Testing the Effectiveness of Two Methods of Summer Bat Fauna Inventory
Abstract
Effective techniques of fauna inventory and biodiversity monitoring are essential for obtaining reliable data on species composition, population structure, and habitat use. Bats remain one of the least studied groups of mammals, yet they are important indicators of natural habitat condition. We present a comparison of the results of two survey methods, mist-netting and acoustic recordings, conducted at the same locations to assess summer bat assemblages in the National Nature Park "Homilsha Forest" (Kharkiv Region, Ukraine). Mist-netting yielded 440 individuals of 10 bat species, while acoustic recordings allowed the detection of 8 species, with a total of 3,468 echolocation sequences treated as individual records. Two species (Myotis brandtii and Pipistrellus kuhlii) were detected exclusively through mist-netting, whereas all other species were detected by both survey methods. The Jaccard index ranged from 0.70 to 0.80, indicating partial overlap of the two survey methods in terms of species detection. Species relative abundance differed significantly between the two methods (Сhi-square test, p < 0.001). Mist-netting and acoustic recordings yielded different estimates of relative abundance for several species, suggesting method-specific biases in a bat species abundance assessment. The survey method also had a significant effect on species richness and relative abundance (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.05). In summary, we recommend a mist-netting survey as the best method for species identification (and population structure) and acoustic recording as a monitoring tool for summer bat assemblages.
References
Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS) 1991. United Nations Environment Programme/Eurobats.
Akimov, I. A. (ed.) 2009. Red Data Book of Ukraine. Fauna. Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Kyiv, Globalconsulting [In Ukrainian].
Annex 1: List of animal species to be included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (fauna). 2021. Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine [In Ukrainian]. Available at: https://mepr.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dodatok1.pdf.
Barataud, М. 1996. The inaudible world and the world of bats: acoustic identification of French bats. Mens: Editions Sittelle, 2 CD + booklet 47 pages.
Bashta, A.-T., Ivashkiv, I. & Krokhmal, A. 2018. New records of Myotis alcathoe (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) in Ukraine. Theriologia Ukrainica, 16, 163-165 [In Ukrainian].
https://doi.org/10.15407/pts2018.16.163
Bashta, A.-T., Jones, K. & Russ, J. 2010. Monitoring of bats in Ukraine: first results. Plecotus et al., 13, 88-89 [In Russian].
Bashta, A. T., Piskorski, M., Myslajek, R. et al. 2011. Myotis alcathoe in Poland and Ukraine: new data on its status and habitat in Central Europe. Folia Zoologica, 60 (1), 1-4.
https://doi.org/10.25225/fozo.v60.i1.a1.2011
Buzunko, P., Mosunov, B. & Godlevska, O. 2014. Additional data on the chiropterofauna of the northern part of Chernygiv Oblast. Proceedings of the International Conference. The Nature of Polissya: Exploration and Protection, Rivne, 420-424 [In Ukrainian].
Gashchak, S. P., Vlaschenko, A. S., Naglov, A. V., Kravchenko, K. A. & Gukasova, А. S. 2013. Bat fauna of the Exclusion Zone in concern of assessment of environmental value of its areas. Problems of Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 11, 56-79 [In Russian].
Godlevska, L. & Gazaryan, S. 2024. Near or far: revision of distribution, breeding and winter ranges of two sibling Pipistrellus species Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Mammal Review, 54 (3), 261-272.
https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12341
Godlevska, L. & Rebrov, S. 2018. Bats of the Left-bank Dnipro region in the northern part of Ukraine. Theriologia Ukrainica, 16, 25-50 [In Ukrainian].
https://doi.org/10.15407/pts2018.16.025
Godlevska, L., Rebrov, S., Vorobei, P., Savchenko, M. & Panchenko, P. 2022. Bats of central Ukraine: a synopsis. Zoodiversity, 56 (3), 203-232.
https://doi.org/10.15407/zoo2022.03.203
Gukasova, A. & Vlaschenko, A. 2011. Effectiveness of mist-netting of bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia) during the non-hibernation period in oak forests of Eastern Ukraine. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia-Series A: Vertebrata, 54 (1-2), 77-93.
https://doi.org/10.3409/azc.54a_1-2.77-93
Hayes, J., Ober, H. & Sherwin, R. 2009. Survey and monitoring of bats. In: Kunz, T. H. & Parsons, S., eds. Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats. 2nd edn. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 112-132.
