caa a22 4500 605526354 CHVBK 20210128100802.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-014-0802-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-014-0802-7 The importance of non-forest landscapes for the conservation of forest bats: lessons from barbastelles ( Barbastella barbastellus ) [Elektronische Daten] [L. Ancillotto, L. Cistrone, F. Mosconi, G. Jones, L. Boitani, D. Russo] Although open landscapes are typically regarded as inhospitable matrix for several species of forest bats, their role may be crucial for maintaining gene flow among otherwise isolated populations occurring in distant forest fragments. The barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) is a bat species previously known to depend on mature forest and dead trees in its wide yet fragmented range. We tested the general hypothesis that viable populations of this bat may persist in open landscapes whose current structure is the result of historical deforestation. We unveiled the roosting and foraging ecology of B. barbastellus in a clay badland area of central Italy where forested habitats are absent and woody vegetation is scarce. Bats in badlands used rock crevices in lieu of the typical maternity tree-roosts and largely foraged in non-forest habitat, alongside riparian vegetation, where they found moth-rich hunting sites. Body condition and sex ratio did not differ from those documented in a source population found in mature forest in the same region. Our study identifies the hitherto overlooked importance of apparently unsuitable landscapes for the conservation of bats regarded as forests specialists and highlights that such environments and the associated occurrence of favoured prey should be carefully considered in management plans. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2014 Badlands nationallicence Behaviour nationallicence Habitat selection nationallicence Home range nationallicence Moths nationallicence Population nationallicence Ancillotto L. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut Cistrone L. Wildlife Research Unit, Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata, Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy aut Mosconi F. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut Jones G. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK aut Boitani L. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut Russo D. Wildlife Research Unit, Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata, Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/1(2015-01-01), 171-185 0960-3115 24:1<171 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0802-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0802-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ancillotto L. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cistrone L. Wildlife Research Unit, Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata, Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Mosconi F. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jones G. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Boitani L. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Russo D. Wildlife Research Unit, Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata, Sezione di Biologia e Protezione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/1(2015-01-01), 171-185 0960-3115 24:1<171 2015 24 10531