Influence of Landscape Composition on Northern Bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) Activity in Västerbotten

• Main Author: Edström, Isak
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: UmeÃ¥ universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap 2024
• Subjects: Ecology; Ekologi; Zoology; Zoologi; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-228685

Bats (Chiroptera) play a vital role in many ecosystems worldwide, but their distribution and behaviour are still heavily understudied, especially in areas such as northern Sweden. The purpose of this study is to analyse how landscape composition affect the activity of the northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) in Västerbotten, where forestry and wind power development have a significant impact on landscape composition. Analysing recordings from bat detectors deployed during 2020 to 2023, I examined how the landscape surrounding these detectors relate with the recorded bat activity. This was done at three different scales (250m, 500m and 1000m) using a generalized linear model. Although the study didn’t yield any statistically significant relationships, there was a tendency for a negative relationship between forest cover and northern bat activity, pointing to a preference for open foraging habitats. The study's limitations, mainly stemming from a small sample size, show the importance of standardised data collection methods. This highlights the need for long-term monitoring across various habitats to understand the population dynamics and habitat preferences of bats in Sweden.