Ecological niche modelling of three pipistrelle bat species in semiarid Mediterranean landscapes ...

• Main Authors: Lisón, Fulgencio, Calvo, José F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2013
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13454768; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13454768

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Wetlands and aquatic habitats in Mediterranean environments are very scarce in general, representing a limiting resource for all species. For pipistrelle bats, such environments are essential and so those species living in sympatry have to develop mechanisms of niche partitioning to avoid direct competition. We used ecological niche models and habitat suitability maps (HSMs) to study the ecological requirements and possible interspecific interactions between three sympatric species of pipistrelles in semiarid Mediterranean landscapes. The results point to differences between the three species: Pipistrellus kuhlii has the largest proportion of optimal habitat (despite being the least common), Pipistrellus pygmaeus has the highest value of marginality and the most common, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, is a habitattolerant and generalist species. However, all three species show a strong preference for aquatic habitats and there is a high degree of overlapping ...