Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices

Bats are primarily forest mammals and forest structure may affect their communities through the level of vegetation clutter. Pine plantations are typically even-aged managed forests that lack structural complexity. However, an understory layer can enhance the heterogeneity of these forests, making t...

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Published in:Forests
Main Authors: Claudia Allegrini, Carmi Korine, Boris R. Krasnov
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022
Subjects:
pine plantations
forest structure
insectivorous bats
foraging ecology
Plant ecology
QK900-989
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411
https://doaj.org/article/b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5
id ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5
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spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5 2023-05-15T17:59:55+02:00 Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices Claudia Allegrini Carmi Korine Boris R. Krasnov 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 https://doaj.org/article/b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/9/1411 https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4907 doi:10.3390/f13091411 1999-4907 https://doaj.org/article/b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5 Forests, Vol 13, Iss 1411, p 1411 (2022) pine plantations forest structure insectivorous bats foraging ecology Plant ecology QK900-989 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 2022-12-30T22:01:45Z Bats are primarily forest mammals and forest structure may affect their communities through the level of vegetation clutter. Pine plantations are typically even-aged managed forests that lack structural complexity. However, an understory layer can enhance the heterogeneity of these forests, making them suitable for several animal taxa. We hypothesized that species composition, richness, and foraging activity of insectivorous bats in pine plantations vary according to forest structure, specifically with the density of the understory. We measured pine density, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), canopy closure, and vegetation cover of 29 pine ( Pinus halepensis ) plantations of the Judean Lowlands, Israel, and collected acoustic data on resident bats. We found that bat species richness and total activity increased in forests with large tree DBH and dense shrubs. Cluttered-habitat species foraged preferentially in forests with large tree DBH and high pine density, while open-habitat species preferred forests with well-developed canopies and dense shrubs. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Eptesicus serotinus foraged in mature forests with well-developed bushes and these species are endangered in Israel. We conclude that mature planted pine forests with a well-developed under-canopy are suitable foraging grounds for insectivorous bats. Management plans for planted pine forests should consider our findings to support bat populations, including rare and endangered species. Article in Journal/Newspaper Pipistrellus pipistrellus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Forests 13 9 1411
institution Open Polar
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
op_collection_id ftdoajarticles
language English
topic pine plantations
forest structure
insectivorous bats
foraging ecology
Plant ecology
QK900-989
spellingShingle pine plantations
forest structure
insectivorous bats
foraging ecology
Plant ecology
QK900-989
Claudia Allegrini
Carmi Korine
Boris R. Krasnov
Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
topic_facet pine plantations
forest structure
insectivorous bats
foraging ecology
Plant ecology
QK900-989
description Bats are primarily forest mammals and forest structure may affect their communities through the level of vegetation clutter. Pine plantations are typically even-aged managed forests that lack structural complexity. However, an understory layer can enhance the heterogeneity of these forests, making them suitable for several animal taxa. We hypothesized that species composition, richness, and foraging activity of insectivorous bats in pine plantations vary according to forest structure, specifically with the density of the understory. We measured pine density, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), canopy closure, and vegetation cover of 29 pine ( Pinus halepensis ) plantations of the Judean Lowlands, Israel, and collected acoustic data on resident bats. We found that bat species richness and total activity increased in forests with large tree DBH and dense shrubs. Cluttered-habitat species foraged preferentially in forests with large tree DBH and high pine density, while open-habitat species preferred forests with well-developed canopies and dense shrubs. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Eptesicus serotinus foraged in mature forests with well-developed bushes and these species are endangered in Israel. We conclude that mature planted pine forests with a well-developed under-canopy are suitable foraging grounds for insectivorous bats. Management plans for planted pine forests should consider our findings to support bat populations, including rare and endangered species.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Claudia Allegrini
Carmi Korine
Boris R. Krasnov
author_facet Claudia Allegrini
Carmi Korine
Boris R. Krasnov
author_sort Claudia Allegrini
title Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
title_short Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
title_full Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
title_fullStr Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
title_full_unstemmed Insectivorous Bats in Eastern Mediterranean Planted Pine Forests—Effects of Forest Structure on Foraging Activity, Diversity, and Implications for Management Practices
title_sort insectivorous bats in eastern mediterranean planted pine forests—effects of forest structure on foraging activity, diversity, and implications for management practices
publisher MDPI AG
publishDate 2022
url https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411
https://doaj.org/article/b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5
genre Pipistrellus pipistrellus
genre_facet Pipistrellus pipistrellus
op_source Forests, Vol 13, Iss 1411, p 1411 (2022)
op_relation https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/9/1411
https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4907
doi:10.3390/f13091411
1999-4907
https://doaj.org/article/b6223062d748485b90d66d357db26bd5
op_doi https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411
container_title Forests
container_volume 13
container_issue 9
container_start_page 1411
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