Bechstein's Bat Is More Mediterranean Than Originally Thought

May 27, 2013 — Although the Bechstein's bat is regarded as a Euro-Siberian species, a study by researchers in the UPV/EHU's Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology has revealed that the historical transformation of part of its original habitat rather than bioclimatic reasons could be responsible for this distribution. This research has been published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.

(Credit: Image courtesy of Basque Research)

The Bechstein's Bat (Myotis bechsteinii) has a broad distribution: from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus, in the East, and as far as southern Scandinavia, in the north. Yet it is regarded as a rare species throughout its distribution area. "This scarcity contrasts with its abundance in the fossil record of the late Pleistocene and Holocene," says Dr María Napal, leading author of the paper published in Forest Ecology and Management. The fossil record shows that the start and consolidation of its decline coincided with the deforestation caused by the intensification of agriculture, and are also linked to colder temperatures and greater humidity.

This has been cited on very few occasions in the Mediterranean area, but recent studies show that it could be locally abundant in certain localities.However, in the north of the Peninsula, where the climate and vegetation are more similar to those of Central Europe, their centre of distribution, it is much more difficult to find them. "That led us to revisit the traditional dogma that the M. bechsteinii is a Euro-Siberian species, restricted to the temperate forests of Central and Western Europe, and to ask whether its current distribution could respond more to the history of deciduous forestloss in part of its original range," explains Napal. "In fact,during the Holocene the vegetation evolved differently in the Mediterranean compared with the rest of Europe.In the Mediterranean, the intensity of human activity, linked to great aridity, led to the substitution of the deciduous vegetation by the typical xerophytic vegetation."

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Worcestershire Bechstein's bat research awarded grant

Research into colonies of rare bats in Worcestershire has been given a grant by a conservation charity.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust has found populations of the Bechstein's bat in woodlands it manages.

The grant from the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) will allow them to study more about the colonies.

James Hitchcock from the trust said: "We'll be able to work out how to manage similar woods to help secure the future of Bechstein's in the county."

The trust has been working with volunteers from the Worcestershire Bat Group for the past two years on a national project, organised by the Bat Conservation Trust.

The award will help the trust study the population size, foraging range and roosting ecology of the bats at Grafton Wood.

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-17429885

Bechstein's bats found in Trench Wood in Worcestershire (via Chad Arment)

A rare bat has been found in a Worcestershire woodland by volunteers working for the Bat Conservation Trust.
Two Bechstein's bats have been discovered in Trench Wood, between Worcester and Droitwich Spa.

James Hitchcock, from Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, said: "A breeding colony has never been known this far north before."

He said Bechstein's bats are one of the country's rarest mammals and are a priority species for conservation.

The bats found in Trench Wood were a male and a young female born earlier this summer.

The Trust says this indicates that there is most likely a breeding roost in the wood.

Conifers have been cleared from the wood by the trust to allow broad-leafed trees to grow and provides a more favourable habitat for bats and other native wildlife.

Volunteers from the Worcestershire Bat Group received special training as normal survey methods have not been successful in locating Bechstein's bats.

The Bat Conservation Trust estimates that there are only 1500 Bechstein's bats in the UK

It feeds on spiders and insects picked from branches and leaves

It is most common in southern England and parts of South Wales

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-14530602

Large population of rare Bechstein’s bats found on proposed HS2 train route

Rare bats in the path of HS2 are nationally significant

July 2011. A significant population of rare Bechstein's bats has been discovered in Buckinghamshire - in ancient woodland either side of the proposed HS2 route and adjacent to the proposed site of a waste incinerator. Until 2010, only a single Bechstein's bat had been found in Bucks - in the far south of the county, at Cliveden.

65 Bechstein's bats in 1 tree
In one woodland alone, (Grendon & Doddershall Woods) an amazing count of 65 Bechstein's bats were observed emerging at dusk from their roost inside a tree. Several tree roosts have been found and Bechstein's bats are now known to occur in 10 woods within the Bernwood Forest area of Buckinghamshire.

Bechstein's bats are one of the rarest mammals in the UK and they, their roosts and their breeding sites are strictly protected under UK and European law.

The discoveries have been made by volunteers undertaking the Bernwood Forest Bechstein's Project. The Project was set up in 2011 to expand on work undertaken by the North Bucks Bat Group and the Bat Conservation Trust in 2010. Bechstein's bats were discovered in three North Bucks woodlands in 2010, with a further incidental discovery in 2011 at Finemere Wood, a Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust nature reserve.

Chris Damant, who has been co-ordinating the Bernwood study says "The discoveries in 2010 were very exciting, but we realised we knew very little about how the bats were using the woodlands and which other woods they might also be in. Three of us who had been involved in the 2010 surveys, decided to find out more and we designed and sought funding for an independent research project. Local landowners have been very supportive and allowed us access for the study."

Significant breeding population
Toby Thorne, another bat expert on the Project continues "We never expected to find Bechstein's bats in North Bucks last year; let alone the significant breeding population we've identified this year. It just goes to show you don't need to go abroad to discover rare wildlife - we've done it at home!"

Radio tracking bats
The team has also undertaken radio-tracking studies of individual bats. Tiny radio transmitters were attached to 4 female Bechstein's bats, which were then followed for up to 11 days and nights. Two bats stayed close to their tree roost in one woodland, whilst the other two were found to move up to 3km between woodlands in the area, including crossing the proposed route of HS2.

Jo Hodgkins, ecologist on the Project team says "The bats appear to be using a network of woodlands in the area and some are moving between woods. It's really important that we understand how they are using the landscape, before major infrastructure projects change it. If we don't, how can the impact of such developments be assessed? The radio-tracking work is in its early days and we plan to follow more bats in the coming months. We've still got more woods to survey as well - we're only a quarter of the way through our initial research - who knows what else we'll discover!"

10 species of bats
And it's not just Bechstein's bats being found; the Project team have so far recorded a total of 10 species of bat in these woodlands, with some species such as the protected Brown Long-eared bat being recorded in large numbers. The Bernwood Forest area appears to be an important ‘hotspot' for bats!


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bechsteins-bats011.html#cr