The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions
Abstract Forests are key native habitats in temperate environments. While their structure and composition contribute to shaping local-scale community assembly, their role in driving larger-scale species distributions is understudied. We used detailed forest inventory data, an extensive dataset of oc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07229-w |
| _version_ | 1828751447485841408 |
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| author | Roberto Novella-Fernandez Javier Juste Carlos Ibañez Jesús Nogueras Patrick E. Osborne Orly Razgour |
| author_facet | Roberto Novella-Fernandez Javier Juste Carlos Ibañez Jesús Nogueras Patrick E. Osborne Orly Razgour |
| author_sort | Roberto Novella-Fernandez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Forests are key native habitats in temperate environments. While their structure and composition contribute to shaping local-scale community assembly, their role in driving larger-scale species distributions is understudied. We used detailed forest inventory data, an extensive dataset of occurrence records, and species distribution models integrated with a functional approach, to disentangle mechanistically how species-forest dependency processes drive the regional-scale distributions of nine forest specialist bats in a Mediterranean region in the south of Spain. The regional distribution patterns of forest bats were driven primarily by forest composition and structure rather than by climate. Bat roosting ecology was a key trait explaining the strength of the bat-forest dependency relationships. Tree roosting bats were strongly associated with mature and heterogeneous forest with large trees (diameters > 425 mm). Conversely, and contrary to what local-scale studies show, our results did not support that flight-related traits (wing loading and aspect ratio) drive species distributional patterns. Mediterranean forests are expected to be severely impacted by climate change. This study highlights the utility of disentangling species-environment relationships mechanistically and stresses the need to account for species-forest dependency relationships when assessing the vulnerability of forest specialists towards climate change. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:53:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-08818a3391dc41318fa5d97f10b5c9e4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:53:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-08818a3391dc41318fa5d97f10b5c9e42022-12-22T01:34:01ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-02-0112111110.1038/s41598-022-07229-wThe role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regionsRoberto Novella-Fernandez0Javier Juste1Carlos Ibañez2Jesús Nogueras3Patrick E. Osborne4Orly Razgour5School of Biological Sciences, University of SouthamptonEstación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC)School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of SouthamptonSchool of Biological Sciences, University of SouthamptonAbstract Forests are key native habitats in temperate environments. While their structure and composition contribute to shaping local-scale community assembly, their role in driving larger-scale species distributions is understudied. We used detailed forest inventory data, an extensive dataset of occurrence records, and species distribution models integrated with a functional approach, to disentangle mechanistically how species-forest dependency processes drive the regional-scale distributions of nine forest specialist bats in a Mediterranean region in the south of Spain. The regional distribution patterns of forest bats were driven primarily by forest composition and structure rather than by climate. Bat roosting ecology was a key trait explaining the strength of the bat-forest dependency relationships. Tree roosting bats were strongly associated with mature and heterogeneous forest with large trees (diameters > 425 mm). Conversely, and contrary to what local-scale studies show, our results did not support that flight-related traits (wing loading and aspect ratio) drive species distributional patterns. Mediterranean forests are expected to be severely impacted by climate change. This study highlights the utility of disentangling species-environment relationships mechanistically and stresses the need to account for species-forest dependency relationships when assessing the vulnerability of forest specialists towards climate change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07229-w |
| spellingShingle | Roberto Novella-Fernandez Javier Juste Carlos Ibañez Jesús Nogueras Patrick E. Osborne Orly Razgour The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions Scientific Reports |
| title | The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions |
| title_full | The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions |
| title_fullStr | The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions |
| title_short | The role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in Mediterranean regions |
| title_sort | role of forest structure and composition in driving the distribution of bats in mediterranean regions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07229-w |
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