Mateusz Ciechanowski

A Triple-Isotope Approach to Predict the Breeding Origins of European Bats

Despite a commitment by the European Union to protect its migratory bat populations, conservation efforts are hindered by a poor understanding of bat migratory strategies and connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds. Traditional methods like mark-recapture are ineffective to study broad-scale bat migratory patterns. Stable hydrogen isotopes (δD) have been proven useful in establishing spatial migratory connectivity of animal populations. Before applying this tool, the method was calibrated using bat samples of known origin. Here we established the potential of δD as a robust geographical tracer of breeding origins of European bats by measuring δD in hair of five sedentary bat species from 45 locations throughout Europe. The δD of bat hair strongly correlated with well-established spatial isotopic patterns in mean annual precipitation in Europe, and therefore was highly correlated with latitude. We calculated a linear mixed-effects model, with species as random effect, linking δD of bat hair to precipitation δD of the areas of hair growth. This model can be used to predict breeding origins of European migrating bats. We used δ13C and δ15N to discriminate among potential origins of bats, and found that these isotopes can be used as variables to further refine origin predictions. A triple-isotope approach could thereby pinpoint populations or subpopulations that have distinct origins. Our results further corroborated stable isotope analysis as a powerful method to delineate animal migrations in Europe.

Seasonal activity patterns of seven vespertilionid bat species in Polish lowlands

Data on seasonal dynamics of bat activity in central Europe are scarce, mostly restricted to either summer period or autumn swarming. Few studies provide extensive interspecific comparisons of temporal activity patterns. Through broadband ultrasound detection, temporal variation of flight activity was studied in seven insectivorous bat species in N Poland for the first time. Seasonal activity pattern ofMyotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817) was clearly bimodal with the higher peak of activity in April and the second, smaller peak in August–September. The first peak is possibly associated with post-hibernal restoration of fat reserves, while the second one might result either from pre-hibernal fat accumulation, increase in energy demands of males during spermatogenesis or from dispersal of newly weaned juveniles. The highest flight activity ofNyctalus, Eptesicus andPipistrellus bats was noted in summer months, reflecting mainly an increase in energy demands between pregnancy and lactation. However, a distinct, second peak in activity ofN. noctula appeared at the end of September, probably matching the late migration wave of individuals from E Europe. The cluster analysis of species’ activity patterns reflected division on different hunting tactics, but not migratory behaviour.

Biogeography of the recently described Myotis alcathoe von Helversen and Heller, 2001

ABSTRACT Since its description in 2001 Alcathoes myotis (Myotis alcathoe) was recorded from several locations across Europe. Here we describe the first records of this species from Germany, Poland, Albania, and from the European part of Turkey, including the northernmost locality in central Germany (51°23′N, 11°01′E). Compilation of all up-to-date records shows that M. alcathoe has a wide European distribution although it seems to be rare at most places. The habitats where the bat was recorded are natural, moist and deciduous forests with old trees and water streams as can be found, for example, in canyons or forests of alluvial origin. Such habitats suggest that the species probably has a more continuous and wider distribution than currently known and might be expected to occur even further to the North.

Habitat preferences of bats in anthropogenically altered, mosaic landscapes of northern Poland

Few studies refer to the large-scale habitat preferences of bat assemblages in temperate mainland Europe. The study aimed at habitat associations of bats in the postglacial lakelands of northern Poland. Sixty-nine walking transects were divided into sections belonging to 36 habitat classes. Broadband ultrasound detectors were applied to record bat echolocation calls, identified to the species level by spectral analysis. Selection or avoidance of habitat categories was tested using Z statistic with a Bonferroni adjustment, and niche breadth was estimated by calculating Levin’s formula and niche overlap—Pianka index. All bats (except Eptesicus serotinus) selected water bodies. They avoided arable land, coniferous and mixed forests, their edges and suburbs. Nyctalus noctula was the most eurytopic species, using most habitats in proportion to their availability. E. serotinus selected villages and roads in coniferous forests. Narrower habitat niches were occupied by morphologically similar pipistrelles. Pipistrellus pipistrellus preferred tree lines, Pipistrellus nathusii avoided tree lines and villages, and Pipistrellus pygmaeus preferred roads in deciduous forests but avoided tree lines. The most stenotopic Myotis sp. avoided roads in mixed and coniferous forests, tree lines and built-up areas. Most species strongly overlapped in habitat niches, and thus, their resource partitioning was probably based on using different hunting tactics. P. pygmaeus, although considered a sibling species of P. pipistrellus, overlapped in habitat niche much more with P. nathusii. In the latter case, resource partitioning may result from larger differences in body size and frequency of echolocation calls. The importance of water bodies for bats was higher than in Western Europe, and importance of woodland was lower, presumably due to much higher limnicity. The results provide a base for region-specific landscape planning guidelines, applicable to bat conservation.

