The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity
In the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Landscape Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2016-0004 |
| _version_ | 1818733581822853120 |
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| author | Toffoli Roberto |
| author_facet | Toffoli Roberto |
| author_sort | Toffoli Roberto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes provide financial support for the management, conservation and reconstruction of hedges and hedgerows. The efficacy of such initiatives, also aimed at bat conservation, could be enhanced by including the role of hedges and hedgerows correlated to the variability of their physical structure and to the surrounding landscape context. Linear landscape elements are in fact of great importance to bats, whose flight activity tends to increase in proximity to hedges and hedgerows, used both during foraging and as commuting routes. Nevertheless, information concerning the correlation between various physical structures of hedges and flight and foraging techniques in bats is still lacking. The present study analyses the activity of bats along two different hedge types, with and without trees, and in open spaces, in an area of the Padana plane (North-western Italy) as a function of different flight behaviours. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:51:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-28f746c73c6a42b9968f317ef058d913 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1805-4196 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:51:45Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Landscape Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-28f746c73c6a42b9968f317ef058d9132022-12-21T21:28:11ZengSciendoJournal of Landscape Ecology1805-41962016-01-0191496210.1515/jlecol-2016-0004jlecol-2016-0004The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on ActivityToffoli Roberto0CHIROSPHERA Associazione per lo studio e la tutela dei chirotteri e l’ambiente, Via Tetti Barbiere, 11 I 10026 Santena TO, ItalyIn the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes provide financial support for the management, conservation and reconstruction of hedges and hedgerows. The efficacy of such initiatives, also aimed at bat conservation, could be enhanced by including the role of hedges and hedgerows correlated to the variability of their physical structure and to the surrounding landscape context. Linear landscape elements are in fact of great importance to bats, whose flight activity tends to increase in proximity to hedges and hedgerows, used both during foraging and as commuting routes. Nevertheless, information concerning the correlation between various physical structures of hedges and flight and foraging techniques in bats is still lacking. The present study analyses the activity of bats along two different hedge types, with and without trees, and in open spaces, in an area of the Padana plane (North-western Italy) as a function of different flight behaviours.https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2016-0004batslinear landscape elementshedgerowsacoustic monitoringbats conservation |
| spellingShingle | Toffoli Roberto The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity Journal of Landscape Ecology bats linear landscape elements hedgerows acoustic monitoring bats conservation |
| title | The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity |
| title_full | The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity |
| title_fullStr | The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity |
| title_short | The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity |
| title_sort | importance of linear landscape elements for bats in a farmland area the influence of height on activity |
| topic | bats linear landscape elements hedgerows acoustic monitoring bats conservation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2016-0004 |
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