Bat activity and species richness on organic and conventional farms: impact of agricultural intensification

Abstract

Summary Agricultural intensification is perceived to be a major cause of the decline in many European bat populations. Because organic farming prohibits the use of agrochemicals, we compared organic vs. conventional farm types to test the hypothesis that agricultural intensification based on high levels of agrochemical use has been a factor in bat population declines. Bat activity and species richness were compared on matched pairs of organic and conventional farms. Bat activity was quantified using acoustic surveys within specific habitats on farms in southern England and Wales. Eighty‐nine per cent of bat passes were identified to species level using artificial neural networks (ANN). A further 9% were identified to genus. Total bat activity was significantly higher on organic farms than on conventional farms. Significantly more bat passes were recorded over water on organic farms than on conventional farms. Foraging activity (quantified in two ways: total feedings buzzes and feeding buzzes per pass) was significantly higher on organic farms than on conventional farms. The dominant species on both farm types were Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Significantly more passes of Myotis species were recorded on organic farms than on conventional farms. This difference was also significant when water habitats were considered alone. The activity of both Myotis daubentonii and Myotis brandtii was significantly higher on organic farms than on conventional farms. The activity of Myotis bechsteinii and Myotis brandtii was significantly higher over organic water habitats than over conventional water habitats. Rhinolophus hipposideros and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum were only recorded on organic farms in wooded, arable and pasture habitats. Synthesis and applications. This study highlights the position of bats as bioindicators and victims of agricultural change. The differences in bat activity between farm types may reflect features such as taller hedgerows and better water quality on organic farms. Higher foraging activity also suggests that habitat quality in terms of prey availability is greater on organic farms. Less intensive farming benefits bats, and as the number of organic enterprises increases it may help to reverse declines in bat populations.