The diet of the serotine bat: A Comparison between rural and urban environments

Kervyn, Thierry; Libois, Roland

Download

Article (Scientific journals)

The diet of the serotine bat: A Comparison between rural and urban environments

Kervyn, Thierry; Libois, Roland

2008 • In Belgian Journal of Zoology, 138 (1), p. 41-49

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2268/111524

Files (1)Send to Details Statistics Bibliography Similar publications

Files

Full Text

BJZ Kervyn.pdf

Publisher postprint (397.6 kB)

Download

All documents in ORBi are protected by a user license.

Send to

RIS BibTex APA Chicago Permalink X Linkedin

Details

Keywords :

Belgium; diet; Eptesicus serotinus; foraging tactic; urban habitat

Abstract :

[en] The diet of four maternity colonies of serotine bats in Southern Belgium was investigated by analysing faecal pellets collected from beneath the roost throughout the activity season. Their diet is composed of Coleoptera Melolonthidae (Melolontha sp., Amphimallon sp., Rhizotrogus sp., Serica brunnea), Coleoptera Scarabaeidae (Aphodius sp., Geotrupes sp.), Coleoptera Carabidae, Diptera Tipulidae, Diptera Chironomidae, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera Pentatomidae, Hymenoptera Ichneumonoidea Ophionidae, Trichoptera and Arachnida. <br />The diet of an urban colony of serotine bats was broadly the same as the diets of three rural colonies. Though some qualitative and quantitative variations were observed between study sites, the main source of variation in the diet was the seasonal availability of potential prey. <br />The prominence of agriculture-dependant prey (chafers in mid summer and Aphodius beetles in late summer and autumn) was observed at all study sites. Consequently, dietary breadth and diversity is smaller during these periods.

Disciplines :

Zoology

Author, co-author :

Kervyn, Thierry

Libois, Roland ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Zoogéographie - Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement

Language :

English

Title :

The diet of the serotine bat: A Comparison between rural and urban environments

Alternative titles :

[fr] Alimentation de la Sérotine (Eptesicus serotinus) : comparaison entre milieux rural et urbain.

Publication date :

2008

Journal title :

Belgian Journal of Zoology

ISSN :

0777-6276

eISSN :

2295-0451

Publisher :

Royal Belgian Zoological Society, Bruxelles, Belgium

Volume :

138

Issue :

Pages :

