DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14766334
title: BETA-FOR_SP9_Bats_2022/2023

description: one-time sampling

################

This dataset contains records of bat (Chiroptera) activity collected using bat recorders (batcorders) across 234 BETA-FOR patches.

One batcorder was installed per patch within a maximum radius of 15 meters from the patch center, where it was possible to hang the recorder on a tree at a height of 1.50–1.70 m. The recorder settings were configured as follows: quality set to 20, post-trigger duration of 400 ms, threshold level at −27 dB, and critical call frequency at 16 kHz.

The recorders were active for one night per sampling session, starting one hour before sunset and running until one hour after sunrise. Sampling was primarily conducted in June and July, with additional nights in May, June, and August to compensate for poor weather or sampling conditions.

Sampling was carried out in 2022 for 90 patches in the University Forest and 90 patches in the Bavarian Forest. In 2023, the 54 patches located in Saarland, Hunsrück, and Lübeck were sampled.

To analyze bat call sequences and measure their acoustic properties, we used bcAdmin4 (Version 1.2.6, ecoObs GmbH). Automated identification of bat calls was then performed using batIdent (Version 1.5, ecoObs GmbH).

The dataset includes all detected calls, even those not always identified to the species level. The corresponding minute counts refer to the number of minutes within a recording session during which at least one bat call was detected.

################

We greatly acknowledge the help of:

Katharina Kraus (ZuLA), Mareike Kortmann, Adèle Kieffer, Gisela Bach, Jorge Torres, Soumen Mallick, Jürgen Thein, Christine Franz, Interns of the Bavarian Forest Nationalpark and all other assistants  
description: Variables Description################

*patchLabelBETAFOR: unique BETA-FOR patch label

*SessionID: Identifier for the recording session, representing one night of recording. It includes the month and year. If two sessions occurred in the same month, they are distinguished by .1 for the first session and .2 for the second session.

*dwc:year: The year of the recording

*dwc:month: The month of the recording

*SampleID: A unique identifier for each recording. It is composed of the patchLabelBETAFOR and the corresponding SessionID

*BatcorderID: Identifies the recording on the batcorder, including the date of recording. If marked as NA, it indicates that no recording is available, either because the session was not conducted or the batcorder malfunctioned.

 

 

The number of minute counts (NA if no recording is available) within each recording session (one night) is shown in columns 7 to 41 for identified calls of...

 

*Barbastella_barbastellus

*Eptesicus_nilssonii

*Eptesicus_serotinus

*Myotis_alcathoe

*Myotis_bechsteinii

*Myotis_mystacinus

*Myotis_dasycneme

*Myotis_daubentonii

*Myotis_myotis

*Myotis_nattereri

*Nyctalus_leisleri

*Nyctalus_noctula

*Pipistrellus_nathusii

*Pipistrellus_pipistrellus

*Pipistrellus_pygmaeus

*Plecotus_auritus

*Vespertilio_murinus

*Chiroptera_spec: unknown bat species

*Myotis_small: small Myotis spec.

*Myotis_spp_:  genus Myotis

*Nyc_Ept_Ves_spp: Nyctalus spec., Eptesicus spec. or Vespertilio spec. 

*Nyctaloid_spp: genus Nyctalus, Vespertilio, Eptesicus, Tadarida and Vespertilio

*Pip_Hyp_Min_spp:  Pipistrellus spec., Hypsugo spec. or Miniopterus  spec. 

*Pipistrellus_high_freq: high frequency Pipistrellus spec. 

*Pipistrellus_kuhli

*Pipistrellus_low_freq:  low frequency Pipistrellus spec. 

*Pipistrellus_mid_freq: medium frequency Pipistrellus spec. 

*Hypsugo_savii

*Miniopterus_schreibersii

*Myotis_emarginatus

*Rhinolophus_ferrumequinum

*Rhinolophus_high_freq: high frequency Rhinolophus spec.

*Rhinolophus_sp_: genus Rhinolophus

*Tadarida_teniotis

 

We greatly acknowledge the help of:

Katharina Kraus (ZuLA), Mareike Kortmann, Adèle Kieffer, Gisela Bach, Jorge Torres, Soumen Mallick, Jürgen Thein, Christine Franz, Interns of the Bavarian Forest Nationalpark and all other assistants