Forest islands in farmland provide vital roost trees year-round for giant and common noctule bats: Management implications ...

• Main Authors: Russo, Danilo, Mäenurm, Anne, Martinoli, Adriano, Zotti, Maurizio, Cistrone, Luca
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Nyctalus noctula
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13429302; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13429302

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Forest islands in agricultural landscapes may be vital for biodiversity conservation, providing habitats for a variety of species, including bats. Our study focused on a forest island in NE Italy, where we observed mixedspecies groups of giant (Nyctalus lasiopterus) and common (Nyctalus noctula) noctules roosting at the site. The giant noctule is highly endangered across Europe, and our findings shed light on its roosting preferences, providing key information to inform sustainable forestry practices that take this species into account. Using photographic methods and direct observation, we established that both common and giant noctules occur yearround in the forest island, with giant noctules giving birth, hibernating, and probably mating there. The bats preferred aspen trees and trees rich in cavities with high canopy closure and reduced sun exposure found in the forest interior, while they avoided forest edges. Rot cavities were frequently used, but we ...