Large numbers of bats are killed by collisions with wind turbines, and there is at present no dir... more Large numbers of bats are killed by collisions with wind turbines, and there is at present no direct method of reducing or preventing this mortality. We therefore determine whether the electromagnetic radiation associated with radar installations can elicit an aversive behavioural response in foraging bats. Four civil air traffic control (ATC) radar stations, three military ATC radars and three weather radars were selected, each surrounded by heterogeneous habitat. Three sampling points matched for habitat type and structure, dominant vegetation species, altitude and surrounding land class were located at increasing distances from each station. A portable electromagnetic field meter measured the field strength of the radar at three distances from the source: in close proximity (,200 m) with a high electromagnetic field (EMF) strength .2 volts/metre, an intermediate point within line of sight of the radar (200-400 m) and with an EMF strength ,2 v/m, and a control site out of sight of the radar (.400 m) and registering an EMF of zero v/m. At each radar station bat activity was recorded three times with three independent sampling points monitored on each occasion, resulting in a total of 90 samples, 30 of which were obtained within each field strength category. At these sampling points, bat activity was recorded using an automatic bat recording station, operated from sunset to sunrise. Bat activity was significantly reduced in habitats exposed to an EMF strength of greater than 2 v/m when compared to matched sites registering EMF levels of zero. The reduction in bat activity was not significantly different at lower levels of EMF strength within 400 m of the radar. We predict that the reduction in bat activity within habitats exposed to electromagnetic radiation may be a result of thermal induction and an increased risk of hyperthermia.
Timing of Foraging Flights of Three Species of Bats in Relation to Insect Activity and Predation Risk
Oikos, Jun 1, 1996
OIKOS 76: 243-252. Copenhagen 1996 Timing of foraging flights of three species of bats in relatio... more OIKOS 76: 243-252. Copenhagen 1996 Timing of foraging flights of three species of bats in relation to insect activity and predation risk Jens Rydell, Abigail Entwistle and Paul A. Racey ... 1981, Leon-ard and Fenton 1983, Barclay 1989, Maier 1992, Rydell 1993, Entwistle 1994). ...
Alek Rachwald, Tim Bradford, Zbigniew Borowski, and Paul A. Racey (2016) The habitat preferences ... more Alek Rachwald, Tim Bradford, Zbigniew Borowski, and Paul A. Racey (2016) The habitat preferences of the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus and the common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus living in sympatry, were investigated in north east Scotland, using bat detector transects. Bat flight, foraging and social activity in natural birch woodland was compared with that in managed non-native coniferous woodland. Each area consists of riparian habitat, meadow-forest ecotone and dense forest. The activity of bats was highest in riparian habitat, then meadow, and lowest in dense woodland. P. pygmaeus was more abundant than P. pipistrellus in both areas, although in managed coniferous woodland only narrowly so (43.7% of all recorded bat flights, compared to 40.0% for common pipistrelle). In natural birch woodland, meadow habitat was most preferred by P. pipistrellus, and there was no significant difference between the use of riparian and woodland habitats, whereas in coniferous woodland, riparian habitat was most preferred. P. pygmaeus in both sites preferred riparian habitat, then meadow and forest least of all. The foraging activity of soprano pipistrelles was higher in birch than in coniferous woodland, whereas for the common pipistrelle, it was more evenly distributed. In both sites the lowest number of feeding buzzes was recorded in dense forest. In both study areas social calls were recorded, but many more for P. pygmaeus than for P. pipistrellus, especially in birch woodland. Soprano pipistrelle is a specialist species, focused mostly on riparian habitat, whereas common pipistrelle shows more generalistic behaviour. High number of social calls recorded near the waterbodies could suggest, that such habitat partitioning could be caused also by competitive behaviour.
Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rous... more Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rousettus madagascariensis G. Grandidier, 1928, prefers native or introduced fruit of no commercial value (Ficus polita, Syzygium jambos and S. malaccense) to commercially important fruits (Litchi chinensis and Diospyros kaki). We presented 10 fruit species to the bats: one native (F. polita) and the remainder introduced, 3 of which are commercially important. Most bats responded to fruit presented in a flight cage. Bats swallowed fruit juice and pulp and spat out the fibre of all fruit species provided except L. chinensis and Eugenia jambolana, the flesh of which was swallowed. Chemical composition was the most important determinant of selection by bats. Feeding preference was evidenced by large amounts of chewed pulp, repeated visits to the same fruits and more intensive feeding on lipid-and calcium-rich fruit species. Although commercially important fruit such as L. chinensis and D. kaki tended to have higher fructose content than other species, our results indicate that lipid and calcium content were more important in fruit selection. We suggest that maintaining natural food availability in humid forests and providing alternative sources of fruit (e.g. Syzygium spp.) may contribute to limiting the damage caused by R. madagascariensis to commercially important crops.
1. One of the key threats to bats in Britain is loss of suitable roost sites, but little is known... more 1. One of the key threats to bats in Britain is loss of suitable roost sites, but little is known about roost requirements for most species. 2. Roost selection in the brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus was demonstrated by comparison of buildings used as summer roosts in northeast Scotland with (i) random buildings in the same area, and (ii) a set of adjacent houses located in the same habitat. 3. Buildings containing roosts were situated closer to woodland and water relative to the random houses, and also had a greater area of woodland within a radius of 0 5 km, but not at distances beyond this. This suggests that feeding habitat in the vicinity of the roost is important for roost selection. 4. When compared with adjacent houses, roosts were older, and had roof spaces divided into more compartments, which were more likely to be fully lined with rough wooden planking. 5. The temperatures inside summer roosts (mean 17 9?C) were significantly warmer than those from random and adjacent houses (mean 16 7?C). 6. These results suggest that P. auritus is selective of its roosts, relative to the houses available. 7. The selection of specific types of roosts by P. auritus has implications for the management advice provided when roosts are threatened, and conservation actions should focus on efforts to avert significant change to, or destruction of, roost sites or the woodland in their vicinity.
Experiments in a flight cage and observations in the field were carried out in North-western Mada... more Experiments in a flight cage and observations in the field were carried out in North-western Madagascar to study the feeding preference of Rousettus madagascariensis (Family Pteropodidae) between an introduced fruit, jujube (Ziziphus jujuba, Family Rhamnaceae) and an endemic fig (Ficus sakalavarum, Family Moraceae) during the dry season, in May and June 2009. We also investigated quantitative aspects of seed dispersion by R. madagascariensis. Juvenile bats (13) fed intensively on F. sakalavarum, while adults (20) ate both fruit species but with a pronounced preference for unripe Z. jujube fruits. This preference for unripe (immature) fruit, the seeds of which are too large to swallow, suggested that R. madagascariensis does not affect seed dispersal in Z. jujuba. Almost half of the ingested seeds of F. sakalavarum were found in faeces of R. madagascariensis voided during the night in the flight cage, and the remainder was found in regurgitated ‘ejecta’ pellets. Rousettus madagascari...
Understanding bat ecosystem services on a global scale requires caution and wider collaboration: a critical evaluation of Ramírez‐Fráncel et al. (2022)
1 Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia Programme), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng K... more 1 Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia Programme), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng Kong 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 12000. 2 Fauna & Flora International, The David Attenboroug h Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK. 3 Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Epidemiology Unit, B P983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 4 Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche A gronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UR Animal et Gestion Intégrée des Risques (AGIRs), F-34398, Montpellier, France.
Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats... more Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) and the many threats they face from humans, negative attitudes towards pteropodids have persisted, fuelled by perceptions of bats as being pests and undesirable neighbours. Such long-term negativity towards bats is now further exacerbated by more recent disease-related concerns, particularly associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. There remains an urgent need to investigate and highlight the positive and beneficial aspects of bats across the Old World. While previous reviews have summarised these extensively, numerous new studies conducted over the last 36 years have provided further valuable data and insights which warrant an updated review. Here we synthesise research on pteropodid-plant interactions, comprising diet, ecological roles, and ecosystem services, conducted during 1985-2020. We uncovered a total of 311 studies covering 75 out of the known ...
Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, h... more Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, hence solar-powered GPS/GSM devices can track their movements over extended periods. The endemic Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger) has recently been subjected to large-scale culling because of perceived damage to commercial fruit, and a consequent reduction in numbers of > 50% since 2015 resulted in its IUCN Red List Status being up-listed to Endangered. Determining its movements will be important for management and conservation, for understanding potential responses to environmental change, and for understanding population admixture. Methods: Twelve bats were tagged with solar-powered GPS/GSM devices in 2014-2016. Tags remained active for up to almost a year (maximum 359 days: average 139 days (males) and 93 days (females)), providing some of the longest-term data on the movement ecology of bats yet obtained. Eight bats were probably hunted illegally, highlighting the scale of unauthorised persecution. Results: Males travelled on average 9 km each night, females 6 km. The nightly distance covered by adults of both sexes was higher in winter than in summer, though the opposite pattern occurred for immature males. These differences are probably related to seasonal changes in fruit availability (adults) and to dispersal by immature males. The maximum distance covered during one night was > 92 km. Home ranges of males averaged 74,633 ha, females 31,072 ha. Core foraging areas averaged 2222 ha for males, 1364 ha for females. Fifty roosts were identified, mainly in forest fragments. As the bats disperse seeds of native plants that form forest canopies, conservation of the bats will potentially maintain and enhance native forest cover, in turn providing roosting sites for the bats. Conclusions: Solar-powered GSM tagging provides unprecedented potential for understanding the movement ecology of flying foxes. Mauritian flying foxes often move between the few remnant native forest fragments, which remain important for their conservation, and have potentially important roles in seed dispersal. Their nomadic movement fits with their panmictic genetic structure. Although their ability for long distance movements, sometimes over short timescales, permits rapid responses to local threats and environmental change, being restricted to Mauritius renders the bats extremely vulnerable to intense culling.
The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying o... more The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying of the Government of Mauritius by fruit growers to control the flying fox population resulted in national culls in 2015 and 2016, with a further cull scheduled for 2018. A loss of c. 38,318 individuals has been reported and the species is now categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. However, until now there were no robust data available on damage to orchards caused by bats. During October 2015–February 2016 we monitored four major lychee Litchi chinensis and one mango (Mangifera spp.) orchard, and also assessed 10 individual longan Dimocarpus longan trees. Bats and introduced birds caused major damage to fruit, with 7–76% fruit loss (including natural fall and losses from fungal damage) per tree. Bats caused more damage to taller lychee trees (> 6 m high) than to smaller ones, whereas bird damage was independent of tree height. Bats damaged more fruit than birds in tall lychee t...
Artibeus jamaicensis is a medium-sized frugivorous microchiropteran bat that complements its diet... more Artibeus jamaicensis is a medium-sized frugivorous microchiropteran bat that complements its diet with nectar and pollen during the dry season. We investigated which species of pollen are carried by A. jamaicensis in order to determine its potential role as a plant pollinator in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. We collected pollen from the fur of 192 individuals throughout the year from April 2004 to March 2005. We recorded pollen from nine plant species of eight families and found five unidentified pollen types, with the highest pollen species richness recorded in June. A. jamaicensis moved pollen of Erythrina standleyana and Mimosa bahamensis, which have not hitherto been reported as visited by this species. The most abundant pollen in the samples was found to be that of three tree species: Ceiba pentandra, C. aesculifolia and Lysiloma latisiliquum. Very few samples contained pollen in the rainy season, when the bats fed mainly on fruits. A. jamaicensis can fly several kilometres among foraging locations and dispersed large amounts of pollen from tree species growing near cenotes as well as those not present at cenotes but occurring in other forest fragments, highlighting its importance as a pollen vector among forest fragments in the largely deforested landscape of the Yucatan Peninsula, helping to reduce the negative effects of forest fragmentation. Ceiba appears to benefit from the role of A. jamaicensis as a pollen vector, and the species play an important ecological role in the Yucatán landscape, supplying shade, nectar and fruit for wildlife.
Can wing morphology inform conservation priorities for Southeast Asian cave bats?
