DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cjsxksn6m
title: Three-dimensional stratification pattern in an old-growth lowland forest: how does height in canopy and season influence temperate bat activity?

description: The study of animal-habitat interactions is of primary importance for the
 formulation of conservation recommendations. Flying, gliding and climbing
 animals have the ability to exploit their habitat in a three-dimensional
 way and the vertical canopy structure in forests plays an essential role
 for habitat suitability. Forest bats as flying mammals may seasonally
 shift their microhabitat use due to differing energy demands or changing
 prey availability, but the patterns are not well understood. We
 investigated three-dimensional and seasonal habitat use by insectivorous
 bats in a temperate lowland old-growth forest, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha
 in Belarus. We acoustically sampled broadleaved and mixed coniferous plots
 in the forest interior and in gaps in three heights during two
 reproductive periods (pregnancy/lactation versus post-lactation). In
 canopy gaps, vertical stratification in bat activity was less pronounced
 than in the forest interior. Vertical activity patterns differed among
 species. The upper canopy levels were important foraging habitats for the
 open-space forager guild and for some edge-space foragers like the
 Barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus and the soprano pipistrelle
 Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Myotis species had highest activity levels near the
 ground in forest gaps. Moreover, we found species-dependent seasonal
 microhabitat shifts. Generally, all species and species groups considered
 except Myotis species showed higher activity levels during post-lactation.
 Myotis species tended towards higher activity in the forest interior
 during post-lactation. P. pygmaeus switched from high activity levels in
 the upper canopy during pregnancy and lactation to high activity levels
 near the ground during post-lactation. We conclude that a full
 comprehension of forest bat habitat use is only possible when height in
 canopy and seasonal patterns are considered.
description: The data were acoustically collected using batcorders suspended
 in hanging chains at three heights in the forest, simultaneously in canopy
 gaps and in the forest interior. Two forest types were sampled:
 broadleaved Tilio-Carpinetum and coniferous Pino-Quercetum stands, both
 old-growth and in the Strictly Protected Zone of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha
 Nationalpark. Acoustic recordings were analysed using the software
 BcAdmin, BatIdent and BcAnalyse according to the Methods part of the
 paper. Data were analysed on a guild basis (for the guilds dataset) and on
 a species basis (for the species datatset) for the dominant species
 <em>Myotis</em> spec (<em>Myotis</em> spec. and
 <em>Myotis brandtii</em> combined), <em>Pipistrellus
 pygmaeus</em> and <em>Barbastella
 barbastellus</em>. The activity data in the
 dataset correspond to an activity index. the raw number of recordings were
 recalculated into minute-intervals per night as activity index according
 to the Methods part, as number of minute-intervals per night with activity
 from the respective guild or species considered.