The Anthropocene is the “age of human influence”, an epoch well known for its urban impact. More than half of all people already live in cities, and this proportion is expected to rise to almost 70 percent by 2050. Like other species in urban areas, bats must contend with the pressures of profound and irreversible land cover change and overcome certain unique challenges, such as the high density of roads, lights, glass, and free-ranging domestic animals. Research on urban bats in recent decades indicates that when it comes to urban life, some bats are synanthropes. In other words, although most species of bats are negatively impacted by urbanisation, many appear to not only succeed, but also thrive in cities and towns. This observation has inspired interesting questions about bats in relation to urbanisation. Which traits and behaviours equip bats for urban success? What features of urban areas increase the likelihood that bats will successfully persist there or even colonize new areas? And how does the success of urban bats affect co-habiting humans?
Our book explores the interactions between bats and urban environments through case studies and reviews. Understanding how different species interact with urban environments can reveal potential opportunities to mitigate urban threats to bats and threats posed by bats to other urban organisms, including humans. With this book, we thus aspire to provide a knowledge base to help guide current and future efforts to conserve bats.
Author(s): Lauren Moretto, Joanna L. Coleman, Christina M. Davy, M. Brock Fenton, Carmi Korine, Krista J Patriquin
Series: Fascinating Life Sciences
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 191
City: Cham
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
Part I: What is an Urban Bat? Morphological, Physiological, Behavioural, and Genetic Adaptations
Chapter 1: Stress Physiology, Foraging, and Ecophysiology of Bats in Urban Environments
1 Introduction
2 Stress Physiology
3 Extrinsic Factors that Affect the Stress Response in Bats
3.1 Stress and Light Pollution
3.2 Stress and Noise Pollution
4 Intrinsic Factors That Affect the Stress Response in Bats
4.1 Mobility
4.2 Sociality
4.3 Diet and Foraging Behaviour
5 Ecophysiology of Bats in Urban Environments
5.1 Roosts and Energetics
5.2 Water Balance
6 Conclusions
Literature Cited
Chapter 2: Genetic Impoverishment in the Anthropocene: A Tale from Bats
1 Introduction
2 Temporal Genomic Data Reveal Drastic Population Genetic Diversity Decline in a Tropical Fruit Bat
2.1 Decline in Genetic Diversity
2.2 Drastic Population Bottleneck Coinciding with Urbanisation
2.3 Common Species Are Not Immune to the Effects of Fragmentation
3 Conclusion
4 Acknowledgements
5 Data Availability
Literature Cited
Chapter 3: Are Molossid Bats Behaviourally Preadapted to Urban Environments? Insights from Foraging, Echolocation, Social, and Roosting Behaviour
