Into the light: atypical diurnal foraging activity of Blyth’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus lepidus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) on Tioman Island, Malaysia

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
Marcus A.H. Chua ◽  
Sheema Abdul Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Diurnal Activity ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Horseshoe Bat

Abstract Diurnal flight and foraging activity in insectivorous bats are atypical behaviours that have been recorded from islands with few avian predators and from locations with extended daylight hours. We present the first known observations of diurnal activity of Rhinolophus lepidus in forests on Tioman Island, Malaysia, recorded using visual surveys and acoustic monitoring. The bats were flying during the day and at night, and feeding buzzes detected suggest that they were actively foraging during the day. This appears to be a regular phenomenon on Tioman Island. The absence of resident diurnal avian predators that hunt below the forest canopy may account for the diurnal activity of R. lepidus in forests there.

Activity patterns and habitat preferences of insectivorous bats in a West African forest–savanna mosaic

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph F. J. Meyer ◽  
Christian J. Schwarz ◽  
Jakob Fahr
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Constant Frequency ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Bat Activity

We studied activity patterns and habitat use by insectivorous bats in Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast. Bat foraging activity was quantified along five transects representing three different habitat types using acoustic monitoring and captures with mist nets and harp traps. Aerial insect abundance was assessed using a light trap; in addition shrub and tree arthropods were sampled. Bat activity was significantly and positively related to insect availability and ambient temperature, whereas increased visibility of the moon had a negative influence on flight activity. Together, these factors best explained both total bat activity and activity of bats hunting in open space and edge habitats. The interaction between temperature and light intensity was the best predictor of activity by species foraging in obstacle-rich forest habitats, however, the regression model had a low predictive value. Overall, a large proportion (c. 50%) of the variation in bat activity appeared to be a consequence of transect- and/or habitat-specific influences. We found a significant non-linear relationship between the activity of QCF (quasi-constant frequency) and FM–QCF (frequency modulated – quasi-constant frequency) bats and the phase of the moon, with lowest levels of activity occurring near full moon. We interpret this lunar-phobic behaviour as a reflection of a higher predation risk during moonlit periods. For FM (steep frequency modulated) and CF (constant frequency) bats, no significant correlation was found, although there was a trend suggesting that these bats at least were not negatively affected by bright moonlight. Foraging activity of bats was positively correlated with the abundance of atympanate moths; however, no such correlation was found for tympanate moths.

Relationships among burn severity, forest canopy structure and bat activity from spring burns in oak–hickory forests

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lacki ◽  
Luke E. Dodd ◽  
Nicholas S. Skowronski ◽  
Matthew B. Dickinson ◽  
Lynne K. Rieske
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Stand Characteristics

The extent to which prescribed fires affect forest structure and habitats of vertebrate species is an important question for land managers tasked with balancing potentially conflicting objectives of vegetation and wildlife management. Many insectivorous bats forage for insect prey in forested habitats, serving as the primary predators of nocturnal forest insects, and are potentially affected by structural changes in forests resulting from prescribed fires. We compared forest-stand characteristics of temperate oak–hickory forests, as measured with airborne laser scanning (light detection and ranging, LiDAR), with categorical estimates of burn severity from prescribed fires as derived from Landsat data and field-based Composite Burn Indices, and used acoustic monitoring to quantify activity of insectivorous bats in association with varying degrees of burn severity (unburned habitat, low severity and medium severity). Forest-stand characteristics showed greatest separation between low-severity and medium-severity classes, with gap index, i.e. open-air space, increasing with degree of burn severity. Greater mid-storey density, over-storey density and proportion of vegetation in the understorey occurred in unburned habitat. Activity of bats did not differ with burn severity for high-frequency (clutter-adapted or closed-space foragers) or low-frequency (edge or open-space foragers) bats. Results indicate that differing degrees of burn severity from prescribed fires produced spatial variation in canopy structure within stands; however, bats demonstrated no shifts in activity levels to this variation in canopy structure, suggesting prescribed fire during the dormant season, used as a management practice targeting desired changes in vegetation, is compatible with sustaining foraging habitat of insectivorous bats.

scholarly journals Tillage and herbicide reduction mitigate the gap between conventional and organic farming effects on foraging activity of insectivorous bats

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1496-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kévin Barré ◽  
Isabelle Le Viol ◽  
Romain Julliard ◽  
François Chiron ◽  
Christian Kerbiriou
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Herbicide Reduction

scholarly journals Time of night and moonlight structure vertical space use by insectivorous bats in a Neotropical rainforest: an acoustic monitoring study

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10591
Author(s):  
Dylan G.E. Gomes ◽  
Giulliana Appel ◽  
Jesse R. Barber
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Linear Mixed Effect Model ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Diel Cycles ◽  
Over Time

Background Previous research has shown diverse vertical space use by various taxa, highlighting the importance of forest vertical structure. Yet, we know little about vertical space use of tropical forests, and we often fail to explore how this three-dimensional space use changes over time. Methods Here we use canopy tower systems in French Guiana and passive acoustic monitoring to measure Neotropical bat activity above and below the forest canopy throughout nine nights. We use a Bayesian generalized linear mixed effect model and kernel density estimates to demonstrate patterns in space-use over time. Results We found that different bats use both canopy and understory space differently and that these patterns change throughout the night. Overall, bats were more active above the canopy (including Cormura brevirostris, Molossus molossus, Peropteryx kappleri and Peropteryx macrotis), but multiple species or acoustic complexes (when species identification was impossible) were more active in the understory (such as Centronycteris maximiliani, Myotis riparius, Pteronotus alitonus and Pteronotus rubiginosus). We also found that most bats showed temporally-changing preferences in hourly activity. Some species were less active (e.g., P. kappleri and P. macrotis), whereas others were more active (Pteronotus gymnonotus, C. brevirostris, and M. molossus) on nights with higher moon illuminance. Discussion Here we show that Neotropical bats use habitat above the forest canopy and within the forest understory differently throughout the night. While bats generally were more active above the forest canopy, we show that individual groups of bats use space differently over the course of a night, and some prefer the understory. This work highlights the need to consider diel cycles in studies of space use, as animals use different habitats during different periods of the day.

Relative abundance and foraging activity of hymenopteran pollinators in cucurbitaceous vegetables

ENTOMON ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-268
Author(s):  
Erra Harisha ◽  
S. Shanas
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Apis Cerana ◽  
Bitter Gourd ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Diurnal Activity ◽  
Cone Type ◽  
Foraging Rate ◽  
Apis Cerana Indica ◽  
Ash Gourd

A study was conducted to investigate the diurnal activity patterns of hymenopteran pollinators in culinary melon and the dynamics of hymenopteran pollinators of five selected cucurbitaceous vegetables viz.,culinary melon, bitter gourd, pumpkin and ridge gourd in 34 locations of Kerala from 06:00 h to 18:00 h with a cone type hand net. The study revealed that Apis cerana indica was dominant in culinary melon, pumpkin and ridgegourd and Tetragonula travancorica was dominant in bitter gourd and ash gourd, A. cerana indica, T. travancorica and Halictus sp. recorded highest foraging speed during 10:00 h to 11:00 h; Ceratina hieroglyphica and Lasioglossum sp. recorded highest foraging speed during 09:00-10:00 h; T. travancorica, C. hieroglyphica and Lasioglossum sp. recorded maximum foraging rate during 10:00 h to 11:00 h; A. cerana indica and Halictus sp. recorded highest foraging rate during 11:00-12:00 h and 09:00-10:00 h.

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