Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests
The increase in mean annual temperature and reduction in summer rainfall from climate change seem to increase the frequency of natural and human-made disturbances to forest vegetation. This type of rapid vegetation change also significantly affects bat diversity. The aim of our study was to document...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/1/56 |
| _version_ | 1797493992161542144 |
|---|---|
| author | Krzysztof Piksa Tomasz Brzuskowski Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica |
| author_facet | Krzysztof Piksa Tomasz Brzuskowski Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica |
| author_sort | Krzysztof Piksa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increase in mean annual temperature and reduction in summer rainfall from climate change seem to increase the frequency of natural and human-made disturbances to forest vegetation. This type of rapid vegetation change also significantly affects bat diversity. The aim of our study was to document differences in the ecological parameters of bat assemblages in different types of temperate mountain forests, particularly between disturbed and undisturbed coniferous and deciduous forests. Additionally, these issues were considered along an elevation gradient. We mist netted bats on 73 sites, between 931 and 1453 m elevation, in the forests of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. During 2016–2020, 745 bats, representing 15 species, were caught. The most abundant were <i>Myotis mystacinus</i> (Kuhl, 1817) (53.0%) and <i>M. brandtii</i> (Eversmann, 1845) (21.5%). We observed differences in species diversity, elevational distribution, and dominance between different types of forests and forest zones. Species richness peaked at around 1000–1100 m elevation. The highest species richness and other indices were observed in undisturbed beech stands, although they constituted only about 2.7% of the forest area. The lowest species diversity was observed in disturbed coniferous forests, in both the lower and upper forest zone. The species richness and dominance structure of bat assemblages were also found to depend on the location above sea level. In some bat species, the sex ratio was higher at higher elevations, and differences in the sex ratio in a few bat species, between different types of forests, were observed. Our findings suggest that disturbed, beetle-killed spruce forests are an unsuitable environment for some bat species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:27:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94008671ce0c4e30aadeea3fb8f59f8a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:27:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-94008671ce0c4e30aadeea3fb8f59f8a2023-11-23T13:47:05ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-01-011315610.3390/f13010056Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain ForestsKrzysztof Piksa0Tomasz Brzuskowski1Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica2Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Krakow, PolandDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Biology, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Krakow, PolandTatra National Park, Kuźnice 1, 34-500 Zakopane, PolandThe increase in mean annual temperature and reduction in summer rainfall from climate change seem to increase the frequency of natural and human-made disturbances to forest vegetation. This type of rapid vegetation change also significantly affects bat diversity. The aim of our study was to document differences in the ecological parameters of bat assemblages in different types of temperate mountain forests, particularly between disturbed and undisturbed coniferous and deciduous forests. Additionally, these issues were considered along an elevation gradient. We mist netted bats on 73 sites, between 931 and 1453 m elevation, in the forests of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. During 2016–2020, 745 bats, representing 15 species, were caught. The most abundant were <i>Myotis mystacinus</i> (Kuhl, 1817) (53.0%) and <i>M. brandtii</i> (Eversmann, 1845) (21.5%). We observed differences in species diversity, elevational distribution, and dominance between different types of forests and forest zones. Species richness peaked at around 1000–1100 m elevation. The highest species richness and other indices were observed in undisturbed beech stands, although they constituted only about 2.7% of the forest area. The lowest species diversity was observed in disturbed coniferous forests, in both the lower and upper forest zone. The species richness and dominance structure of bat assemblages were also found to depend on the location above sea level. In some bat species, the sex ratio was higher at higher elevations, and differences in the sex ratio in a few bat species, between different types of forests, were observed. Our findings suggest that disturbed, beetle-killed spruce forests are an unsuitable environment for some bat species.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/1/56elevational distributionbark beetle outbreaksChiropteradisturbance<i>Myotis brandtii</i><i>Myotis mystacinus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Krzysztof Piksa Tomasz Brzuskowski Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests Forests elevational distribution bark beetle outbreaks Chiroptera disturbance <i>Myotis brandtii</i> <i>Myotis mystacinus</i> |
| title | Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests |
| title_full | Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests |
| title_fullStr | Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests |
| title_short | Distribution, Dominance Structure, Species Richness, and Diversity of Bats in Disturbed and Undisturbed Temperate Mountain Forests |
| title_sort | distribution dominance structure species richness and diversity of bats in disturbed and undisturbed temperate mountain forests |
| topic | elevational distribution bark beetle outbreaks Chiroptera disturbance <i>Myotis brandtii</i> <i>Myotis mystacinus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/1/56 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT krzysztofpiksa distributiondominancestructurespeciesrichnessanddiversityofbatsindisturbedandundisturbedtemperatemountainforests AT tomaszbrzuskowski distributiondominancestructurespeciesrichnessanddiversityofbatsindisturbedandundisturbedtemperatemountainforests AT tomaszzwijaczkozica distributiondominancestructurespeciesrichnessanddiversityofbatsindisturbedandundisturbedtemperatemountainforests |