Spatial and temporal occurrence of bats in the southern North Sea area

Lagerveld, Sander; Gerla, Daan J.; Wal, J.T. van der; Vries, P. de; Brabant, R.; Stienen, Eric; Deneudt, K.; Manshanden, Jasper; Scholl, Michaela

doi:10.18174/426898

2017

DOI: 10.18174/426898

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Spatial and temporal occurrence of bats in the southern North Sea area

Sander Lagerveld¹,

Daan J. Gerla²,

J.T. van der Wal³

et al.

Abstract: The Management of Wageningen Marine Research is not responsible for resulting damage, as well as for damage resulting from the application of results or research obtained by Wageningen Marine Research, its clients or any claims related to the application of information found within its research. This report has been made on the request of the client and is wholly the client's property.

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Cited by 4 publications

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

Lagerveld,

Wilkes,

van Puijenbroek

et al. 2023

Environ Monit Assess

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Seasonal movements between the summer and winter areas are a widespread phenomenon in bats So far, most information on the migration ecology of bats has been obtained by studies in terrestrial habitats, whereas scientific knowledge on migration over sea is scarce. We performed continuous ultrasonic acoustic monitoring at 13 locations in the southern North Sea during four consecutive years (2017–2020) and analysed the spatiotemporal occurrence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii during autumn migration in relation to weather parameters and lunar phase. Our analysis showed that the main autumn migration of Nathusius’ pipistrelle at the southern North Sea occurs from mid-August until late October and most bats within the study area occur off the Noord Holland coast. North Sea crossings frequently last longer than one night; the day is spent roosting at an offshore structure. The strongest migration occurs during nights with tailwinds from the east-northeast, but bats are also recorded offshore with low to moderate headwinds or crosswinds. Bat presence decreased between the full moon and the last quarter and increased just before the new moon. Finally, our observations show that the occurrence of bats at sea was reduced in 2020 in comparison to the previous years. The results of this study show clear spatiotemporal patterns of migratory bat occurrence at the southern North Sea. The spatial distribution can be used in spatial planning of future offshore wind farms, whereas the temporal occurrence and environmental factors that shape offshore migration can be used to develop mitigation measures to reduce the number of bat fatalities.

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

Lagerveld,

Wilkes,

van Puijenbroek

et al. 2023

Environ Monit Assess

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Forest and Isolation Determine Bat Species Richness on Mediterranean Islands: Conservation Implications

Ekklisiarchos,

Russo,

Georgiakakis

2024

Mammal Review

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BackgroundThe study of island species richness has gone far beyond traditional theories, as more and more studies attempt to include new predictor variables besides island area. Despite the rich bat diversity of Mediterranean islands, no studies have examined the factors influencing chiropteran species richness in such a geographic context.AimsWe used Greek islands as a model to detect drivers of bat species richness based on a broad species occurrence dataset from islands of the Aegean and Ionian Seas, which was explored using 10 potential predictor variables.Materials and MethodsInitially, we comprehensively evaluated all available data and sources for 53 Greek islands, deemed essential. This resulted in a reduced set of 28 islands. Predictors were grouped into three categories: island area, landscape diversity and island isolation. Generalised linear models were employed to identify the most significant factors explaining bat species richness in the 28 islands.ResultsTree cover and the distance between the islands and their nearest coast (mainland or island) best performed to predict bat species richness on Greek islands.DiscussionWe show the important role of landscape composition and degree of isolation in influencing the distribution of bat species on islands.ConclusionWe highlight the importance of forest habitats and the vital role of their management and protection, especially in the insular systems of the Mediterranean basin, where the risk of forest degradation or loss due to wildfires and land use change is especially high.

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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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Spatial and temporal occurrence of bats in the southern North Sea area

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

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

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

Forest and Isolation Determine Bat Species Richness on Mediterranean Islands: Conservation Implications

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

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