41-49

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 11 February 2012

Statistics

Number of views

558 (12 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

759 (4 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

Bibliography

AGOSTA SJ & MORTON D (2003). Diet of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, from Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. Northeastern Naturalist, 10(1): 89-104.
BARTONICKA T & ZUKAL J (2003). Flight activity and habitat use of four bat species in a small town revealed by bat detectors. Folia Zoologica, 52(2): 155-166.
BECK A (1995). Fecal analyses of European bat species. Myotis, 32-33: 109-119.
BELLWOOD JJ & FENTON MB (1976). Variation in the diet of Myotis lucifugus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 54: 1674-1678.
BENZAL J & MORENO E (1989). On the distribution of bats in Madrid (Central Spain). In: HANAK V, HORACEK I & GAISLER (eds), European Bat Research 1987, Charles Univ. Press Praha: 363-371.
BRACK V & LAVAL RK (2006). Diet of the gray myotis (Myotis grisescens): Variability and consistency, opportunism, and selectivity. Journal of Mammalogy, 87(1): 7-18.
BREWER R (1994). The science of ecology. International edition Saunders college Publishing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: 773 pp.
CATTO CMC, HUTSON AM & RACEY PA (1994). The diet of Eptesicus serotinus in Southern England. Folia Zoologica, 43(4): 307-314.
CATTO CMC, RACEY PA & STEPHENSON PJ (1995). Activity patterns of the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) at a roost in southern England. Journal of Zoology (Lond.), 235(4): 635-644.
CATTO CMC, HUTSON AM, RACEY PA & STEPHENSON PJ (1996). Foraging behaviour and habitat use of the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) in southern England. Journal of Zoology (Lond), 238: 623-633.
COULSON JC (1959). Observations on the Tipulidae (Diptera of the Moor House Nature Reserve, Westmorland. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 3(7): 157-174.
COULSON JC (1962). The biology of Tipula subnodicornis Zetterstedt, with comparative observations on Tipula paludosa Meigen. Journal of Animal Ecology, 31: 1-21.
DENSE C (1992). Telemetrische Untersuchungen zur Habitatnutzung und zum Aktivitätsmuster der Breitflügelfledermaus Eptesicus serotinus Schreber 1774 im Osnabrücker Hügelland. Diplom arbeit, Osnabrück: 118 pp.
DESIÈRE M (1974). Ecologic des coléoptères coprophiles en prairie pâturée et forôt. Thèse doctorale, Univ. Liège: 235 pp.
DICKMAN CR & HUANG C (1988). The reliability of fecal analysis as a method for determining the diet of insectivorous mammals. Journal of Mammalogy, 69(1): 108-113.
DU CHATENET G (1986). Guide des coléoptères d'Europe. Delachaux & Niestlé, Neuchâtel Paris: 479 p.
FENTON MB (1997). Science and the conservation of bats. Journal of Mammalogy, 78: 1-14.
GAJDOSIK M & GAISLER J (2004). Diet of two Eptesicus bat species in Moravia (Czech Republic). Folia Zoologica, 53(1): 7-16.
GAISLER J & BAUEROVA Z (1986). The life of bats in a city. Myotis, 23-24: 209-215.
GAISLER J, ZUKAL J, REHAK Z & HOMOLKA M (1998). Habitat preference and flight activity of bats in a city. Journal of Zoology (Lond.), 244: 439-445.
GEGGIE JF & FENTON MB (1984). A comparison of foraging by Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in urban and rural environments. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 63: 263-267.
GEHRT SD & CHELSVIG JE (2003a). Bat activity in an urban landscape: Patterns at the landscape and microhabitat scale. Ecological Applications, 13(4): 939-950.
GEHRT SD & CHELSVIG JE (2003b). Species-specific patterns of bat activity in an urban landscape. Ecological Applications, 14(2): 625-635.
GERBER E, HAFFNER M & ZISWILER V (1996). Vergleichende Nahrungsanalyse bei der Breitflügelfledermaus Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774) (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in verschiedenen Regionen der Schweiz. Myotis, 34: 35-43.
HARBUSCH C (2003). Aspects of the ecology of serotine bats ( Eptesicus serotinus, Schreber 1774) in contrasting landscapes in southwest Germany and Luxembourg. PhD Thesis, Univ. Aberdeen: 206 pp.
HESPENHEIDE MA (1974). Prey characteristics and predator niche width. In: CODY ML & DIAMOND JM (eds), Ecology and evolution of communities. Harvard University Press.
JONES G (1990). Prey selection by the greater horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus ferrumequinum): Optimal foraging by echolocation? Journal of Animal Ecology, 59(2): 587-602.
