Bat point counts: A novel sampling method shines light on flying bat communities

Kevin Felix Arno Darras*, Ellena Yusti, Joe Chun Chia Huang, Delphine Clara Zemp, Agus Priyono Kartono, Thomas Cherico Wanger*

*此作品的通信作者

研究成果: 雜誌貢獻期刊論文同行評審

4 引文 斯高帕斯(Scopus)

摘要

Emerging technologies based on the detection of electro-magnetic energy offer promising opportunities for sampling biodiversity. We exploit their potential by showing here how they can be used in bat point counts—a novel method to sample flying bats—to overcome shortcomings of traditional sampling methods, and to maximize sampling coverage and taxonomic resolution of this elusive taxon with minimal sampling bias. We conducted bat point counts with a sampling rig combining a thermal scope to detect bats, an ultrasound recorder to obtain echolocation calls, and a near-infrared camera to capture bat morphology. We identified bats with a dedicated identification key combining acoustic and morphological features, and compared bat point counts with the standard bat sampling methods of mist-netting and automated ultrasound recording in three oil palm plantation sites in Indonesia, over nine survey nights. Based on rarefaction and extrapolation sampling curves, bat point counts were similarly effective but more time-efficient than the established methods for sampling the oil palm species pool in our study. Point counts sampled species that tend to avoid nets and those that are not echolocating, and thus cannot be detected acoustically. We identified some bat sonotypes with near-infrared imagery, and bat point counts revealed strong sampling biases in previous studies using capture-based methods, suggesting similar biases in other regions might exist. Our method should be tested in a wider range of habitats and regions to assess its performance. However, while capture-based methods allow to identify bats with absolute and internal morphometry, and unattended ultrasound recorders can effectively sample echolocating bats, bat point counts are a promising, non-invasive, and potentially competitive new tool for sampling all flying bats without bias and observing their behavior in the wild.

原文英語
頁(從 - 到)17179-17190
頁數12
期刊Ecology and Evolution
11
發行號23
DOIs
出版狀態已發佈 - 2021 12月
對外發佈

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • 生態學、進化論、行為學與系統學
  • 生態學
  • 自然與景觀保護

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