to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres Points to Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Insectivorous Bats

Influence of ambient temperature on the phenology of the greater mouse‐eared bat (Myotis myotis)

Predicting habitat suitability for Townsend's big‐eared bats across California in relation to climate change

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