Abstract

Bats hibernating in caves and unused mines were surveyed during six hibernation periods (from December to February, 2005 and 2011) in Korea. We recorded 13,288 individuals of 11 species at 140 hibernacula (60 caves and 80 abandoned mines): Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (n=3,509), Eptesicus serotinus (n=6), Hypsugo alaschanicus (n=349), Miniopterus fuliginosus (n=5,919), Murina hilgendorfi (n=417), Myotis aurascens (n=294), Myotis bombinus (n=2), Myotis formosus (n=401), Myotis macrodactylus (M.mac, n= 151), Myotis petax (n=2,131) and Plecotus ognevi (n=109). We studied the thermal preference and selection of hibernacula of seven dominant bat species. Four species (Myotis petax, Hypsugo alaschanicus, Plecotus ognevi and Murina hilgendorfi) hibernated mainly at the cold site below than 7.C, while three species (Myotis formosus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Miniopterus fuliginosus) hibernated at warm site above than 7.C. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum had broad-ranged temperature zone for their hibernating site. The mean body temperature of each species was 2.64±0.98.C for Murina hilgendorfi, 2.76±1.68.C for Hypsugo alaschanicus, 2.78±0.98.C for Plecotus ognevi, 4.52±1.02.C for Myotis petax, 7.83±1.94.C for Miniopterus fuliginosus, 9.19±2.35.C for Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and 13.64±0.76.C for Myotis formosus, respectively. The body temperatures of hibernating bats were closely related to the rock surface temperatures rather than the ambient temperatures. In conclusion, the diversity of bats community in hibernacula were closely related to the range of inner ambient temperature of hibernacula, and more species of bats were occupied at sites presenting a broad range of ambient temperatures.

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