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1 June 2013 Where and at What Time? Multiple Roost use and Emergence Time in Greater Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)
Giacomo Maltagliati, Paolo Agnelli, Stefano Cannicci
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Abstract

One of the largest nursery colonies of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum in Italy occurs in the Natural Park of Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli, Tuscany, with the species roosting in several buildings. We identified various roosts used by R. ferrumequinum within the park and investigated their microclimatic parameters (temperature, relative humidity and daily temperature excursion). We monitored roost use for one year and found it not only to be influenced by season and the microclimatic conditions of different roosts, but also by occasional stress conditions such as disturbance by predators. We also studied nightly emergence behavior, specifically we considered how this is influenced by climatic (temperature, relative humidity and evening light intensity) and demographic (presence of pups, subadults and colony size) parameters. The colony always performed a pre-emergence behavior and we found that its onset occurred earlier at higher temperatures, lower evening light intensity, in larger colonies and in the presence of pups. High temperature and low evening light intensity also resulted in a longer nightly emergence, which was also identified in larger colonies and when subadults were present. This study highlights the importance of the conservation of multiple roosts within the distribution range of R. ferrumequinum nurseries. Additionally, we demonstrated how certain climatic and demographic factors influence both pre-emergence and emergence behavior.

© Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS
Giacomo Maltagliati, Paolo Agnelli, and Stefano Cannicci "Where and at What Time? Multiple Roost use and Emergence Time in Greater Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)," Acta Chiropterologica 15(1), 113-120, (1 June 2013). https://doi.org/10.3161/150811013X667911
Received: 31 July 2012; Accepted: 1 March 2013; Published: 1 June 2013
KEYWORDS
bats
ecology
emergence time
light-sampling
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
roost use
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