Biotropica, 2016
Adaptations for foraging in the complex airspaces of forest interiors may make bat species in the... more Adaptations for foraging in the complex airspaces of forest interiors may make bat species in the Asian tropics particularly susceptible to forest loss. However, ecomorphological analysis of Vietnamese bat assemblages challenges the hypothesis that, due to their greater vagility, cave‐roosting bats are less vulnerable to habitat fragmentation than foliage‐roosting species. Of the 13 most highly adapted forest‐interior species in our study, eight were cave‐roosting members of the Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae and had wing morphologies closely resembling five foliage‐roosting members of the Murininae and Kerivoulinae—species typically thought to have low vagility. Overall, both cave‐roosting and foliage‐roosting bats exhibited a wide range of flight indices and species' wing designs corresponded with preferred foraging habitats, suggesting that foraging strategy may outweigh roost preference as a determinant of bat wing morphology and flight performance. Consequently, where such variation occurs, cave‐roosting bat ensembles are likely to include species with low vagility and similar sensitivity to habitat fragmentation. This could have important conservation implications as Asian karst formations support high cave densities and important bat diversity yet increasingly represent forest refugia in anthropogenic landscapes. We, therefore, advocate greater consideration of species vagility in determining conservation priorities for the region's bat fauna.
The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the distinctive features of bats, many of wh... more The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the distinctive features of bats, many of which are unique among mammals, and in particular to highlight features of their biology that may have some bearing on the high prevalence of viruses in this group (Luis et al., 2013). Bats are the only mammals with the capacity for powered flight. The associated skeletal adaptations of elongated forelimb bones were fully developed in the first fossil bat Icaronycteris index 50 million years ago, discovered in the Green River formation in Wyoming, USA (Jepsen, 1966, 1970). Also evident were auditory bullae at the base of the cranium, indicating the presence of large cochlea, associated with echolocation, which enabled bats to fly in darkness. Flight and echolocation allowed bats to occupy and eventually dominate the nocturnal aerial feeding niche where they are relatively free of competitors and predators. Among the exceptions are caprimulgid birds (nightjars and goatsuckers), an Old World bat hawk and a New World bat falcon. Owls cannot match the flight agility of bats, although they are opportunist predators at roosts (Fenton & Fleming, 1976).
Large numbers of bats are killed by collisions with wind turbines, and there is at present no dir... more Large numbers of bats are killed by collisions with wind turbines, and there is at present no direct method of reducing or preventing this mortality. We therefore determine whether the electromagnetic radiation associated with radar installations can elicit an aversive behavioural response in foraging bats. Four civil air traffic control (ATC) radar stations, three military ATC radars and three weather radars were selected, each surrounded by heterogeneous habitat. Three sampling points matched for habitat type and structure, dominant vegetation species, altitude and surrounding land class were located at increasing distances from each station. A portable electromagnetic field meter measured the field strength of the radar at three distances from the source: in close proximity (,200 m) with a high electromagnetic field (EMF) strength .2 volts/metre, an intermediate point within line of sight of the radar (200-400 m) and with an EMF strength ,2 v/m, and a control site out of sight of the radar (.400 m) and registering an EMF of zero v/m. At each radar station bat activity was recorded three times with three independent sampling points monitored on each occasion, resulting in a total of 90 samples, 30 of which were obtained within each field strength category. At these sampling points, bat activity was recorded using an automatic bat recording station, operated from sunset to sunrise. Bat activity was significantly reduced in habitats exposed to an EMF strength of greater than 2 v/m when compared to matched sites registering EMF levels of zero. The reduction in bat activity was not significantly different at lower levels of EMF strength within 400 m of the radar. We predict that the reduction in bat activity within habitats exposed to electromagnetic radiation may be a result of thermal induction and an increased risk of hyperthermia.
Timing of Foraging Flights of Three Species of Bats in Relation to Insect Activity and Predation Risk
Oikos, Jun 1, 1996
OIKOS 76: 243-252. Copenhagen 1996 Timing of foraging flights of three species of bats in relatio... more OIKOS 76: 243-252. Copenhagen 1996 Timing of foraging flights of three species of bats in relation to insect activity and predation risk Jens Rydell, Abigail Entwistle and Paul A. Racey ... 1981, Leon-ard and Fenton 1983, Barclay 1989, Maier 1992, Rydell 1993, Entwistle 1994). ...
