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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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/1999-4907/13/9/1411/ 2023-08-20T04:09:18+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 agris 2022-09-02 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Forest Ecology and Management https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Forests; Volume 13; Issue 9; Pages: 1411 pine plantations forest structure insectivorous bats foraging ecology Text 2022 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 2023-08-01T06:19:23Z 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. Text Pipistrellus pipistrellus MDPI Open Access Publishing Forests 13 9 1411 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
pine plantations forest structure insectivorous bats foraging ecology |
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pine plantations forest structure insectivorous bats foraging ecology 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 |
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 |
Text |
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 |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Pipistrellus pipistrellus |
genre_facet |
Pipistrellus pipistrellus |
op_source |
Forests; Volume 13; Issue 9; Pages: 1411 |
op_relation |
Forest Ecology and Management https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f13091411 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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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1774722155155554304 |