Moths Consumed by the Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus Require Larval Host Plants that Occur within the Bat's Foraging Habitats ...

• Main Authors: Carr, Andrew, Weatherall, Andrew, Fialas, Penelope, Zeale, Matt R. K., Clare, Elizabeth L., Jones, Gareth
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2020
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Barbastella barbastellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13458114; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13458114

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Loss of foraging habitat and reductions in insect prey are key factors responsible for declines in bat populations. Identifying important bat foraging habitats and the ecological requirements and conservation status of prey provides evidence for appropriately targeted conservation management strategies. We examined the foraging habits of the barbastelle, Barbastella barbastellus, at the northern edge of its European range using a combination of radio tracking, to determine home range use and habitat selection, and DNA metabarcoding, to identify prey items consumed. Riparian vegetation and broadleaved woodland were the habitat types most strongly selected by foraging bats. Hedgerows within pastoral habitats were also important foraging features within the landscape. We identified 120 different prey items within faecal pellets, the majority of which were moths (97.5%). The large majority (97%) of prey items consumed have larval stages dependent on host plants ...