Alek Rachwald, Tim Bradford, Zbigniew Borowski, and Paul A. Racey (2016) The habitat preferences ... more Alek Rachwald, Tim Bradford, Zbigniew Borowski, and Paul A. Racey (2016) The habitat preferences of the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus and the common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus living in sympatry, were investigated in north east Scotland, using bat detector transects. Bat flight, foraging and social activity in natural birch woodland was compared with that in managed non-native coniferous woodland. Each area consists of riparian habitat, meadow-forest ecotone and dense forest. The activity of bats was highest in riparian habitat, then meadow, and lowest in dense woodland. P. pygmaeus was more abundant than P. pipistrellus in both areas, although in managed coniferous woodland only narrowly so (43.7% of all recorded bat flights, compared to 40.0% for common pipistrelle). In natural birch woodland, meadow habitat was most preferred by P. pipistrellus, and there was no significant difference between the use of riparian and woodland habitats, whereas in coniferous woodland, riparian habitat was most preferred. P. pygmaeus in both sites preferred riparian habitat, then meadow and forest least of all. The foraging activity of soprano pipistrelles was higher in birch than in coniferous woodland, whereas for the common pipistrelle, it was more evenly distributed. In both sites the lowest number of feeding buzzes was recorded in dense forest. In both study areas social calls were recorded, but many more for P. pygmaeus than for P. pipistrellus, especially in birch woodland. Soprano pipistrelle is a specialist species, focused mostly on riparian habitat, whereas common pipistrelle shows more generalistic behaviour. High number of social calls recorded near the waterbodies could suggest, that such habitat partitioning could be caused also by competitive behaviour.
Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rous... more Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rousettus madagascariensis G. Grandidier, 1928, prefers native or introduced fruit of no commercial value (Ficus polita, Syzygium jambos and S. malaccense) to commercially important fruits (Litchi chinensis and Diospyros kaki). We presented 10 fruit species to the bats: one native (F. polita) and the remainder introduced, 3 of which are commercially important. Most bats responded to fruit presented in a flight cage. Bats swallowed fruit juice and pulp and spat out the fibre of all fruit species provided except L. chinensis and Eugenia jambolana, the flesh of which was swallowed. Chemical composition was the most important determinant of selection by bats. Feeding preference was evidenced by large amounts of chewed pulp, repeated visits to the same fruits and more intensive feeding on lipid-and calcium-rich fruit species. Although commercially important fruit such as L. chinensis and D. kaki tended to have higher fructose content than other species, our results indicate that lipid and calcium content were more important in fruit selection. We suggest that maintaining natural food availability in humid forests and providing alternative sources of fruit (e.g. Syzygium spp.) may contribute to limiting the damage caused by R. madagascariensis to commercially important crops.
1. One of the key threats to bats in Britain is loss of suitable roost sites, but little is known... more 1. One of the key threats to bats in Britain is loss of suitable roost sites, but little is known about roost requirements for most species. 2. Roost selection in the brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus was demonstrated by comparison of buildings used as summer roosts in northeast Scotland with (i) random buildings in the same area, and (ii) a set of adjacent houses located in the same habitat. 3. Buildings containing roosts were situated closer to woodland and water relative to the random houses, and also had a greater area of woodland within a radius of 0 5 km, but not at distances beyond this. This suggests that feeding habitat in the vicinity of the roost is important for roost selection. 4. When compared with adjacent houses, roosts were older, and had roof spaces divided into more compartments, which were more likely to be fully lined with rough wooden planking. 5. The temperatures inside summer roosts (mean 17 9?C) were significantly warmer than those from random and adjacent houses (mean 16 7?C). 6. These results suggest that P. auritus is selective of its roosts, relative to the houses available. 7. The selection of specific types of roosts by P. auritus has implications for the management advice provided when roosts are threatened, and conservation actions should focus on efforts to avert significant change to, or destruction of, roost sites or the woodland in their vicinity.
