Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2024 Feb;38(1):e14170. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14170. Epub 2023 Oct 5.
Worldwide, artificial bat roosts (e.g., bat boxes, bark mimics, bat condos) are routinely deployed for conservation, mitigation, and community engagement. However, scant attention has been paid to developing best practices for the use of artificial roosts as conservation tools. Although bats readily occupy artificial roosts, occupancy and abundance data are misleading indicators of habitat quality. Lacking information on bat behavior, health, and fitness in artificial roosts, their conservation efficacy cannot be adequately validated. We considered the proximal and ultimate factors, such as evolutionarily reliable cues, that may prompt bats to preferentially use and show fidelity to suboptimal artificial roosts even when high-quality alternatives are available. Possible negative health and fitness consequences for artificial roost inhabitants include exposure to unstable and extreme microclimates in poorly designed roosts, and vulnerability to larger numbers of ectoparasites in longer lasting artificial roosts that house larger bat colonies than in natural roosts. Bats using artificial roosts may have lower survival rates if predators have easy access to roosts placed in conspicuous locations. Bats may be lured into occupying low-quality habitats if attractive artificial roosts are deployed on polluted urban and agricultural landscapes. To advance the science behind artificial bat roosts, we present testable research hypotheses and suggestions to improve the quality of artificial roosts for bats and decrease risks to occupants. Because continued loss of natural roosts may increase reliance on alternatives, such as artificial roosts, it is imperative that this conservation practice be improved.
在全球范围内，人工蝙蝠栖息地（例如蝙蝠箱、树皮模拟物、蝙蝠公寓）经常被用于保护、缓解和社区参与。然而，人们很少关注开发将人工栖息地作为保护工具的最佳实践。尽管蝙蝠很容易占据人工栖息地，但栖息地的占有和丰富度数据是对栖息地质量的误导性指标。由于缺乏关于蝙蝠在人工栖息地中的行为、健康和适应性的数据，因此无法充分验证其保护效果。我们考虑了近端和终极因素，例如进化可靠的线索，这些线索可能促使蝙蝠优先使用和对次优的人工栖息地表现出忠诚度，即使有高质量的替代品可用。人工栖息地的居住者可能面临一些健康和适应性的负面影响，包括暴露在设计不佳的栖息地中的不稳定和极端微气候中，以及在更长时间内居住着比天然栖息地更大的蝙蝠群体的人工栖息地中，更容易受到更多寄生虫的侵害。如果捕食者很容易进入放置在显眼位置的栖息地，那么使用人工栖息地的蝙蝠的存活率可能会降低。如果在污染的城市和农业景观中部署有吸引力的人工栖息地，蝙蝠可能会被诱使占据低质量的栖息地。为了推进人工蝙蝠栖息地背后的科学，我们提出了可测试的研究假设和建议，以提高蝙蝠人工栖息地的质量，并降低居住者的风险。由于自然栖息地的持续丧失可能会增加对替代品（例如人工栖息地）的依赖，因此必须改进这种保护实践。