Jones, G., Jacobs, D. S., Kunz, T. H., Willig, M. R. & Racey, P. A. 2009. Carpe noctem: the importance of bats as bioindicators. Endangered species research, 8 (1-2), 93-115.
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00182
Kalko, K. V. & Schnitzler, H.-U. 1993. Plasticity in echolocation signals of European pipistrelle bats in search flight: implications for habitat use and prey detection. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 33, 415-428.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170257
Kondratenko, O. 1998. Bat fauna of the Luhansk Province. Proceedings of the Theriological School. European Bat Night 98 in Ukraine, 139-145 [In Russian].
Koval, N., & Bashta, A.-T. 2018. The bat fauna (Chiropterа) of the Uzhanskyi National Park. Theriologia Ukrainica, 16, 99-104.
https://doi.org/10.15407/pts2018.16.099
Milchram, M., Suarez-Rubio, M., Schröder, A. & Bruckner, A. 2020. Estimating population density of insectivorous bats based on stationary acoustic detectors: A case study. Ecology and Evolution, 10 (3), 1135-1144.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5928
Obrist, M. K., Boesch, R. & Flückiger, P. F. 2004. Variability in echolocation call design of 26 Swiss bat species: consequences, limits and options for automated field identification with a synergetic pattern recognition approach. Mammalia, 68 (4), 307-322.
https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2004.030
O'Farrell, M. J. & Gannon, W. L. 1999. A comparison of acoustic versus capture techniques for the inventory of bats. Journal of Mammalogy, 80 (1), 24-30.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1383204
Petrovych, O., Yamelynets, T., Lucius, I., & Janz, C. 2024. The future of protected areas in Ukraine: Discussion paper on protected areas recovery and reform. WWF-Ukraine. WWF-Ukraine. Available at: https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/2_wwf_a4_the_future_of_protected_areas_in_ukraine_eng_version_digital.pdf.
Prylutska, A., Moiseienko, M., Yerofeieva, M. & Vlaschenko, A. 2020. Northern record for Tadarida teniotis (NE Ukraine) far from known species range. Barbastella, 13 (1), 104-108.
https://doi.org/10.14709/BarbJ.13.1.2020.17
Russ, J. 1999. Bats of Britain and Ireland: echolocation calls, sound analysis and species identification. Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, 1-103.
Russ, J. 2012. British bat calls: a guide to species identification. Pelagic publishing, 1-204.
Russo, D., Billington, G., Bontadina, F., Dekker, J., Dietz, M., Gazaryan, S., Jones, G., Meschede, A., Rebelo, H., Reiter, G., Ruczyński, I., Tillon, L. & Twisk P. 2016. Identifying key research objectives to make European forests greener for bats. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 4 (87), 1-8.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2016.00087
Russo, D. & Jones, G. 2015. Bats as bioindicators: an introduction. Mammalian Biology, 80 (3), 157-158.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2015.03.005
Ruzhilenko, N., Grishchenko, V. & Tsvelykh, O. 1998. Bat fauna of the Kaniv Natural Reserves. Proceedings of the Theriological School. European Bat Night 98 in Ukraine, 76-79 [In Ukrainian].
Salvarina, I. 2016. Bats and aquatic habitats: A review of habitat use and anthropogenic impacts. Mammal Review, 46, 131-143.
https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12059
Salvarina, I., Gravier, D. & Rothhaupt, K. O. 2018. Seasonal bat activity related to insect emergence at three temperate lakes. Ecology and Evolution, 8, 3738-3750.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3943
Schmeller, D. S., Böhm, M., Arvanitidis, C., Barber-Meyer, S., Brummitt, N., Chandler, M., Chatzinikolaou, E., Costello, M., Ding, J., García-Moreno, H., Gill, J. M., Haase, P., Jones, M., Juillard, R., Magnusson, W. E., Martin, C. S., McGeoch, M., Mihoub, J.-B., Pettorelli, N., ProençaCui Peng, V., Regan, E., Schmiedel, U., Simaika, J. P., Weatherdon, L., Waterman, C., Xu, H. & Belnap. J. 2017. Building capacity in biodiversity monitoring at the global scale. Biodiversity and Conservation, 26 (12), 2765-2790.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1388-7
Schofield, H. 2002. Guide to the identification of pipistrelle bats. Online publication. 1-8. Available at: https://warksbats.co.uk/pdf/pipistrelleid.pdf.
