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The diet of a single Maghreb Owl Strix mauritanica (family Strigidae) was examined within its natural habitat at Kahf Lakhal cave on Jbel Moussa, a mountain in northern Morocco. The two distinct batches of pellets collected contained a total of 190 prey items. Pellet analysis revealed a diet comprised of four primary taxonomic classes of prey: mammals, insects, birds and reptiles. We identified 29 prey species, representing 21 families. Mammals were the most prominent component, accounting for 49.5% of the diet items and included at least nine distinct species. Insects constituted 28.9% of the diet, representing at least eight species; birds comprised 20%, representing at least 11 species; and reptiles were represented by a single species (3.4%). Numerically, the most frequently captured prey species were the common bent-wing bat Miniopterus schreibersii (22.1%), black rat Rattus rattus (8.4%) and European rhinoceros beetle Oryctes nasicornis (7.9%). In biomass, black rats were the biggest component of the owl's diet (31.8%), followed by Barbary Partridges Alectoris barbara and hares Lepus sp. (each 11.9%); together these three species comprised more than half the estimated biomass of the prey types consumed by the owl. This investigation significantly improves our knowledge of the diet of the Maghreb Owl in the North African region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural caves play a crucial role in providing habitat for numerous bat species in temperate regions. While the potential of man-made structures to support biodiversity gains attention, there is a lack of information regarding the suitability of artificial tunnels as viable alternatives to natural ones. In this study, we assessed the use of artificial tunnels of hydroelectric power plants by bats in the NE Iberian Peninsula (Spain) during the breeding season for most species. Between 2013 and 2014, we monitored bat activity in 37 individualized tunnel entrances using harp traps and mist nets. To understand factors influencing their habitat use, we built competitive models to assess the effect of surrounding landscape, environment and tunnel factors on the richness and abundance of both cave-dwelling and generalist species, as well as on its suitability as breeding habitat for bats. We captured and identified a total of 738 bats representing 60% of species occurring in the South-West countries of Europe, including three regionally and two globally threatened species. Of the total, 67% of surveyed tunnels were used by bats. Our findings highlight that tunnel characteristics such as tunnel height, absence of grilles, and cover of surface runoff influenced all bat groups. Relative humidity primarily favours richness and abundance of females with pups. When properly designed and managed, man-made tunnels of hydroelectric power plants can play an important role in bat conservation by offering essential roosts and breeding sites; however, other potential ecological impacts of these infrastructures on local ecosystems must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hypsugo: Journal of Bat Research in the Balkans / Hypsugo: Glasnik za Istraživanje šišmiša Balkana is the property of Centar za Krs i Speleologiju and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Better empirical knowledge of how bat and insect phenology are influenced by seasonal environmental conditions and how this may affect fitness is essential in the face of changing climatic conditions. We examined the winter diet of the Schreibers’ bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817) from Razhishkata Cave, Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria during four sampling periods in the winter of 2021 (end of January - end of March). We used a combination of DNA metabarcoding and a microscope-based morphological analyses of bats droppings. Additionally, we tracked prey availability in the studied area using insect flight interception traps (FIT). The species was actively feeding outside the cave and did not use the cave fauna. Our samples indicate a shift in the winter diet of the bats throughout the studied periods. Even though Diptera was the most abundant order of insects during two of the study periods, bats were preying predominantly on Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. The metabarcoding also supported this with data for the presence of insects with diurnal activity in the samples. The temperature loggers showed a strong correlation between the outside temperature and the temperature in the cave where the colony was located, probably impacting the activity patterns of the bats. To our knowledge, this is the first study of winter bat activity and diet in Bulgaria. Our research can serve as a potential framework for studying winter bat activity and insect activity during this sensitive period.

Bats form a diverse order of mammals with a crucial ecological role. Bat populations appear to be declining because of human-induced environmental stress. Genetic methods contribute to study the species’ diversity and assess their population status. We aimed to study the genetic diversity of bats across the Rhodope Mountain Range, where both species with a large distribution as well as rare species with a limited distribution are found. Βat samples were collected and morphologically identified within the catchment area of Nestos (Mesta) River and from caves in the region of Momchilgrad – Komotini. Based on the analysis of a mitochondrial COI gene region of 650 bp length, the samples were classified in 9 distinct genera and 21 species, an important part of Balkan bat species diversity. Miniopterus schreibersii displayed the highest number of haplotypes and Rhinolophus hipposideros the highest mtDNA diversity levels. The majority of the samples were grouped with other European sequences and no specific geographic distribution of haplotypes was observed, except for Barbastella barbastellus and Hypsugo savii, where a western/eastern divide is apparent. Three species with the most numerous samples were further analyzed using 4-5 microsatellite markers per species. No sign of population differentiation was found between studied samples for these three species and moderate to high diversity levels were detected for Rhinolophus blasii and Rhinolophus euryale in contrast to mitochondrial analysis. The results confirm the presence of specific bat species in the cross-border area of Greece and Bulgaria through genetic identification and provide information for levels of genetic variation for some of them that may contribute to future bat management efforts in the region.

Bats form a diverse order of mammals with a crucial ecological role. Bat populations appear to be declining because of human-induced environmental stress. Genetic methods can contribute to detailed investigations of species diversity and assessments of population status. Here, we aimed to study the genetic diversity of bats across the Rhodope Mountain Range, where species with a large distribution as well as rare species with a limited distribution are found. Bat samples were collected and morphologically identified within the catchment area of Nestos (Mesta) River and from caves in the region of Momchilgrad - Komotini. Based on the analysis of a mitochondrial COI gene region of 650 bp length, the samples were classified in 9 distinct genera and 21 species, an important part of Balkan bat species diversity. Miniopterus schreibersii displayed the highest number of haplotypes and Rhinolophus hipposideros the highest mtDNA diversity levels. The majority of the samples were grouped with other European sequences and no specific geographic distribution of haplotypes was observed, except for Barbastella barbastellus and Hypsugo savii, where a western/eastern divide is apparent. Three species with the highest number of samples were further analyzed using 4-5 microsatellite markers per species. No sign of population differentiation was found between studied samples for these three species and moderate to high diversity levels were detected for Rhinolophus blasii and Rhinolophus euryale, in contrast to mitochondrial analysis. The results confirm the presence of specific bat species in the cross-border area of Greece and Bulgaria through genetic identification and provide information for levels of genetic variation for some of them that may contribute to future bat management efforts in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better empirical knowledge of how bat and insect phenology are influenced by seasonal environmental conditions and how this may affect fitness is essential in the face of changing climatic conditions. We examined the winter diet of the Schreibers' bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817) from Razhishkata Cave, Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria during four sampling periods in the winter of 2021 (end of January -- end of March). We used a combination of DNA metabarcoding and a microscope-based morphological analyses of bats droppings. Additionally, we tracked prey availability in the studied area using insect flight interception traps (FIT). The species was actively feeding outside the cave and did not use the cave fauna. Our samples indicate a shift in the winter diet of the bats throughout the studied periods. Even though Diptera was the most abundant order of insects during two of the study periods, bats were preying predominantly on Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. The metabarcoding also supported this with data for the presence of insects with diurnal activity in the samples. The temperature loggers showed a strong correlation between the outside temperature and the temperature in the cave where the colony was located, probably impacting the activity patterns of the bats. To our knowledge, this is the first study of winter bat activity and diet in Bulgaria. Our research can serve as a potential framework for studying winter bat activity and insect activity during this sensitive period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Vet Indones. The Indonesian Veterinary Journal / Jurnal Acta Veterinaria Indonesiana is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)