Roost selection in the pipistrelle bat,Pipistrellus pipistrellus(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in northeast Scotland

Roost selection in the pipistrelle bat,Pipistrellus pipistrellus(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in northeast Scotland

Availability of suitable roost sites may limit bat distribution and abundance. We compared nine internal and 26 external features of 21 known roost buildings with those of 17 random buildings in northeast Scotland, U.K. (57°N) to assess whether pipistrelle bats,Pipistrellus pipistrellus(55-kHz phono...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal behaviour Vol. 56; no. 4; pp. 909 - 917
Main Authors: JENKINS, E.V, LAINE, T, MORGAN, S.E, COLE, K.R, SPEAKMAN, J.R
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kent Elsevier Ltd 01-10-1998
Elsevier
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Ltd
Subjects:
Animal ethology
Bats
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitats
Mammalia
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Studies
Vertebrata
Vespertilionidae
United Kingdom
Scotland
Great Britain
Europe
Feeding behavior
Choice
Roost
Defensive behavior
Spatial orientation
Environmental factor
Foraging behavior
Vertebrata
Mammalia
Tree
Plant cover
Antipredator behavior
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Chiroptera
Field study
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Summary:Availability of suitable roost sites may limit bat distribution and abundance. We compared nine internal and 26 external features of 21 known roost buildings with those of 17 random buildings in northeast Scotland, U.K. (57°N) to assess whether pipistrelle bats,Pipistrellus pipistrellus(55-kHz phonotype) are selective in their use of roosts. Bats did not select roosts with specific structural attributes. Compared with random buildings, roosts were closer to a tree over 10m tall and had a greater percentage cover (of trees over 10m tall) within a radius of 50m. Trees may provide benefits by providing shelter and thus ameliorating the microclimate of the roost. Cover may also provide protection from predators so that bats are able to emerge earlier, thus increasing foraging time. Bats in the present study emerged 11min earlier from roosts with 29% cover than from roosts with 3% cover, potentially gaining as much as 10% of their daily energy requirements in this extra time. Roosts were also more likely to have linear vegetation elements leading away from them. These features may be important for navigation, foraging or predator avoidance. Compared with random buildings roosts were closer to and surrounded by a greater area of deciduous woodland within a radius of 0.5km, had a greater area of coniferous woodland within a radius of 0.5km, and were more likely to be found within 0.5km of a major river. All these factors are likely to be beneficial for foraging. A logistic regression model indicated that percentage cover within 50m of the building was the best predictor of the presence or absence of bats roosting in a building.
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ISSN:0003-3472
1095-8282
DOI:10.1006/anbe.1998.0858