Daubenton's bat distribution along rivers – developing and testing a predictive model

1. This study aimed to develop and test a predictive model of Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii distribution and abundance at waterway sites in England and Wales. 2. A preliminary ‘core’ model to predict Daubenton's bat distribution, developed in 2003 and containing terms relating to biological water quality, waterway width, mean annual discharge and the presence of trees, was re-fitted to more comprehensive datasets. A ‘data mining’ exercise was conducted after testing the core model, in order to investigate other important variables and to suggest alternative models, with the overall aim of improving the confidence and utility of the results. 3. On average, Daubenton's bat activity was higher on larger waterways with abundant woodland nearby. There was, however, considerable variation in the levels of activity predicted by the models, possibly due to site-specific factors. 4. Daubenton's bat activity was significantly related to aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity, demonstrating the potential relevance of this species as an indicator of a pollution-sensitive biodiversity group. High aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity was associated with good chemical water quality. 5. The analysis demonstrates that Daubenton's bat activity on rivers can be predicted from habitat and water quality data, although the precision of these predictions is low. Where practical, field surveys yield better information. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  I. Boyd,et al.  Bats and remedial timber treatment chemicals a review , 1989 .

[2]  S. Harris,et al.  Foraging habitat preferences of vespertilionid bats in Britain , 1996 .

[3]  D. Jefferies.  Organochlorine insecticide residues in British bats and their significance , 2009 .

[4]  M. Willig,et al.  Carpe noctem: the importance of bats as bioindicators , 2009 .

[5]  S. Harris,et al.  Factors determining the abundance of vespertilionid bats in Britain: geographical, land class and local habitat relationships , 1996 .

[6]  F. Bretschneider,et al.  Prey detection in trawling insectivorous bats: duckweed affects hunting behaviour in Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii , 1998, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

[7]  M. C. Kalcounis-Rueppell,et al.  Effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on bat foraging ecology in an urban stream system. , 2007 .

[8]  J. Gaisler,et al.  Habitat preference and flight activity of bats in a city , 1998 .

[9]  J. Altringham,et al.  The distribution of Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) and pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) (Vespertilionidae) in relation to small-scale variation in riverine habitat , 2000 .

[10]  A. Warn.  Assessing the Performance of a Nation in Improving River Water Quality: Planning Action for the Future , 1997 .

[11]  D. Noble,et al.  Developing indicators for European birds , 2005, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[12]  E. Kalko,et al.  Small scale distribution patterns of female and male Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) , 2006 .

[13]  F. H. Dawson,et al.  Quality assessment using River Habitat Survey data , 1998 .

[14]  S. Harris,et al.  Effects of sewage effluent on the activity of bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) foraging along rivers , 1996 .

[15]  P. Racey,et al.  Bats in Britain – a Status Report , 1972, Oryx.

[16]  W. A. Larsen,et al.  The Use of Partial Residual Plots in Regression Analysis , 1972 .

[17]  D. Noble,et al.  Combining surveys of river habitats and river birds to appraise riverine hydromorphology , 2007 .

[18]  M. Brock Fenton,et al.  A technique for monitoring bat activity with results obtained from different environments in southern Ontario , 1970 .

[19]  Tim G. Benton,et al.  Linking agricultural practice to insect and bird populations: a historical study over three decades , 2002 .