Tree size, microhabitat diversity and landscape structure determine the value of isolated trees for bats in farmland ...

• Main Authors: Froidevaux, Jérémy S.P., Laforge, Alexis, Larrieu, Laurent, Barbaro, Luc, Park, Kirsty, Fialas, Penelope C., Jones, Gareth
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2022
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13463764; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13463764

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Isolated trees are increasingly recognised as playing a vital role in supporting biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, yet their occurrence has declined substantially in recent decades. Most bats in Europe are treedependent species that rely on woody elements in order to persist in farmlands. However, isolated trees are rarely considered in conservation programs and landscape planning. Further investigations are therefore ur­ gently required to identify which trees – based on both their intrinsic characteristics and their location in the landscape – are particularly important for bats. We acoustically surveyed 57 isolated trees for bats to determine the relative and interactive effects of size, tree-related microhabitat (TreM) diversity and surrounding landscape context on bat activity. Tall trees with large diameter at breast height and crown area positively influenced the activity of Pipistrellus pipistrellus and small Myotis bats (Myotis spp.) while ...