Bats and Buildings: The Conservation of Synanthropic Bats

Voigt, Christian C.; Phelps, Kendra L.; Aguirre, Luís F.; Schoeman, M. Corrie; Vanitharani, Juliet; Zubaid, Akbar

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-25220-9_14

Cited by 66 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 135 publications

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“…Building roosts are often targeted for exclusion or destruction (Voigt et al. ). Given the importance of maternal colonies for population persistence (Humphrey ), this creates potential for rural villages and towns to be population sinks if roosts are not protected (Russo and Ancillotto ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Coleman and Barclay , Voigt et al. ). Although noise, disturbance, and artificial light can be detrimental to bats roosting in buildings (Boldogh et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This decline has been attributed to reduced prey abundance (Geggie and Fenton 1985, Avila-flores and Fenton 2005, Threlfall et al 2012b), noise and light pollution (Boldogh et al 2007, Schaub et al 2008, Stone et al 2009), or an inability to exploit urban roosts (Duchamp et al 2004, Russo andAncillotto 2014). Although atypical, some species of bats are synurbic; these are typically habitat generalists (Duchamp et al 2004, Ancillotto et al 2016, Jung and Threlfall 2016 that preferentially roost in anthropogenic structures, even when natural roosts (e.g., trees or caves) are available (Nuebaum et al 2007, Coleman and Barclay 2012, Voigt et al 2016. Although noise, disturbance, and artificial light can be detrimental to bats roosting in buildings (Boldogh et al 2007, L opez-Roig andSerra-Cobo 2014), some species experience accelerated reproductive phenology (i.e., rapid fetal development and earlier births) and faster juvenile growth due to favorable microclimates, resulting in higher reproductive success (Lausen and Barclay 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life in a northern town: rural villages in the boreal forest are islands of habitat for an endangered bat

Thomas

Jung

2019

Ecosphere

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Citation: Thomas, J. P., and T. S. Jung. 2019. Life in a northern town: rural villages in the boreal forest are islands of habitat for an endangered bat.Abstract. Urban development is detrimental to many wildlife species; however, endangered little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) may be attracted to human settlements, making them a synurbic species. Buildings likely provide high-quality roosting habitat, which may be a limiting factor in the boreal forest where trees are typically small and potentially unsuitable for hosting large maternity colonies. In the boreal forest, there are relatively few urban developments in a matrix of wilderness and apparently suboptimal natural roosting habitat; thus, we hypothesized that isolated rural villages were islands of summer habitat for little brown bats that may be important for their conservation and recovery. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between little brown bat activity, foraging rates, and proximity to rural villages. We expected bat activity and foraging rates to increase with proximity to villages, as bats should optimally forage near their roosts to minimize flight costs. We used ultrasonic detectors to passively monitor bat activity near three rural villages in Yukon, Canada, and characterized bat habitat with forest measurements and remotely sensed data. Bat activity increased with proximity to village centers, but foraging activity did not, suggesting that human settlements in the boreal forest were important as roosting rather than foraging habitat. Bat activity was higher near water bodies and areas with relatively high densities of linear features (e.g., roads and transmission lines), perhaps because prey were most abundant near water features and along forest edges. The island phenomenon we observed (i.e., higher bat activity near villages) has also been documented in larger human settlements at lower latitudes, where urban areas provided better roosting habitat than surrounding agricultural matrices. Given that little brown bats were concentrated near rural villages, small human settlements should be a focus of conservation efforts in the boreal forest-particularly the identification and protection of buildings used as maternity colonies. Our study advances knowledge of little brown bat habitat requirements in the boreal forest and identifies habitats that may be important for their recovery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Coleman and Barclay , Voigt et al. ). Although noise, disturbance, and artificial light can be detrimental to bats roosting in buildings (Boldogh et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life in a northern town: rural villages in the boreal forest are islands of habitat for an endangered bat

Thomas

Jung

2019

Ecosphere

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“…Many species of temperate bats overwinter in natural (caves) or artificial underground sites, while only some also reproduce there; the others may use overground, in buildings or tree cavities. Much of the evidence concerning contamination of bats in their roost regards the effects of roofing timber treatments with pesticides such as lindane, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and pyrethroids, which may have adverse consequences for bats (Mitchell-Jones et al, 1989;Swanepoel et al, 1999;Voigt et al, 2016). In specific cases, there might be some chance of direct contamination through inhalation or dermal contact when bats roost in farmland structures, like rural buildings (barns, stables) or cavities in trees (e.g.…”

