Differential use of Highway Underpasses by Bats
Roads can form barriers to movement for many species, and may reduce the ability of individuals to access foraging and breeding habitat. The impacts of roads on terrestrial fauna has been well studied, however little is known of the impact of roads on insectivorous bats. Wildlife crossing structures may reduce the barrier impacts of roads and improve connectivity across roads. Use of underpasses by wildlife likely varies among species depending on their movement behaviour. In this study, we investigated whether the flight patterns of insectivorous bats influenced their use of underpasses.
Tree Cover Mediates the Effect of Artificial Light on Urban Bats
With urban areas growing worldwide, so does artificial light at night (ALAN) which negatively affects many nocturnal animals, including bats. The response of bats to ALAN ranges from some opportunistic species taking advantage of insect aggregations around street lamps, particularly those emitting ultraviolet (UV) light, to others avoiding lit areas at all. Here, we investigated the effect of tree cover on the relationship between ALAN and bats in Berlin, Germany.
Conservation leadership must account for cultural differences
Effective leaders are critical in determining successful outcomes of conservation programs. As the business and economic leadership literature shows, awareness around cultural differences in leadership attributes is important for positive project outcomes set in inter-cultural contexts. In this review we asked the question whether, and how, the influence of cultural context was acknowledged when describing successful leadership attributes of conservation leadership.
Importance of Wetlands to Bats on a Dry Continent: a Review and Meta-Analysis
Australia has diverse landscapes ranging from wet tropical regions in the North to temperate regions in the South and a vast arid interior. The relationship between bats and wetlands is influenced by a range of environmental gradients including: aridity and climate variability, hydrological, structural, productivity and salinity. Our aim was to determine whether wetlands were important for Australia’s bat communities, identify the environmental gradients influencing this importance, and review the threats to wetland bat communities combining a review and meta-analysis.
When Ecological Information Meets High Wildlife Value Orientations: Influencing Preferences of Nearby Residents for Urban Wetlands
Preferences for landscapes are critical because they can drive landscape changes over time. The mediating role of wildlife value orientations in influencing preferences for urban wetlands through the provision of ecological information (based on insectivorous bats) was experimentally tested. Our results suggest that preferences for landscapes can be influenced by providing information that is consistent with value orientations.
Urban bat communities are affected by wetland size, quality, and pollution levels
Wetlands support unique biota and provide important ecosystem services. These services are highly threatened due to the rate of loss and relative rarity of wetlands in most landscapes. Here, we investigated the role of wetlands in urban bat conservation and examine local and landscape factors driving bat species richness and activity. Our findings indicate that wetlands form critical habitats for insectivorous bats in urban environments. Large, unlit, and unpolluted wetlands flanked by high tree cover in close proximity to bushland contribute most to the richness of the bat community.
The Shared Habitat: Understanding and Linking the Needs of Insectivorous Bats and People at Urban Wetlands (PhD thesis)
Urban wetlands can be hotspots for biodiversity but are often managed for human benefits. Understanding and linking the potentially conflicting needs of people and wildlife in urban wetlands will allow us to create and manage wetlands that maintain biodiversity in human-dominated areas. Biodiverse urban wetlands may also encourage human contact with nature contributing to people’s health and well-being. However, for many faunal taxa, little is known about the role that wetlands play in supporting urban biodiversity. For example, insectivorous bats often occur in urban areas, but the importance of urban wetlands as a source of food, and the characteristics of ‘bat-friendly’ wetlands are largely unknown. The aims of this interdisciplinary PhD research were to i) understand the role of wetlands for insectivorous bats in an urban environment, ii) identify the landscape- and local-scale attributes of wetlands that drive the occurrence of insectivorous bats and noturnal flying insects, and iii) determine the aesthetic preferences of local residents for wetlands and the effect of ecological information on these preferences.