KERVYN T (1995). Contribution à l'étude de la tactique alimentaire du grand murin Myotis myotis (Borkhausen, 1797) (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Mémoire lic. Zool., Univ. Liège: 53 pp.
KERVYN T (1996). Le régime alimentaire du grand murin Myotis myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) dans le sud de la Belgique. Cahiers d'Ethologie, 16(1): 23-46.
KERVYN T (1999). Méthodes de détermination du régime alimentaire des chiroptères insectivores. Arvicola, 10 (h.s.): 53-56.
KERVYN T (2001). Ecologic et éthologie de la sérotine commune (Eptesicus serotinus) (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae): perspectives en vue de la conservation des chauves-souris. Thèese doctorale, Univ. Liège: 164 pp.
KUNZ TH & WHITAKER JOJR (1983). An evaluation of fecal analysis for determining food habits of insectivorous bats. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 61(6): 1317-1321.
KURTA A & TERAMINO JA (1992). Bat community structure in an urban park. Ecography, 15 (3): 257-261.
KURTZE W (1982). Beobachtungen zur Flugaktivität und Ernärhung der Breitflügelfledermaus, Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber). Drosera, 1: 39-46.
LABEE AH & VOUTE AM (1983). Voedselkeuze van een kolonie laatvliegers Eptesicus serotinus. Lutra, 26: 12-19.
LITVAITIS JA (2000). Investigating food habits of terrestrial vertebrates. In: BOITANI L & FULLER TK (eds), Research Techniques in Animal Ecology: Controversies and Consequences. Columbia University Press. New York, NY. 165-190.
MADSEN M, OVERGAARD NIELSEN B, HOLTER P, PEDERSEN OC, BRÖCHNER JESPERSEN J, VAGN JENSEN K-M, NANSEN P & GRONVOLD J (1990). Treating cattle with ivermectin: Effects on the fauna and decomposition of dung pats. Journal of Applied Ecology, 27: 1-15.
MCANEY CM, SHIEL C, SULLIVAN C & FAIRLEY J (1991). The analysis of bat droppings. Occasional publications of the Mammal Society, 14: 1-48.
MICKLEBURGH S (1987). Distribution and status of bats in the London area. The London Naturalist, 66: 41-91.
MICKLEBURGH S (1989). Distribution and status of bats in the London area. In: HANAK V, HORACEK I & GAISLER (eds), European Bat Research 1987, Charles Univ. Press Praha: 327-329.
PIR J (1994). Etho-ökologische Untersuchungen einer Wochenstubenkolonie der Grossen Hufeisennase (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Schreber 1774) in Luxemburg. Diplom arbeit. Justus-Liebig-Univ. Giessen.
RACEY PA (1998). Ecology of European bats in relation to their conservation. In: KUNZ TH & RACEY PA (eds), Bat biology and conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington and London: 249-260.
RANSOME RD (1996). The management of feeding areas for the greater horseshoe bats. English Nature Research Reports, 174: 1-74.
ROBINSON MF & STEBBINGS RE (1993). Food of the serotine bat, Eptesicus serotinus is faecal analysis a valid qualitative and quantitative technique? Journal of Zoology (Lond.), 231: 239-248.
SCHMIDT C (2000). Jagdgebiete und Habitatnutzung der Breitflügelfledermaus (Eptesicus serotinus) in der Teichlausitz (Sachsen). Säugetierkundliche Informationen, 4: 497-504.
SOKAL R & ROHLF J (1981). Biometry. Second edition Freeman & Co, New York: 859 p.
TAYLOR LR, FRENCH RA & WOIWOD IP (1978). The Rothamsted insect survey and the urbanization of land in Great Britain. In: Academic Press, London & New York, Perspectives in urban Entomology: 33-65.
VAUGHAN N (1997). The diets of British bats (Chiroptera). Mammal Review, 27(2): 77-94.
VILLIERS A (1945). Hémiptères de France, Hétéoptères Gymnocérates. Boubée, Paris: 83 pp.
WALL R & STRONG L (1987). Environmental consequences of treating cattle with the antiparasitic drug ivermectin. Nature (Lond.), 327: 418-421.
WHITAKER JOJR (1988). Food habits analysis of insectivorous bats. In: KUNZ TH (ed), Ecological and behavioural methods for study of bats. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington D.C. & London: 533 p.
WHITAKER JOJR (1995). Food of the big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus from maternity colonies in Indiana and Illinois. American Midland Naturalist, 134: 346-360.
WHITAKER JO, SPARKS DW & BRACK V (2006). Use of artificial roost structures by bats at the Indianapolis International Air-port. Environmental Management, 38: 28-36.
ZUKAL J, GAJDOSIK M & REHAK Z (1997). The diet and foraging strategy of Eptesicus serotinus in southern Moravian agrocoenoses. Bat Research News, 38: 30-31.