Tree Cover Mediates the Effect of Artificial Light on Urban Bats

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dc.contributor.authorStraka, Tanja M.
dc.contributor.authorWolf, Maritta
dc.contributor.authorGras, Pierre
dc.contributor.authorBuchholz, Sascha
dc.contributor.authorVoigt, Christian C.
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-23T14:32:51Z
dc.date.available2019-08-23T14:32:51Z
dc.date.issued2019-03-27
dc.date.updated2019-08-23T00:38:04Z
dc.description.abstractWith urban areas growing worldwide, so does artificial light at night (ALAN) which negatively affects many nocturnal animals, including bats. The response of bats to ALAN ranges from some opportunistic species taking advantage of insect aggregations around street lamps, particularly those emitting ultraviolet (UV) light, to others avoiding lit areas at all. Tree cover has been suggested to mitigate the negative effects of ALAN on bats by shielding areas against light scatter. Here, we investigated the effect of tree cover on the relationship between ALAN and bats in Berlin, Germany. In particular, we asked if this interaction varies with the UV light spectrum of street lamps and also across urban bat species. We expected trees next to street lamps to block ALAN, making the adjacent habitat more suitable for all species, irrespective of the wavelength spectrum of the light source. Additionally, we expected UV emitting lights next to trees to attract insects and thus, opportunistic bats. In summer 2017, we recorded bat activity at 22 green open spaces in Berlin using automated ultrasonic detectors. We analyzed bat activity patterns and landscape variables (number of street lamps with and without UV light emission, an estimate of light pollution, and tree cover density around each recording site within different spatial scales) using generalized linear mixed-effects models with a negative binomial distribution. We found a species-specific response of bats to street lamps with and without UV light, providing a more detailed picture of ALAN impacts than simply total light radiance. Moreover, we found that dense tree cover dampened the negative effect of street lamps without UV for open-space foraging bats of the genera Nyctalus, Eptesicus, and Vespertilio, yet it amplified the already existing negative or positive effect of street lamps with or without UV on Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus, and Myotis spp. Our study underpins the importance of minimizing artificial light at night close to vegetation, particularly for bats adapted to spatial complexity in the environment (i.e., clutter-adapted species), and to increase dense vegetation in urban landscape to provide, besides roosting opportunities, protection against ALAN for open-space foraging bats in city landscapes.en
dc.description.sponsorshipBMBF, 01LC1501, BIBS-Verbund: Bridging in Biodiversity Science (BIBS)en
dc.identifier.eissn2296-701X
dc.identifier.urihttps://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/9879
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-8891
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subject.ddc590 Tiere (Zoologie)de
dc.subject.otherALANen
dc.subject.otherbatsen
dc.subject.othercanopy coveren
dc.subject.otherchiropteraen
dc.subject.otherlight-emitting diodesen
dc.subject.othertreesen
dc.subject.otherultraviolet lighten
dc.subject.otherurbanen
dc.titleTree Cover Mediates the Effect of Artificial Light on Urban Batsen
dc.typeArticleen
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber91en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi10.3389/fevo.2019.00091en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleFrontiers in Ecology and Evolutionen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameFrontiers Media S.A.en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceLausanneen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume7en
tub.accessrights.dnbfreeen
tub.affiliationFak. 6 Planen Bauen Umwelt::Inst. Ökologie::FG Ökosystemkunde / Pflanzenökologiede
tub.affiliation.facultyFak. 6 Planen Bauen Umweltde
tub.affiliation.groupFG Ökosystemkunde / Pflanzenökologiede
tub.affiliation.instituteInst. Ökologiede
tub.publisher.universityorinstitutionTechnische Universität Berlinen

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