DOI: 10.5061/dryad.zcrjdfnn6
title: Coarse-scale online data reveals habitat similarities but weak cross-taxa congruence between insectivorous bats and birds in the eastern U.S.

description: Prudent use of cross-taxa congruence can aid biodiversity conservation by
 quantitatively evaluating possible indicator taxa. However, highly
 variable results among spatial extents and study regions present
 challenges to its practical application. We aim to evaluate insectivorous
 birds as possible surrogate taxa for bats. Bats are cryptic, understudied,
 and imperiled animals that may greatly benefit from conservation actions
 targeted at more easily observable surrogate taxa, should strong
 congruence exist. We used six years of data from eBird and the
 North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) to explore cross-taxa
 congruence and broad-scale habitat associations between insectivorous
 birds and bats in eastern North America. We used spatial linear models to
 evaluate cross-taxa congruence and community responses to coarse-scale
 habitat features. Our results indicated weak positive congruence
 for the species richness of bats and birds. We revealed similarly strong
 community responses to forest structure. Birds were more responsive to the
 distribution of forested habitats in the landscape and forest type.
 Additional principal component analysis revealed a high overlap between
 cavity-nesting birds and snag-roosting bats. Our results
 discourage the general use of birds as surrogates for bats in eastern and
 northern temperate forests. Our eclectically sourced dataset yielded
 habitat associations that align well with known trends in bat and bird
 biodiversity, which suggests the potential utility of mass-aggregated
 online resources for answering broad-scale ecological questions.
description: # Coarse-scale online data reveals habitat similarities but weak
 cross-taxa congruence between insectivorous bats and birds in the eastern
 U.S.
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zcrjdfnn6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zcrjdfnn6) This dataset pertains to the habitat associations and cross-taxa congruence of insectivorous bats and birds in the eastern United States. There are three .csv files in this dataset: 1. The full dataset analyzed via linear models: DrakeE2024_GridCellData.csv 2. Data used to calculate bat functional diversity metrics: DrakeE2024_BatFunctionalDiversity.csv 3. Data used to calculate bird functional diversity metrics: DrakeE2024_BirdFunctionalDiversity.csv ## Description of the data and file structure These files were uploaded into the R Studio program for analysis. Column headings are explained as follows: 1. The full dataset analyzed via linear models * GRTS_ID: an identifying number referring to the NABat grid cell number associated with this data * Year: the year of the bat/bird surveys * BirdRichness: number of bird species recorded * BatRichness: the number of bat species recorded * PctDecid: the percentage of deciduous forest cover * Sum_AGC: the sum of above-ground forest carbon * Sum_USC: the sum of understory forest carbon * Latitude: the latitude of the midpoint of the NABat grid cell * Forest_TE: the total forest edge in the grid cell (measured in kilometers) * Forest_CLUMPY: forest clumpiness (as measured using FRAGSTATS) * BirdAbund: total number of individual birds recorded * BatAct: total number of bat sound files recorded * BirdMin: a rate describing how many birds were observed per minute * BatMin: a rate describing how many bats were recorded per minute * BirdFunctionEven: the functional evenness of the bird community * BirdFunctionRich: the functional richness of the bird community * BatFunctionEven: the functional evenness of the bat community * BatFunctionRich: the functional richness of the bat community 2. Data used to calculate bat functional diversity metrics * Species: the species described (four-letter abbreviations used for scientific names) * EchoFreq.KHz: the characteristic echolocation frequency of the bats (in kilohertz) * AerialHawk: a logical statement describing whether or not the bat species forages by aerial hawking (1) or gleaning (0) * Roost: the roosting guild that the bat species belongs to * ForearmLength.mm: the length of the forearm of the bat (in millimeters) * Mass.g: the mass of the bat (in grams) * Winter: the winter habits of the bat * SummerRange: what part of the study area is occupied by that species during the summer * WingLoading: wing loading of the bat species 3. Data used to calculate bird functional diversity metrics * Species: the species described * Period: whether the bird is diurnal or nocturnal * ForageMethod: the typical foraging method of the bird * Roost: the nesting location of the bird * Migrant: a logical statement describing whether the bird migrates during the winter (1) or stays (0) * SummerRange: what part of the study area is occupied by that species during the summer * WingLength: the wingspan of the bird * Mass.g: the mass of the bird (in grams) * KippsD: Kipp's distance * HW.Index: Hand-wing index ## Sharing/Access information Data was derived from the following sources: * eBird * NABat * US Forest Service