Experiments in a flight cage and observations in the field were carried out in North-western Mada... more Experiments in a flight cage and observations in the field were carried out in North-western Madagascar to study the feeding preference of Rousettus madagascariensis (Family Pteropodidae) between an introduced fruit, jujube (Ziziphus jujuba, Family Rhamnaceae) and an endemic fig (Ficus sakalavarum, Family Moraceae) during the dry season, in May and June 2009. We also investigated quantitative aspects of seed dispersion by R. madagascariensis. Juvenile bats (13) fed intensively on F. sakalavarum, while adults (20) ate both fruit species but with a pronounced preference for unripe Z. jujube fruits. This preference for unripe (immature) fruit, the seeds of which are too large to swallow, suggested that R. madagascariensis does not affect seed dispersal in Z. jujuba. Almost half of the ingested seeds of F. sakalavarum were found in faeces of R. madagascariensis voided during the night in the flight cage, and the remainder was found in regurgitated ‘ejecta’ pellets. Rousettus madagascari...
Understanding bat ecosystem services on a global scale requires caution and wider collaboration: a critical evaluation of Ramírez‐Fráncel et al. (2022)
1 Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia Programme), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng K... more 1 Fauna & Flora International (Cambodia Programme), PO Box 1380, No. 19, Street 360, Boeng Keng Kong 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 12000. 2 Fauna & Flora International, The David Attenboroug h Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK. 3 Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Epidemiology Unit, B P983, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 4 Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche A gronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), UR Animal et Gestion Intégrée des Risques (AGIRs), F-34398, Montpellier, France.
Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats... more Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) and the many threats they face from humans, negative attitudes towards pteropodids have persisted, fuelled by perceptions of bats as being pests and undesirable neighbours. Such long-term negativity towards bats is now further exacerbated by more recent disease-related concerns, particularly associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. There remains an urgent need to investigate and highlight the positive and beneficial aspects of bats across the Old World. While previous reviews have summarised these extensively, numerous new studies conducted over the last 36 years have provided further valuable data and insights which warrant an updated review. Here we synthesise research on pteropodid-plant interactions, comprising diet, ecological roles, and ecosystem services, conducted during 1985-2020. We uncovered a total of 311 studies covering 75 out of the known ...
Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, h... more Background: Flying foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) are large bats that often roost in the sun, hence solar-powered GPS/GSM devices can track their movements over extended periods. The endemic Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger) has recently been subjected to large-scale culling because of perceived damage to commercial fruit, and a consequent reduction in numbers of > 50% since 2015 resulted in its IUCN Red List Status being up-listed to Endangered. Determining its movements will be important for management and conservation, for understanding potential responses to environmental change, and for understanding population admixture. Methods: Twelve bats were tagged with solar-powered GPS/GSM devices in 2014-2016. Tags remained active for up to almost a year (maximum 359 days: average 139 days (males) and 93 days (females)), providing some of the longest-term data on the movement ecology of bats yet obtained. Eight bats were probably hunted illegally, highlighting the scale of unauthorised persecution. Results: Males travelled on average 9 km each night, females 6 km. The nightly distance covered by adults of both sexes was higher in winter than in summer, though the opposite pattern occurred for immature males. These differences are probably related to seasonal changes in fruit availability (adults) and to dispersal by immature males. The maximum distance covered during one night was > 92 km. Home ranges of males averaged 74,633 ha, females 31,072 ha. Core foraging areas averaged 2222 ha for males, 1364 ha for females. Fifty roosts were identified, mainly in forest fragments. As the bats disperse seeds of native plants that form forest canopies, conservation of the bats will potentially maintain and enhance native forest cover, in turn providing roosting sites for the bats. Conclusions: Solar-powered GSM tagging provides unprecedented potential for understanding the movement ecology of flying foxes. Mauritian flying foxes often move between the few remnant native forest fragments, which remain important for their conservation, and have potentially important roles in seed dispersal. Their nomadic movement fits with their panmictic genetic structure. Although their ability for long distance movements, sometimes over short timescales, permits rapid responses to local threats and environmental change, being restricted to Mauritius renders the bats extremely vulnerable to intense culling.
