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Foraging activity of bats in historic landscape parks in relation to habitat composition and park management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2002

Miriam Glendell  and
Nancy Vaughan
Miriam Glendell
Affiliation:
Faculty of Continuing Education, Birkbeck College, University of London, 26 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DQ, UK Current address: Dartmoor National Park Authority, Parke, Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 9JQ, UK
Nancy Vaughan
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK
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Abstract

Bat activity was quantified in 15 historic landscape parks in England to assess the importance of habitat features within them for foraging bats. Unimproved grassland, water and plantation woodland were selected (used more than expected based on availability) by all bat species. Pipistrellus pipistrellus selected unimproved grassland and areas around water; Pipistrellus pygmaeus selected semi-natural woodland and tree lines; ‘Myotis group’ bats, (including Myotis spp., Plecotus spp. and Barbastella barbastellus) selected water and plantation woodland; and ‘Nyctalus group’ bats (including Nyctalus spp. and Eptesicus serotinus) selected unimproved grassland and parkland. The relative area of watercourses and tree lines in the landscape parks was the best predictor of bat activity. Landscape parks including unimproved grassland, water, parkland, semi-natural woodland, plantation woodland and tree lines have the most potential for foraging bats, and may form favourable ‘islands’ in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. To maximize the conservation value of historic landscape parks for bats, these habitats should be conserved or created.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Conservation forum , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , November 2002 , pp. 309 - 316
Copyright
2002 The Zoological Society of London

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