The importance of wetlands for early spring bat activity in southern Sweden
2024
Munari, Alessandra
Insectivorous bats are important providers of ecosystem services such as insect abundance control. Moreover, their high position in trophic chains makes them good bioindicators for habitat quality and insect abundance. Many species of insectivorous bats thrive in tree-surrounded water bodies. Therefore, the decline in quantity and quality of such environments is the main threat to these species. In their life cycle, the most sensitive period is spring awakening from hibernation, when they need to feed. The present study examines the relevance of water presence and pond size for supporting bat activity in early spring in Tinnerö Nature Reserve in Southern Sweden. In March and April 2024, I monitored bat activity in 21 locations, of which 16 were near wetlands of different sizes and 5 lacked any wetlands in the surrounding. Bat activity was significantly higher in areas close to wetlands than in areas far from wetlands and tended to be higher in larger wetlands in the first weeks of the study. My study emphasises the importance of wetlands to bats, regardless of their size.
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