Assessing road effects on bats: the role of landscape, road features, and bat activity on road-kills

Recent studies suggest that roads can significantly impact bat populations. Though bats are one of the most threatened groups of European vertebrates, studies aiming to quantify bat mortality and determine the main factors driving it remain scarce. Between March 16 and October 31 of 2009, we surveyed road-killed bats daily along a 51-km-long transect that incorporates different types of roads in southern Portugal. We found 154 road-killed bats of 11 species. The two most common species in the study area, Pipistrellus kuhlii and P. pygmaeus, were also the most commonly identified road-kill, representing 72 % of the total specimens collected. About two-thirds of the total mortality occurred between mid July and late September, peaking in the second half of August. We also recorded casualties of threatened and rare species, including Miniopterus schreibersii, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, Barbastella barbastellus, and Nyctalus leisleri. These species were found mostly in early autumn, corresponding to the mating and swarming periods. Landscape features were the most important variable subset for explaining bat casualties. Road stretches crossing or in the vicinity of high-quality habitats for bats—including dense Mediterranean woodland (‘‘montado’’) areas, water courses with riparian gallery, and water reservoirs—yielded a significantly higher number of casualties. Additionally, more roadkilled bats were recorded on high-traffic road stretches with viaducts, in areas of higher bat activity and near known roosts

Bats in the anthropogenic matrix: Challenges and opportunities for the conservation of chiroptera and their ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes

Intensification in land-use and farming practices has had largely negative effects on bats, leading to population declines and concomitant losses of ecosystem services. Current trends in land-use change suggest that agricultural areas will further expand, while production systems may either experience further intensification (particularly in developing nations) or become more environmentally friendly (especially in Europe). In this chapter, we review the existing literature on how agricultural management affects the bat assemblages and the behavior of individual bat species, as well as the literature on provision of ecosystem services by bats (pest insect suppression and pollination) in agricultural systems. Bats show highly variable responses to habitat conversion, with no significant change in species richness or measures of activity or abundance. In contrast, intensification within agricultural systems (i.e., increased agrochemical inputs, reduction of natural structuring elements such as hedges, woods, and marshes) had more consistently negative effects on abundance and species richness. Agroforestry systems appear to mitigate negative consequences of habitat conversion and intensification, often having higher abundances and activity levels than natural areas. Across biomes, bats play key roles in limiting populations of arthropods by consuming various agricultural pests. In tropical areas, bats are key pollinators of several commercial fruit species. However, these substantial benefits may go unrecognized by farmers, who sometimes associate bats with ecosystem disservices such as crop raiding. Given the importance of bats for global food production, future agricultural management should focus on “wildlife-friendly” farming practices that allow more bats to exploit and persist in the anthropogenic matrix so as to enhance provision of ecosystem services. Pressing research topics include (1) a better understanding of how local-level versus landscape-level management practices interact to structure bat assemblages, (2) the effects of new pesticide classes and GM crops on bat populations, and (3) how increased documentation and valuation of the ecosystem services provided by bats could improve attitudes of producers toward their conservation

New locality of Crocidura suaveolens in Staromieście (śląskie voivodeship) on the border of the species range

Five individuals of the Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens were found in the pellets of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in Staromieście (śląskie voivodeship, 50.67oN, 19.61oE). This material was collected on 30 August 2009 and contained 472 vertebrate prey items. This new locality determines the northern border of the Lesser White-toothed Shrew range in Poland

Small mammals of the northern part of the Kozienice Forest based on the analysis of the tawny owl Strix aluco diet

The analysis of the composition of the Tawny Owl pellets collected at a study site (Stary Chinów, 51o37’N, 21o28’E) in the northern part of the Kozienice Forest in 2019-2021 documented 18 species of small mammals. They represented three orders: Soricomorpha (4), Chiroptera (3), and Rodentia (11). The community of small mammals in the study area was relatively rich. The most frequently noted species were: Sorex araneus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus agrestis and Apodemus flavicollis. The populations of rodents of the family Gliridae (Muscardinus avellanarius, Glis glis) and Microtus agrestis living on the study site are relatively abundant as compared to other areas of central Poland

Bats captured in ornithological nets at a bird ringing station in the middle Vistula River Valley

Data on bats captured in ornithological nets during the bird ringing project were collected at the station located on the Rembeza Island (51.97oN, 21.27oE) in the Vistula river valley close to Czersk village in 2013-2014 and 2019-2021. Bat species, their sex and age were determined based on photos made by ornithologists. In total, 32 individuals of six species were recorded. The most abundant were: Plecotus auritus (13) and Myotis daubentonii (9), i.e., species foraging close to vegetation or over the water surface, and flying on relatively low height. Species common in the area but flying higher Nyctalus noctula was captured rarely. Rare and valuable species – Myotis dasycneme – was also recorded, and the presence of an adult female suggests the occurrence of a breeding colony in the vicinity of the study site