Meeting Abstract

S3-1.7  Friday, Jan. 4  Flying High – Spatial Use of the Aerosphere by Aerial Insectivorous Bats KALKO, Elisabeth K. V.; University of Ulm Elisabeth.Kalko@uni-ulm.de

The air space above the canopy and open ground is one of the least explored areas in ecology. As nocturnal flying vertebrates, bats are known to exploit open space but only recently have technological advances made it possible to explore this environment. Resent results from our research on neotropical bats, based on recordings and analysis of echolocation calls, for the first time permit explicit species identification as well as assessment of foraging activity in species-rich tropical assemblages. Moreover, marking bats with miniature radiotransmitters now makes it possible to assess foraging strategies, range size, and differential habitat use of species that previously have been difficult to study. Increasing evidence suggests that differences in abundance and distribution of resources (arthropods) lead to distinct differences in hunting strategies and foraging activities of bats that seek food in open space versus species that forage close to or within vegetation. Given the high impact of bats as predators on arthropods, a better understanding of spatial use and its links to resource distribution and abundance of prey are critically needed to understand the temporal dynamics within this system, to quantify the ecosystem services provided by the bats, and to predict effects caused by anthropogenic changes that affect abundance and distribution of prey, and hence the structure of bats foraging in open space. Given the importance of bats as predators of arthropods and the hitherto underestimated biomass and overall activity of this group, future research will require extensive, interdisciplinary efforts that combine technological advances with in-depth studies on distribution and behavior of aerial predators and their prey to overcome current limitations.