Differential habitat selection by Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus identifies distinct conservation needs for cryptic species of echolocating bats ...

• Main Authors: Davidson-Watts, Ian, Walls, Sean, Jones, Gareth
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2006
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13463325; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13463325

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Cryptic species are similar in morphology, and make interesting subjects for relating morphological differentiation to ecological resource partitioning. Can species that are morphologically almost identical occupy different ecological niches, and hence potentially need distinct conservation planning? The discovery that the most widespread bat in Europe – the pipistrelle – comprised two cryptic species (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus) that emit echolocation calls at different frequencies provides a remarkable model system for investigating links between morphology, echolocation call design and resource partitioning. We investigated resource partitioning between the two cryptic species of sympatric pipistrelle bats by radio tracking breeding females. Habitat selection was investigated by using compositional analysis. P. pygmaeus selected riparian habitats over all other habitat types in its core foraging areas, whereas P. pipistrellus, ...