Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme)
Artificial light at night can act as a barrier and cause habitat fragmentation, especially for bat species that are generally considered to be light-averse. Bats use linear structures to commute from their roost to their foraging areas. Trawling bats such as the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) forage pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Basic and Applied Ecology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000465 |
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| author | Claire Hermans Laura Kijm Marieke Paardekooper Jens C. Koblitz Peter Stilz Anne-Jifke Haarsma Marcel E. Visser Kamiel Spoelstra |
| author_facet | Claire Hermans Laura Kijm Marieke Paardekooper Jens C. Koblitz Peter Stilz Anne-Jifke Haarsma Marcel E. Visser Kamiel Spoelstra |
| author_sort | Claire Hermans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Artificial light at night can act as a barrier and cause habitat fragmentation, especially for bat species that are generally considered to be light-averse. Bats use linear structures to commute from their roost to their foraging areas. Trawling bats such as the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) forage predominantly above water bodies and use waterways as commuting routes. Artificial light along these potentially leads to interruptions of commuting routes, or changes in flight behaviour of trawling bats, but impact of light may vary with light spectrum and intensity. Here, we tested whether pond bats change their flight speed and straightness in response to four light spectra at two light intensities by placing an experimental lamp post at bridges over waterways that are used by pond bats as commuting routes. We used a microphone array to precisely reconstruct the flight path of each passing bat and calculate flight parameters. Flight speed of commuting pond bats was unaffected by the presence of light, regardless of the light spectrum. Pond bats only fly straighter when exposed to white light (3000 K). The short presence of a lamp post with realistic light intensity on a bridge may therefore not act as a barrier. However, other direct effects cannot be excluded and the long-term presence of a similar light installation may still have impact. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-586cf5bbc6a24294a47e446c1b031152 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1439-1791 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-586cf5bbc6a24294a47e446c1b0311522025-08-20T03:46:41ZengElsevierBasic and Applied Ecology1439-17912025-09-0187202810.1016/j.baae.2025.05.007Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme)Claire Hermans0Laura Kijm1Marieke Paardekooper2Jens C. Koblitz3Peter Stilz4Anne-Jifke Haarsma5Marcel E. Visser6Kamiel Spoelstra7Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Corresponding author.Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, GermanyAnimal Physiology, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyRadboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The NetherlandsArtificial light at night can act as a barrier and cause habitat fragmentation, especially for bat species that are generally considered to be light-averse. Bats use linear structures to commute from their roost to their foraging areas. Trawling bats such as the pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) forage predominantly above water bodies and use waterways as commuting routes. Artificial light along these potentially leads to interruptions of commuting routes, or changes in flight behaviour of trawling bats, but impact of light may vary with light spectrum and intensity. Here, we tested whether pond bats change their flight speed and straightness in response to four light spectra at two light intensities by placing an experimental lamp post at bridges over waterways that are used by pond bats as commuting routes. We used a microphone array to precisely reconstruct the flight path of each passing bat and calculate flight parameters. Flight speed of commuting pond bats was unaffected by the presence of light, regardless of the light spectrum. Pond bats only fly straighter when exposed to white light (3000 K). The short presence of a lamp post with realistic light intensity on a bridge may therefore not act as a barrier. However, other direct effects cannot be excluded and the long-term presence of a similar light installation may still have impact.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000465Acoustic localizationBatsBehavioural ecologyConnectivityLight spectrumLight intensity |
| spellingShingle | Claire Hermans Laura Kijm Marieke Paardekooper Jens C. Koblitz Peter Stilz Anne-Jifke Haarsma Marcel E. Visser Kamiel Spoelstra Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) Basic and Applied Ecology Acoustic localization Bats Behavioural ecology Connectivity Light spectrum Light intensity |
| title | Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) |
| title_full | Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) |
| title_fullStr | Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) |
| title_short | Limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat (Myotis dasycneme) |
| title_sort | limited immediate effect of artificial light of realistic intensity on flight behaviour of commuting pond bat myotis dasycneme |
| topic | Acoustic localization Bats Behavioural ecology Connectivity Light spectrum Light intensity |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179125000465 |
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