The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation
Solar energy is an important renewable energy source. However, the ecological effects of solar farms are largely unknown. Behavioral experiments proved previously that smooth surfaces, such as solar panels act as sensory traps for bats and insects, increasing collision risk, and suggesting that sola...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001166 |
| _version_ | 1797823352284381184 |
|---|---|
| author | Kriszta Lilla Szabadi Anikó Kurali Nor Amira Abdul Rahman Jérémy S.P. Froidevaux Elizabeth Tinsley Gareth Jones Tamás Görföl Péter Estók Sándor Zsebők |
| author_facet | Kriszta Lilla Szabadi Anikó Kurali Nor Amira Abdul Rahman Jérémy S.P. Froidevaux Elizabeth Tinsley Gareth Jones Tamás Görföl Péter Estók Sándor Zsebők |
| author_sort | Kriszta Lilla Szabadi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar energy is an important renewable energy source. However, the ecological effects of solar farms are largely unknown. Behavioral experiments proved previously that smooth surfaces, such as solar panels act as sensory traps for bats and insects, increasing collision risk, and suggesting that solar farms may affect local ecosystems in a complex way. As the orientation of bats is impeded around smooth surfaces, the exploitation of solar farms as foraging habitats by bats needs research. We surveyed the activity of bats at solar farms and in the neighboring habitats (forests, grasslands, arable fields, settlements and watersides) to evaluate the effects of solar farms on the occurrence and activity of bats and on the composition of bat communities. We conducted bioacoustic surveys at 190 sites in 15 areas of Hungary and recorded nearly 30 000 bat echolocation call sequences. We detected patterns of overall bat activity similar to those in other open habitats such as arable land and grassland indicating that some bat species can exploit this anthropogenic environment. Bat species detected at solar farms also frequently occur in arable land and settlements (Hypsugo savii, Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrellus kuhlii), suggesting that bats adapted to anthropogenic environments exploit solar farms. However, some species of major conservation concern (e.g. Myotis spp. and Barbastella barbastellus) were detected less frequently on solar farms than in other habitats raising implications for mitigation procedures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:21:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-642f971b650642fe9c8fdcafc290b1d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:21:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-642f971b650642fe9c8fdcafc290b1d32023-05-20T04:30:09ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942023-08-0144e02481The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservationKriszta Lilla Szabadi0Anikó Kurali1Nor Amira Abdul Rahman2Jérémy S.P. Froidevaux3Elizabeth Tinsley4Gareth Jones5Tamás Görföl6Péter Estók7Sándor Zsebők8Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-2100 Gödöllő, HungaryFertő-Hanság National Park Directorate, H-9435 Sarród, HungaryDepartment of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, HungaryUniversity of Stirling, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Stirling, UK; Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Concarneau, Paris, France; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UKSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UKSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UKNational Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1088 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, H-3300 Eger, HungaryDepartment of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, H-2163 Vácrátót, Hungary; Correspondence to: Alkotmány Road 2–4, H-2163 Vácrátót, Hungary.Solar energy is an important renewable energy source. However, the ecological effects of solar farms are largely unknown. Behavioral experiments proved previously that smooth surfaces, such as solar panels act as sensory traps for bats and insects, increasing collision risk, and suggesting that solar farms may affect local ecosystems in a complex way. As the orientation of bats is impeded around smooth surfaces, the exploitation of solar farms as foraging habitats by bats needs research. We surveyed the activity of bats at solar farms and in the neighboring habitats (forests, grasslands, arable fields, settlements and watersides) to evaluate the effects of solar farms on the occurrence and activity of bats and on the composition of bat communities. We conducted bioacoustic surveys at 190 sites in 15 areas of Hungary and recorded nearly 30 000 bat echolocation call sequences. We detected patterns of overall bat activity similar to those in other open habitats such as arable land and grassland indicating that some bat species can exploit this anthropogenic environment. Bat species detected at solar farms also frequently occur in arable land and settlements (Hypsugo savii, Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrellus kuhlii), suggesting that bats adapted to anthropogenic environments exploit solar farms. However, some species of major conservation concern (e.g. Myotis spp. and Barbastella barbastellus) were detected less frequently on solar farms than in other habitats raising implications for mitigation procedures.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001166ChiropteraHabitat lossSolar panelsRenewable energyAnthropogenic effectAnthropocene |
| spellingShingle | Kriszta Lilla Szabadi Anikó Kurali Nor Amira Abdul Rahman Jérémy S.P. Froidevaux Elizabeth Tinsley Gareth Jones Tamás Görföl Péter Estók Sándor Zsebők The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation Global Ecology and Conservation Chiroptera Habitat loss Solar panels Renewable energy Anthropogenic effect Anthropocene |
| title | The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation |
| title_full | The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation |
| title_fullStr | The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation |
| title_short | The use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes: Implications for conservation |
| title_sort | use of solar farms by bats in mosaic landscapes implications for conservation |
| topic | Chiroptera Habitat loss Solar panels Renewable energy Anthropogenic effect Anthropocene |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001166 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT krisztalillaszabadi theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT anikokurali theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT noramiraabdulrahman theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT jeremyspfroidevaux theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT elizabethtinsley theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT garethjones theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT tamasgorfol theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT peterestok theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT sandorzsebok theuseofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT krisztalillaszabadi useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT anikokurali useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT noramiraabdulrahman useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT jeremyspfroidevaux useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT elizabethtinsley useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT garethjones useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT tamasgorfol useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT peterestok useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation AT sandorzsebok useofsolarfarmsbybatsinmosaiclandscapesimplicationsforconservation |