Rezultati popisa na študentskem biološkem taboru potrjujejo visoko vrstno bogastvo netopirjev (Chiroptera) v jugozahodni Sloveniji | Survey results from a students’ biological camp reaffirm high species richness of bats (Chiroptera) in South-western Slovenia

Slovenian. Jugozahodna Slovenija je poznana po visokem vrstnem bogastvu netopirjev, saj leži na stiku med submediteranskim in dinarskim svetom. Izraziti prehodi med biogeografskimi enotami se kažejo tudi v raznolikosti življenjskih okolij, kar ustreza številnim vrstam. Med 17. in 23. julijem 2022 smo v okviru študentskega biološkega raziskovalnega tabora Biocamp 011 na širšem območju Pivke popisovali netopirje s ciljem, da pregledamo čim več možnih najdišč in prispevamo k poznavanju netopirjev te regije. Podnevi smo netopirje popisovali v zatočiščih, ponoči pa smo jih lovili v mreže, kar smo občasno nadgradili s spremljanjem eholokacijskih klicev. Popisali smo 23 vrst netopirjev, vključujoč nekatere varstveno zanimivejše. Zaznali smo sedem kotišč Rhinolophus hipposideros ter eno kotišče Myotis brandtii. Slednje je bilo sicer poznano že od prej, vendar smo v času našega obiska zabeležili bistveno večje število živali kot v prehodnih raziskavah. Prav tako smo več kot podvojili število do sedaj ujetih Nyctalus lasiopterus v Sloveniji. Precejšen uspeh mreženj je verjetno posledica izredno sušnega poletja, ki je netopirje prisililo k zbiranju ob še obstoječih vodah. Visoko število zabeleženih vrst, ki ga lahko pripišemo tudi visoki prostorski raznovrstnosti z opaznimi prehodi med različnimi življenjskimi okolji, ponovno potrjuje visoko bogastvo netopirjev v JZ Sloveniji. Zaključujemo, da je smiselno nadaljevati s spremljanjem netopirjev na tem vrstno bogatem območju.

English. Southwestern Slovenia is known for its high bat species richness, since it is located at the junction of the Submediterranean and Dinaric regions. Sharp transitions between biogeographic entities are also reflected in habitat diversity, which in turn suits multiple species. Between 17th and 23rd July 2022, we surveyed bats in a wider region surrounding Pivka as part of the students’ biological research camp Biocamp 011. Our goal was to visit as many potential bat sites as possible and to contribute to the knowledge of bats in the region. During the day, we surveyed bats at their roosts, while during the night we utilised the mist-netting method. Occasionally, the latter was upgraded with detecting bat echolocation calls. We detected 23 bat species, including some of greater conservational interest. We recorded seven Rhinolophus hipposideros nurseries and one nursery of M. brandtii. The latter had already been known, however, during our visit we noted a marked increase in present individual count in comparison to previous research. We also more than doubled the number of caught Nyctalus lasiopterus for Slovenia. The high success when performing mist-nettings is likely due to the extreme drought in the summer of 2022, which forced bats to aggregate near still existing water bodies. High numbers of detected species, which can also be attributed to high spatial heterogeneity with marked transition between different habitats, reaffirm high bat species richness of SW Slovenia. We conclude that it is sensible to continue with bat surveys in this species rich area.