Long-term re-use of tree roosts by European forest bats ...

• Main Authors: Lučan, Radek K., Hanák, Vladimír, Horáček, Ivan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2009
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Nyctalus noctula
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13451364; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13451364

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) The few studies that have assessed the long-term patterns of re-use of tree cavities by bats all concern North American bats. We studied long-term re-use of tree cavities by two species of European bat, Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) and noctules (Nyctalus noctula). Cavities were inspected during consecutive years via direct capture of bats (more than 340 positive capture events, ca 2950 captured bats), observations of emerging bats, or by listening for bats during the early evening when bats emit typical vocalization (over 160 positive checks, over 450 observed bats). Between 1968 and 2007, we found 80 tree cavities used by bats (mostly excavated by woodpeckers) in the Czech Republic. Although more than half of the cavities were occupied for 4 summers, 28 cavities (35%) were re-used for 5–10 years. The longest period a cavity was used was 11 and 16 years for Daubenton's and noctule bats, respectively. Sixteen tree cavities (20%) were occupied solely ...