Sikes, R.S. 2016. Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research and education. Journal of Mammalogy, 97 (3), 663-688.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyw078
Vlaschenko, A. 2010. Impact of forestry activity on bats and their conservation in forests of Ukraine (on the model of National Park "Gomilshanskiy lisy". Nature Reserves in Ukraine, 16 (1), 44-50 [In Ukrainian].
Vlaschenko, A., Kravchenko, K., Prylutska, A.S., & Mishin, A. 2016 a. Structure of summer bat assemblages in forests in European Russia. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 40 (6), 876-893.
https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1508-56
Vlaschenko, A., Hukov, V., Naglov, A., Prylutska, A., Kravchenko, K. & Rodenko, O. 2016 b. Contribution to ecology of Brandt's bat, Myotis brandtii (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), in the North-Eastern Ukraine: comparison of local summer and winter bat assemblages. Vestnik Zoologii (Zoodiversity), 50 (3), 231-240.
https://doi.org/10.1515/vzoo-2016-0027
Vlaschenko, A., Yatsiuk Y., Hukov, V., Prylutska, A., Straka, T. & Kravchenko, K. 2021. Urban forest preserves local bat species diversity, but not forest dweller specialists-renewed study 65 years later (Kharkiv city, Ukraine). Mammal Research, 66 (4), 615-626.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-021-00580-9
Vlaschenko, A., Kravchenko, K., Yatsiuk, Y., Hukov, V., Kramer-Schadt, S. & Radchuk V. 2022. Bat assemblages are shaped by land cover types and forest age: a case study from Eastern Ukraine. Forests, 13 (10), 1732.
https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101732
Vlaschenko, A., Hukov, V., Timofieieva, O., Moiseienko, M., Domanska, A., Zinenko, O. & Prylutska A. 2023. Leaping on urban islands: further summer and winter range expansion of European bat species. European Journal of Ecology, 9 (1), 70-85
https://doi.org/10.17161/eurojecol.v9i1.18664
Vlaschenko, A. & Gukasova, A. 2009. Development of a method for inventorying the species composition and population structure of bats. Nature conservation in Ukraine, 15 (1), 49-57.
Vlaschenko, A. & Gukasova, A. 2010. Bat (Chiroptera) fauna and structure of assemblage of projecting protected area "Yaremovskoe" (Kharkiv region). Nature Reserves in Ukraine, 16 (2), 64-70 [In Ukrainian].
Vlaschenko, A., Yerofieiva, M., Tovstukha, I. Holovko, O., Kornieikov, O., Ruedi, M. & Muzyka D. 2025. New genetically confirmed record of Myotis alcathoe (Chiroptera, Mammalia) from Ukraine. Zoodiversity, 59 (1), 7-12.
https://doi.org/10.15407/zoo2025.01.007
Volokh, A., Gorlov, P., Siokhin, V. & Polishchuk, I. 2021. Species diversity of bats (Chiroptera) in the Ukrainian Azov Region and features of their residence by seasons. Theriologia Ukrainica, 20, 24-36 [In Ukrainian with English summary].
https://doi.org/10.15407/TU2104
von Helversen, O. & Holderied, M. 2003. Zur Unterscheidung von Zwergfledermaus (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) und Mückenfledermaus (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) im Feld. Nyctalus (N.F.), 8 (5), 420-426.
Yoccoz, N. G., Nichols, J. D. & Boulinier, T. 2001. Monitoring of biological diversity in space and time. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 16 (8), 446-453.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02205-4
Zagorodniuk, I. & Godlevska, L. 2000. Theriological School-2000: "Identification of bats and localization of their roosts using ultrasonic detectors." Vestnik Zoologii, 34 (6), 119-120 [In Ukrainian].
Zsebők, S., Estók, P. & Görföl, T. 2012. Acoustic discrimination of Pipistrellus kuhlii and Pipistrellus nathusii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and its application to assess changes in species distribution. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 58 (2), 199-209.
