Diet composition and foraging activity of Pipistrellus pygmaeus in a floodplain forest

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Authors

BARTONIČKA Tomáš ŘEHÁK Zdeněk ANDREAS Michal

Year of publication 2008
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Biologia
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Field Zoology
Keywords prey; droppings; bats; foraging activity
Description In 2000-2002 bat droppings were collected under the emerging crevice of a nursery colony of Pipistrellus pygmaeus. The locality was situated in a floodplain forest at the confluence of the Dyje and Morava rivers (S Moravia, Czech Republic). In total, 27 samples (20 pellets in one sample) of droppings were used to analyze the prey remains. In the diet, 40 taxonomic groups of invertebrates were found. As expected, small dipteran insects were the main food item in which Nematocera dominated. Besides Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae also a high percentage of nematoceran eggs was recorded. Surprisingly enough, relatively high percentage of Brachycera was recorded. Further frequent prey items belonged to the orders of Trichoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Sternorrhyncha. A heterodyne bat detector was used to follow foraging activity of P. pygmaeus on line transects in forest and water habitats in the vicinity of the colony. A significant decrease in foraging activity over water habitats and in forest sites during the late pregnancy (mid-May-early June) and an increase during the lactation and post-lactation periods (mid-June-early August) were found. Changes in the frequency of occurrence of Chironomidae, Neuroptera, Trichoptera, Aphidinea and Simuliidae were correlated with the bats' foraging activity.
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