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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 51(4)

More trees and fewer roads: the importance of local and landscape features for insectivorous bats in open urban green spaces

M. Callas https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7480-0624 A , L. F. Lumsden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4967-4626 B , A. R. Rendall https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7286-9288 A and K. Yokochi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8474-9590 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia.

B Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.

* Correspondence to: k.yokochi@deakin.edu.au

Handling Editor: Aaron Wirsing

Wildlife Research 51, WR23079 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR23079
Submitted: 30 June 2023  Accepted: 26 March 2024  Published: 16 April 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Urbanisation poses new challenges for wildlife worldwide, and recent research suggests that urban parks, although highly modified, may act as important refuges. Insectivorous bats can persist in urban landscapes and play an important role in keeping insect populations in balance. Previous research on use of urban landscapes by these bats has often focused on patches of remnant bushland within cities, but their use of highly modified open spaces is not well understood.

Aims

We aimed to determine the use of open green spaces (e.g. open parks, sports ovals) by insectivorous bats in Melbourne, Australia and to identify landscape factors that influence their presence and activity level.

Methods

We conducted passive acoustic surveys at 35 sites across greater Melbourne. Once species were identified from the echolocation call data, we modelled species richness, total activity and activity of individual species against landscape and weather variables, using Generalised Linear Mixed Models and Generalised Additive Mixed Models.

Key results

Across 557 detector nights, we identified at least 11 of the 17 species recorded to occur in Melbourne. Both species richness and activity were greater in areas with more nearby trees and lesser in areas with more roads. There were weaker species-specific relationships between bat activity and both distance to the nearest water source and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Species richness and activity levels were lower on nights with a lower temperature at dusk, higher rainfall and stronger wind.

Conclusions

Our results show that multiple bat species consistently use Melbourne’s open green spaces, highlighting the potential habitat value of these areas, especially those surrounded by high tree densities and fewer roads.

Implications

Insectivorous bats play important roles within ecosystems and bring benefits to human society. To encourage the diversity and activity of insectivorous bats in urban landscapes, we recommend retaining and increasing indigenous vegetation surrounding open areas in urban parks, as well as more strategic planning of new urban parks that further increases tree density in cities.

Keywords: insectivorous bats, local councils, microbats, open green space, sports ovals, urban ecology, urban parks, urbanisation.

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