Temperature driven hibernation site use in the Western barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus (Schreber, 1774) ...

• Main Authors: De Bruyn, Luc, Gyselings, Ralf, Kirkpatrick, Lucinda, Rachwald, Alek, Apoznański, Grzegorz, Kokurewicz, Tomasz
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2021
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Barbastella barbastellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13488346; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13488346

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Abstract In temperate regions, winter is characterized by cold temperatures and low food availability. Heterothermic animals can bridge this period by entering a state of torpor characterized by decreased body temperature and reduced metabolic rate. Hibernation site choice is crucial since temperature conditions in the hibernaculum will impact torpor. We analysed temperature-dependent hibernation site use of Barbastella barbastellus . Bats and temperature were monitored in an underground system (1999–2019) and standalone bunkers (2007–2019) in Western Poland. During the winter of 2017–2018 we analysed the thermal variability of the hibernacula. Seasonal variation is higher in bunkers and thus temperatures get colder in winter than in the underground system. On the other hand, short-term variability (thermal variability index) in the bunkers was lower than in the underground system. This makes bunkers a more stable environment to hibernate for cold dwelling ...