Section: Roosting Ecology and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific statement on the coverage of bats by the current pesticide risk assessment for birds and mammals

Residues¹,

Hernández‐Jerez²,

Adriaanse³

et al. 2019

EFS2

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Bats are an important group of mammals, frequently foraging in farmland and potentially exposed to pesticides. This statement considers whether the current risk assessment performed for birds and ground dwelling mammals exposed to pesticides is also protective of bats. Three main issues were addressed. Firstly, whether bats are toxicologically more or less sensitive than the most sensitive birds and mammals. Secondly, whether oral exposure of bats to pesticides is greater or lower than in ground dwelling mammals and birds. Thirdly, whether there are other important exposure routes relevant to bats. A large variation in toxicological sensitivity and no relationship between sensitivity of bats and bird or mammal test-species to pesticides could be found. In addition, bats have unique traits, such as echolocation and torpor which can be adversely affected by exposure to pesticides and which are not covered by the endpoints currently selected for wild mammal risk assessment. The current exposure assessment methodology was used for oral exposure and adapted to bats using bat-specific parameters. For oral exposure, it was concluded that for most standard risk assessment scenarios the current approach did not cover exposure of bats to pesticide residues in food. Calculations of potential dermal exposure for bats foraging during spraying operations suggest that this may be a very important exposure route. Dermal routes of exposure should be combined with inhalation and oral exposure. Based on the evidence compiled, the Panel concludes that bats are not adequately covered by the current risk assessment approach, and that there is a need to develop a bat-specific risk assessment scheme. In general, there was scarcity of data to assess the risks for bat exposed to pesticides. Recommendations for research are made, including identification of alternatives to laboratory testing of bats to assess toxicological effects.

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“…Nonetheless, due to the irreversible processes of urbanization and natural habitat loss, the city area becomes, by obligation, an increasingly important factor in the landscape of the time and spatial population structure of some bat species (Francis and Chadwick, 2012). At the same time, the city environment hides emergent peculiarities that are often determined by anthropogenic factors, such as the unpredictable disturbance of bat aggregations by people, including the destruction of their roost cavities in built-up areas, the sudden termination of access to newly discovered roosts through open windows and balconies, the potential repair of suitable roosting crevices and holes in buildings, and threats from synanthropic predators (e.g., cats, birds) (Ancillotto et al, 2013;Voigt et al, 2016). Clarification of the effects that city environmental features have on bats is critical in order to guide and advise proper conservation strategies for supporting bat biodiversity in city areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Year-round monitoring of bat records in an urban area:Kharkiv (NE Ukraine), 2013, as a case study

Kravchenko¹,

Vlaschenko²,

Prylutska³

et al. 2017

Turk J Zool

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This study presents information about the year-round phenology of bats of temperate zones in a city area for the first time. In total, 967 individuals of 5 bat species (Nyctalus noctula [87.5%], Eptesicus serotinus [10.6%], Pipistrellus kuhlii [0.8%], Vespertilio murinus [0.9%], and Plecotus auritus [0.1%]) were recorded during 2013 in Kharkiv. The population structures of temperate bat species are complex; segregation of sex and age groups varies spatially and seasonally. Most of the bats (88%) were collected during the hibernation period (January-March and November-December) and the autumn invasion (August-mid-September). The breeding period saw a lower number of bats collected, making up 0.5% of records (May-July). The degree of tolerance to urbanization is species-specific. The bats were found indoors (68.6%), between window frames (26.6%), outdoors (2.8%), in basements (1.05%), and on balconies (0.95%). Bats of temperate latitudes inhabit big cities in significantly increasing numbers in winter, spring, and autumn. They avoid urban areas in both the breeding period and the period of fat-store accumulation before hibernation.

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Bats and Buildings: The Conservation of Synanthropic Bats

Cited by 66 publications

References 135 publications

Life in a northern town: rural villages in the boreal forest are islands of habitat for an endangered bat

Life in a northern town: rural villages in the boreal forest are islands of habitat for an endangered bat

Scientific statement on the coverage of bats by the current pesticide risk assessment for birds and mammals

Year-round monitoring of bat records in an urban area:Kharkiv (NE Ukraine), 2013, as a case study

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