Data from: Insectivorous bats respond to vegetation complexity in urban green spaces ...

• Main Authors: Suarez-Rubio, Marcela, Ille, Christina, Bruckner, Alexander
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: Mean Information Gain; Vegetation complexity; Pipistrellus pygmaeus; Nyctalus noctula; habitat heterogeneity; Vegetation clutter; Chiroptera; Acoustic monitoring
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5g52t; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.5g52t

Structural complexity is known to determine habitat quality for insectivorous bats, but how bats respond to habitat complexity in highly modified areas such as urban green spaces has been little explored. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether a recently developed measure of structural complexity is as effective as field-based surveys when applied to urban environments. We assessed whether image-derived structural complexity (MIG) was as/more effective than field-based descriptors in this environment, and evaluated the response of insectivorous bats to structural complexity in urban green spaces. Bat activity and species richness were assessed with ultrasonic devices at 180 locations within green spaces in Vienna, Austria. Vegetation complexity was assessed using 17 field-based descriptors and by calculating the mean information gain (MIG) using digital images. Total bat activity and species richness decreased with increasing structural complexity of canopy cover, suggesting maneuverability and echolocation ... : Vegetation complexity and bats in green spacesBat data were collected with acoustic devices in green spaces in Vienna. Bat calls were processed using bcAdmin, batIdent, and bcAnalyze. Vegetation structure was measured using field-based methods and a digital camera for calgulating mean information gain index (MIG). Variables description: point.ID (ID of sampling point), type (type of green space), size (size of green space [ha]), 0.5-1m, 2-3m, 5-7m, 15m (vertical layering of vegetation at these heights), GC (percentage of vegetation cover on the ground), VH (vertical heterogeneity), No.trees (number of large trees), DBH (diameter at breast height of large trees [cm]), MIG (mean information gain), MIGside (MIG side views), MIGtop (MIG top view), activity (bat activity [ms]), No.species (number of bat species), edge (activity of edge space foragers), open (activity of open space foragers), Nnoc (activity of Nyctalus noctula,), Ppyg (activity of Pipistrellus pygmaeus).Dryad.xlsx ...