1 Introduction
2 Foraging Behaviour
3 Echolocation Behaviour
4 Social Behaviour
5 Roosting Behaviour
6 Conclusions
Literature Cited
Chapter 4: Urban Bats and their Parasites
1 Introduction
2 Ectoparasites
2.1 What Are the Parasitological Consequences of Altered Roosting Behaviours By Urban Bats?
2.2 Does Urbanisation Have Linked Fitness and Parasitological Implications for Bats?
2.3 Do Urban Abiotic Changes Modulate Bat-Ectoparasite Relationships?
2.4 Could Urban Changes in Ectoparasite Loads Alter the Risk of Disease?
3 Endoparasites
3.1 Protozoan Parasites and Host-Vector Contact Rates
3.2 Helminths Provide Insights into Host Foraging
4 Concluding Perspectives
Literature Cited
Chapter 5: Bat Societies across Habitat Types: Insights from a Commonly Occurring Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx
1 Introduction
2 Societies of the Short-Nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx Across Urban and Rural Landscapes
3 Discussion
3.1 Potential Impact of Urbanisation on Cynopterus sphinx
3.2 Urban Areas as Ecological Traps
Literature Cited
Part II: How do Bats Inhabit Urban Environments? Uses of Artificial Roosts, Aerial Habitats, and Green Spaces
Chapter 6: Bat Boxes as Roosting Habitat in Urban Centres: ‘Thinking Outside the Box’
1 Introduction
2 Bat Roosting Behaviours in Light of Roost Availability
3 Providing a New Space to Roost: Bat Box Design
4 Bat Boxes Are Not a Universal Solution or ‘Panacea’
4.1 Successfully Replacing an Eliminated Roost Post-eviction
4.2 How a Bat Box Might Become an ‘Ecological Trap’
4.3 Supplementing Existing Habitat: Environmental Context, Bat Assemblages, and Box Design
4.4 How Hot Is Too Hot?
5 Thinking Outside the Box: Recommendations for the Installation and Use of Bat Boxes and Other Complementary Roost Structures
5.1 What to Recommend for the Installation and Proposed Use of Bat Boxes
5.2 Beyond the Box: Installing Other Artificial Roost Structures to Diversify Available Roost Space
6 Conclusion: Urban Planning for Bats
Literature Cited
Chapter 7: Aerial Habitats for Urban Bats
1 Introduction
2 Urban Modifications to Aerial Habitats
2.1 Roads and Vehicle Traffic
2.2 Urban Noise
2.3 Urban Light Pollution
2.4 Urban Heat Islands
2.5 Urban Canyons
2.6 Windows
3 Bat-Friendly Stewardship of Urban, Aerial Habitats
Literature Cited
Chapter 8: City Trees, Parks, and Ponds: Green and Blue Spaces as Life Supports to Urban Bats
1 Introduction
2 Use of Green Spaces by Urban Bats
2.1 Roosting Habitat
2.2 Foraging Habitat
2.3 Corridors for Commuting and Refuge from Disturbances
3 Blue Spaces in and around Urban Green Spaces
4 Spatial Considerations for Green and Blue Spaces in the Urban Landscape
5 The Study of Urban Green and Blue Spaces
6 Recommendations for Green and Blue Space Design and Management to Support Urban Bats
7 Future Research Directions
Literature Cited
Chapter 9: Assessing the Effects of Urbanisation on Bats in Recife Area, Atlantic Forest of Brazil
1 Introduction
2 Bat Species Richness and Activity in Green Spaces and Urban Areas in Recife
3 Impact of Artificial Illumination on Bat Activity
4 Molossid Activity and Behaviour in Urban vs. Non-urban Areas
5 Discussion and Conclusions
Literature Cited
Part III: How do Bats and Humans Interact in Urban Environments? Human Perceptions, Public Health, and Ecosystem Services of Bats
Chapter 10: Human Dimensions of Bats in the City
1 Introduction
2 A Brief Theoretical Framework
3 Disentangling Values, Attitudes, and Behaviours
4 Encounters Between Bats and Urbanites: A Change of Attitude?
5 New Challenges
Literature Cited
Chapter 11: Urban Bats, Public Health, and Human-Wildlife Conflict
1 Urban Bats and Zoonotic Diseases
2 Health Risks of Bat-Human Cohabitation: To Humans and to Bats
3 Nuisance Wildlife or Welcome Guest?
4 Reducing Risk of Zoonotic Spillovers from Urban Bats
Literature Cited
Chapter 12: Ecosystem Services by Bats in Urban Areas
1 Introduction
1.1 Insectivory
1.2 Pollination and Seed Dispersal
1.3 Bat Tourism
2 Conclusions
Appendices
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Literature Cited
Chapter 13: The Big Picture and Future Directions for Urban Bat Conservation and Research
1 Urban Bats: Adaptation or Tolerance?
2 How Do Bats Compare to Other Mammals in Their Response to Urbanisation?
3 Impacts of Urban Environments on Hibernation and Migration
4 How Can We Support Urban Bats?
5 Future Directions for Research and Defining Urban Environments
Literature Cited
Index