The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying o... more The endemic Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger is perceived to be a major fruit pest. Lobbying of the Government of Mauritius by fruit growers to control the flying fox population resulted in national culls in 2015 and 2016, with a further cull scheduled for 2018. A loss of c. 38,318 individuals has been reported and the species is now categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. However, until now there were no robust data available on damage to orchards caused by bats. During October 2015–February 2016 we monitored four major lychee Litchi chinensis and one mango (Mangifera spp.) orchard, and also assessed 10 individual longan Dimocarpus longan trees. Bats and introduced birds caused major damage to fruit, with 7–76% fruit loss (including natural fall and losses from fungal damage) per tree. Bats caused more damage to taller lychee trees (> 6 m high) than to smaller ones, whereas bird damage was independent of tree height. Bats damaged more fruit than birds in tall lychee t...
Artibeus jamaicensis is a medium-sized frugivorous microchiropteran bat that complements its diet... more Artibeus jamaicensis is a medium-sized frugivorous microchiropteran bat that complements its diet with nectar and pollen during the dry season. We investigated which species of pollen are carried by A. jamaicensis in order to determine its potential role as a plant pollinator in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. We collected pollen from the fur of 192 individuals throughout the year from April 2004 to March 2005. We recorded pollen from nine plant species of eight families and found five unidentified pollen types, with the highest pollen species richness recorded in June. A. jamaicensis moved pollen of Erythrina standleyana and Mimosa bahamensis, which have not hitherto been reported as visited by this species. The most abundant pollen in the samples was found to be that of three tree species: Ceiba pentandra, C. aesculifolia and Lysiloma latisiliquum. Very few samples contained pollen in the rainy season, when the bats fed mainly on fruits. A. jamaicensis can fly several kilometres among foraging locations and dispersed large amounts of pollen from tree species growing near cenotes as well as those not present at cenotes but occurring in other forest fragments, highlighting its importance as a pollen vector among forest fragments in the largely deforested landscape of the Yucatan Peninsula, helping to reduce the negative effects of forest fragmentation. Ceiba appears to benefit from the role of A. jamaicensis as a pollen vector, and the species play an important ecological role in the Yucatán landscape, supplying shade, nectar and fruit for wildlife.
Can wing morphology inform conservation priorities for Southeast Asian cave bats?
Biotropica, 2016
Adaptations for foraging in the complex airspaces of forest interiors may make bat species in the... more Adaptations for foraging in the complex airspaces of forest interiors may make bat species in the Asian tropics particularly susceptible to forest loss. However, ecomorphological analysis of Vietnamese bat assemblages challenges the hypothesis that, due to their greater vagility, cave‐roosting bats are less vulnerable to habitat fragmentation than foliage‐roosting species. Of the 13 most highly adapted forest‐interior species in our study, eight were cave‐roosting members of the Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae and had wing morphologies closely resembling five foliage‐roosting members of the Murininae and Kerivoulinae—species typically thought to have low vagility. Overall, both cave‐roosting and foliage‐roosting bats exhibited a wide range of flight indices and species' wing designs corresponded with preferred foraging habitats, suggesting that foraging strategy may outweigh roost preference as a determinant of bat wing morphology and flight performance. Consequently, where such variation occurs, cave‐roosting bat ensembles are likely to include species with low vagility and similar sensitivity to habitat fragmentation. This could have important conservation implications as Asian karst formations support high cave densities and important bat diversity yet increasingly represent forest refugia in anthropogenic landscapes. We, therefore, advocate greater consideration of species vagility in determining conservation priorities for the region's bat fauna.
The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the distinctive features of bats, many of wh... more The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the distinctive features of bats, many of which are unique among mammals, and in particular to highlight features of their biology that may have some bearing on the high prevalence of viruses in this group (Luis et al., 2013). Bats are the only mammals with the capacity for powered flight. The associated skeletal adaptations of elongated forelimb bones were fully developed in the first fossil bat Icaronycteris index 50 million years ago, discovered in the Green River formation in Wyoming, USA (Jepsen, 1966, 1970). Also evident were auditory bullae at the base of the cranium, indicating the presence of large cochlea, associated with echolocation, which enabled bats to fly in darkness. Flight and echolocation allowed bats to occupy and eventually dominate the nocturnal aerial feeding niche where they are relatively free of competitors and predators. Among the exceptions are caprimulgid birds (nightjars and goatsuckers), an Old World bat hawk and a New World bat falcon. Owls cannot match the flight agility of bats, although they are opportunist predators at roosts (Fenton & Fleming, 1976).
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