Migratory bats and global climate change: climate-driven changes in migratory behaviour and distribution of the common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)

• Main Author: Kravchenko, Kseniia
• Other Authors: female, Voigt, Christian, Hiesinger, Peter Robin
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Climate change; Migratory animals; Bats; Migratory behaviour; Population structure; Climate change scenarios; ddc:500; ddc:577; ddc:571; Nyctalus noctula
• Online Access: https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/32716; https://doi.org/10.17169/refubium-32442; https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:188-refubium-32716-7

Anthropocene is characterised by significant, and in many ways outcompeting natural processes, the impact of human activities on natural ecosystems. The excessive emission of greenhouse gases caused by global-scale use of fossil fuels, anthropogenic land-use change, and drastic decrease in pristine areas, have all contributed to global climate change. Although the Earth’s climate has historically fluctuated, the current situation is novel as climatic change is occurring at an unprecedented rate and has mainly been driven by human behaviour. The rapid pace of environmental change forces living organisms to respond fast in order to survive and reproduce. The magnitude of such responses might be especially prominent in migratory species due to their diverse and dispersed habitat requirements. Migratory species connect habitats across the globe, coupling biodiversity and ecosystem services. By travelling long distances, migratory species move biomass between habitats; transporting energy, nutrients, and other organisms. Also, migratory species alter the dynamics of resident communities that they connect on their journeys by foraging and becoming prey in numerous habitats during their annual cycle. Therefore environmental alteration leading to disruption of long-distance migratory behaviour will have far-reaching consequences which may drastically affect synchrony and unity in natural ecosystems. The aim of this dissertation was to reveal climate-driven changes to populations of migratory bats, from a historical overview through to future perspectives. To understand the magnitude of ongoing changes in populations of bats, we require adequate reference points from the past. Here, I had a unique opportunity to study recent changes in migratory behaviour and distribution of common European migratory bat species, Nyctalus noctula, based on long term dataset. In the presented work, I combined different approaches such as stable hydrogen isotopes to reveal migratory destinations; analysis of demographic data to evaluate ...