Reintroduction of beavers Castor fiber may improve habitat quality for vespertilionid bats foraging in small river valleys

Beavers strongly modify their environment by not only building dams and creating ponds, which slow the water flow, but also by selective cutting and removing of trees, which change the spatial structure of the forest. We aimed to test the hypothesis that beaver activity promotes new foraging sites for insectivorous bats. The beaver’s influence can be especially significant on aerial hawkers that prefer moderate structural clutter, like the Pipistrellus species (by creating new canopy gaps), and on water-surface foragers, like Myotis daubentonii (by creating ponds with smooth water surface). The study was conducted on small streams in forest areas of northern Poland, which were colonized by the European beaver (Castor fiber). Bat activity was recorded with a Pettersson D-980 ultrasound detector on line transects. The number of bat passes was significantly higher in the stream sections modified by beavers (flooded and subjected to intensive tree cutting) than in the unmodified sections (for Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Nyctalus noctula, and all species lumped together). Contrary to our expectations, the activity of the Myotis species was significantly lower on the transect with the largest beaver ponds, possibly due to the blanket of duckweed (Lemnaceae), which is known to produce clutter echoes, thereby reducing prey detection by echolocating M. daubentonii.

Prevalence and phenology of white-nose syndrome fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans in bats from Poland

Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a parasitic fungus (being responsible for a disease known as white-nose syndrome, WNS) that caused mass mortality of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats in North America, appears to be native of Europe, where it also occurs on wintering bats, but no similar outbreaks of WNS have been recorded. Herein, we provide the first account on prevalence and phenology of P. destructans in Poland. Bats were counted once per month, from October or January to May (2010-2013), in an abandoned ore mine in southern Poland. Presence of P. destructans in two samples was confirmed by sequencing of isolated fungal DNA. Observations of phenotypically identical mycosis on bats hibernating at this site in March 2006 are likely to be the first known records of P. destructans from Poland. All Pd-suspected individuals were Myotis myotis with an exception of one Myotis daubentonii. The first Pd-suspected bats were noted in mid-February, but their number was the highest in March, what overlapped with maximum numbers of hibernating M. myotis. The prevalence in March was 7%–27% of M. myotis individuals. No mass mortality of bats was observed in the mine, with only three dead individuals found in the hibernaculum which hosted up to 130 bats, representing 6–7 species.

Nathusius' pipistrelles Pipistrellus nathusii (Chiroptera) reveal different temporal activity patterns in wooded and open riparian sites

Abstract The flight activity pattern of an aerial-hawking vespertilionid Pipistrellus nathusii has been investigated over different water bodies in northern Poland. Broadband ultrasound detection revealed that the species hunted over wooded sites mainly at dusk and dawn, following a clear bimodal pattern of activity. On the contrary, open sites were used by P. nathusii mainly in the midnocturnal period, thus their activity at post-midnight was significantly higher than at dusk. We discuss the observed differences on a background of existing knowledge on activity rhythms of flying insect abundance that are always reported as bimodal (with dusk and down peaks), irrespective of site and habitat type. Anti-predatory behaviour appeared to be the most likely reason to explain contrasting patterns of bat activity in both groups of sites. However, we also discuss other hypotheses with regard to data about insect abundance, wind speed, and temperature obtained from the same sites.

