Differential responses of cryptic bat species to the urban landscape.

Paul R Lintott,Nils Bunnefeld,Philip Briggs,Kate Barlow,Clara Gajas Roig,Kirsty J Park

doi:10.1002/ece3.1996

Paul R Lintott, Nils Bunnefeld + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1996

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Abstract

Urbanization is a key global driver in the modification of land use and has been linked to population declines even in widespread and relatively common species. Cities comprise a complex assortment of habitat types yet we know relatively little about the effects of their composition and spatial configuration on species distribution. Although many bat species exploit human resources, the majority of species are negatively impacted by urbanization. Here, we use data from the National Bat Monitoring Programme, a long‐running citizen science scheme, to assess how two cryptic European bat species respond to the urban landscape. A total of 124 × 1 km2 sites throughout Britain were surveyed. The landscape surrounding each site was mapped and classified into discrete biotope types (e.g., woodland). Generalized linear models were used to assess differences in the response to the urban environment between the two species, and which landscape factors were associated with the distributions of P. pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus. The relative prevalence of P. pygmaeus compared to P. pipistrellus was greater in urban landscapes with a higher density of rivers and lakes, whereas P. pipistrellus was frequently detected in landscapes comprising a high proportion of green space (e.g., parklands). Although P. pipistrellus is thought to be well adapted to the urban landscape, we found a strong negative response to urbanization at a relatively local scale (1 km), whilst P. pygmaeus was detected more regularly in wooded urban landscapes containing freshwater. These results show differential habitat use at a landscape scale of two morphologically similar species, indicating that cryptic species may respond differently to anthropogenic disturbance. Even species considered relatively common and well adapted to the urban landscape may respond negatively to the built environment highlighting the future challenges involved in maintaining biodiversity within an increasingly urbanized world.

Highlights

Over the past two centuries, rapid urban expansion has become a dominant driving force within global environmental change (Wu et al 2013)
Sites were selected which had been surveyed for at least 2 years between 2007 and 2012 and were a minimum of 5 km apart to minimize the possibility of sampling the same population of bats
Differences in the response to the urban environment by two cryptic bat species In the results described below (Differences in the response to the urban environment by two cryptic bat species), it should be noted that significant variables derived from

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two centuries, rapid urban expansion has become a dominant driving force within global environmental change (Wu et al 2013). Urban areas represent unique combinations of disturbances, stresses, structures, and functions (Pickett et al 1997), and relatively little is known of how to maintain or manage wildlife within urban ecosystems (Shwartz et al 2014). The degree to which a landscape can facilitate or restrain movement of organisms amongst resource patches (“connectivity”) is a critical factor on dispersal rates, home range movements, colonization rates, and extinction risk and influences species distributions (Tischendorf and Fahrig 2000). Urbanization imposes stresses that relatively few species are able to adapt to (Ditchkoff et al 2006). Examining how species respond to urbanization enables us to identify those species which may require most conservation effort to cope with anthropogenic disturbances.

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