Response of bats and nocturnal insects to urban green areas in Europe

Villarroya‐Villalba, Lucía; Casanelles‐Abella, Joan; Moretti, Marco; Pinho, Pedro; Samson, Roeland; Mensel, Anskje Van; Chiron, François; Zellweger, Florian; Obrist, Martin К.

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2021.01.006

Cited by 25 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Most studies on urban bats have been conducted in the Northern Hemisphere. Vegetation is indicated to be important in maintaining insect prey populations [ 15 ], while artificial lights can improve the prey capture rate of the bat species adapted to hunting in bright places [ 16 ]. Several studies have suggested the suppression of arthropods, including agricultural pests and disease vectors, by urban bats [ 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going out for dinner—The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas

et al. 2021

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Insectivorous bats provide ecosystem services in agricultural and urban landscapes by consuming arthropods that are considered pests. Bat species inhabiting cities are expected to consume insects associated with urban areas, such as mosquitoes, flying termites, moths, and beetles. We captured insectivorous bats in the Federal District of Brazil and used fecal DNA metabarcoding to investigate the arthropod consumed by five bat species living in colonies in city buildings, and ascertained whether their predation was related to ecosystem services. These insectivorous bat species were found to consume 83 morphospecies of arthropods and among these 41 were identified to species, most of which were agricultural pests. We propose that bats may roost in the city areas and forage in the nearby agricultural fields using their ability to fly over long distances. We also calculated the value of the pest suppression ecosystem service by the bats. By a conservative estimation, bats save US$ 94 per hectare of cornfields, accounting for an annual savings of US$ 390.6 million per harvest in Brazil. Our study confirms that, regardless of their roosting location, bats are essential for providing ecosystem services in the cities, with extensive impacts on crops and elsewhere, in addition to significant savings in the use of pesticides.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going out for dinner—The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas

et al. 2021

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“…However, while light pollution attracts some insects, it also repels other more photophobic species (see examples in Firebaugh and Haynes 2019). Larger urban forest patches may buffer against the effects of light pollution, but this becomes compromised as fragmentation creates ever smaller forest patches in urban environments (Villarroya-Villalba et al 2021). Consequently, photophobic invertebrates may become locally extinct, while those attracted to light may disperse to a suboptimal environment where they are exposed to elevated predation, physical harm (automobile collisions) and unfavourable habitat conditions.…”

Section: Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban forest invertebrates: how they shape and respond to the urban environment

et al. 2022

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Invertebrates comprise the most diversified animal group on Earth. Due to their long evolutionary history and small size, invertebrates occupy a remarkable range of ecological niches, and play an important role as “ecosystem engineers” by structuring networks of mutualistic and antagonistic ecological interactions in almost all terrestrial ecosystems. Urban forests provide critical ecosystem services to humans, and, as in other systems, invertebrates are central to structuring and maintaining the functioning of urban forests. Identifying the role of invertebrates in urban forests can help elucidate their importance to practitioners and the public, not only to preserve biodiversity in urban environments, but also to make the public aware of their functional importance in maintaining healthy greenspaces. In this review, we examine the multiple functional roles that invertebrates play in urban forests that contribute to ecosystem service provisioning, including pollination, predation, herbivory, seed and microorganism dispersal and organic matter decomposition, but also those that lead to disservices, primarily from a public health perspective, e.g., transmission of invertebrate-borne diseases. We then identify a number of ecological filters that structure urban forest invertebrate communities, such as changes in habitat structure, increased landscape imperviousness, microclimatic changes and pollution. We also discuss the complexity of ways that forest invertebrates respond to urbanisation, including acclimation, local extinction and evolution. Finally, we present management recommendations to support and conserve viable and diverse urban forest invertebrate populations into the future.

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“…Además, muchas áreas actualmente con una gran densidad demográfica coinciden con áreas calientes (hotspots) de biodiversidad, lo que supone una amenaza aún mayor para esta (Myers et al 2000), especialmente sobre la diversidad y abundancia de los artrópodos (Davis 1978;McIntyre 2000;McIntyre et al 2001). Esta situación necesita, por tanto, de herramientas para caracterizar y estimar el impacto de la urbanización y de sus efectos sobre la biodiversidad, para así poder evaluar la compleja relación entre las ciudades y la biodiversidad (Villarroya-Villalba et al 2021).…”

Section: Conclusiones Perspectivas Y Recomendaciones De Futuro Para E...unclassified

Seguimiento de artrópodos bioindicadores en áreas urbanas: objetivos, experiencias y perspectivas

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Caro-Miralles

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et al. 2022

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Los bioindicadores han demostrado ser herramientas muy útiles para la evaluación del estado de perturbación o madurez de los ecosistemas, así como en la monitorización y detección de cambios en el entorno. Teniendo en cuenta una serie de criterios que justifican la calidad de los grupos bioindicadores, diversos taxones de artrópodos podrían ser considerados como óptimos. Existen varios estudios que utilizan a los artrópodos como bioindicadores, especialmente en zonas urbanas. Se exponen algunas experiencias de monitorización llevadas a cabo en los últimos diez años por el Grupo de Seguimiento de Biodiversidad UCM en el Campus Moncloa, un área periurbana situada en el noroeste de la ciudad de Madrid, relacionadas con el seguimiento de poblaciones de artrópodos (mariposas, hormigas y libélulas). Por último, se resumen algunas recomendaciones y perspectivas de futuro para el uso de artrópodos como bioindicadores en áreas urbanas.

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Response of bats and nocturnal insects to urban green areas in Europe

Cited by 25 publications

References 49 publications

Going out for dinner—The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas

Going out for dinner—The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas

Urban forest invertebrates: how they shape and respond to the urban environment

Seguimiento de artrópodos bioindicadores en áreas urbanas: objetivos, experiencias y perspectivas

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