First winter record of the migratory bat Pipistrellus nathusii (Keyserling and Blasius 1839) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in Poland: yet more evidence of global warming? / Premiere observation hivernale de la chauve-souris migratrice Pipistrellus nathusii (Keyserling and Blasius 1839) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) en Pologne: un autre signe du réchauffement de la planete?

In the temperate zone, several animal species undertake seasonal migrations or hibernate to avoid unfavourable conditions during the winter period. However, the increase in global air temperatures during recent decades has caused significant changes in the migratory behaviour of some animals. In birds, for instance, there are examples of migration distances being reduced and even of species actually overwintering in their breeding areas (Berthold 2002). For bats, a pronounced northward expansion of wintering range is predicted (Humphries et al. 2002). Pipistrellus nathusii is a migratory bat species (Strelkov 1969; Petersons 1990) that undertakes long-distance seasonal movements of up to 1905 km (Petersons 2004). In Poland this bat is one of the commonest breeding species in the northern (lakeland) part of the country (Sachanowicz et al. 2006). It is also abundant during spring and autumn migrations along the Polish Baltic Sea Coast (Rachwald 1992; Jarzembowski 2003). P. nathusii is regarded as a summer visitor in northeastern, eastern and (partially) central Europe, and migrates to hibernation sites in western and southern parts of the continent (Vierhaus 2004). Hence, the species was not recorded in Poland during winter up to the present. The first hibernating individual of P. nathusii in Poland was recorded in February 2003 in the northern part of the country. On 16 February a male (forearm length 33.3 mm, length of the 5th finger with the wrist 46.0 mm) hibernated in a vertical niche between a brick wall and a metal tube, at a height of ;1.8 m above the floor, in one of the corridors of Wisloujście Fortress in Gdańsk {

Spinturnicid mites of bats in Albania – host spectrum and morphometrics as a tool of species separation

We recorded 10 species of parasitic spinturnicids on bats in Albania. Eyndhovenia euryalis euryalis was collected on Rhinolophus euryale and R. ferrumequinum; Spinturnix acuminata on Nyctalus noctula; S. emarginata on Myotis emarginatus; S. helvetiae on N. leisleri; S. kolenatii on Eptesicus serotinus; S. myoti on M. capaccinii, M. nattereri, M. myotis and M. oxygnathus; S. mystacina on M. mystacinus; S. nobleti on Hypsugo savii; S. plecotina on Plecotus auritus, P. austriacus and P. macrobullaris; and S. psi on Miniopterus schreibersii and M. capaccinii. All mite species recorded are new for the Albanian fauna and three are new for the Balkans. Plecotus macrobullaris is a new host species for S. plecotina. We confirmed low levels of mite species co-occurrence on the same bat hosts. All mite species included in the present study were separable based on their measurements, with idiosoma length and width and dorsal shield length as the most important characters.

Empty in summer, crowded during migration? Structure of assemblage, distribution pattern and habitat use by bats (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in a narrow, marine peninsula

According to scarce available data, the use of coastal habitats by bats appears to be the most intensive during spring and autumn migrations, when coasts become migratory corridors. Migrating bats might seasonally enrich the fauna of sea islands and peninsulas, which often are poor in bats outside the migratory season. Hel Peninsula is part of the Polish Baltic Coast that extends the most into the sea; thus, it gives unique opportunity to assess that phenomenon quantitatively. To test for seasonal variation in structure of bat assemblage and bat activity, we recorded echolocation calls on walking transects. Seven species were recorded in total, with predominance of sedentary Eptesicus serotinus in June–July and migratory Pipistrellus nathusii in August–September. Occurrence of bats was the highest in deciduous and coniferous forests and the lowest in coasts and ports. Interaction of day of year and distance to mainland was highly significant, indicating that occurrence of bats was increasing from spring to autumn but this increase depended on location. Far from mainland, the mean occurrence of bats was rather stable over time. On transects located close to the mainland, bat occurrence was low at the beginning of the season but after mid-August increased rapidly. We confirmed that some topographically isolated parts of the sea coasts can host only very impoverished summer bat fauna. Bat activity in such sites increase in autumn; however, Hel Peninsula presumably does not act as a migratory corridor, but only as a target of local dispersal from mainland.