Long-term monitoring suggests bat boxes may alter local bat community structure
Stephen R. Griffiths
A F , Linda F. Lumsden B , Robert Bender C , Robert Irvine D , Lisa N. Godinho E , Casey Visintin E , Danielle L. Eastick A , Kylie A. Robert A and Pia E. Lentini E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic. 3086, Australia.
B Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084, Australia.
C Friends of Wilson Reserve, Ivanhoe East, Vic. 3079, Australia.
D Friends of Organ Pipes National Park, Sunbury, Vic. 3429, Australia.
E School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: s.griffiths@latrobe.edu.au
Australian Mammalogy 41(2) 273-278 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM18026
Submitted: 09 August 2018 Accepted: 03 October 2018 Published: 25 October 2018
Abstract
Bat boxes are often used to provide supplementary roosting habitats; however, little is known of their impacts on community composition. Data collected from a 25-year box-monitoring and 31-year harp trapping case study provides preliminary evidence that the installation of boxes may have contributed to one species, Gould’s wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), dominating the bat community of a periurban park in Melbourne. This highlights the need for systematic monitoring and empirical assessment of conservation-focused bat box programs.
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