Balancing bats and agriculture: Investigating the effects of agricultural management practices on bat species diversity in mountain ecosystems

作者：Chiara Paniccia, Morgan Jaslen Scott, Alex Bellè, Thomas Marsoner, Eva Ladurner, Lisa Angelini, Florian Reichegger, Enrico Tomelleri, Ulrike Tappeiner, Andreas Hilpold · 发表于：Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.agee.2025.109620 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Bat Biology and Ecology Studies、Wildlife Ecology and Conservation、Species Distribution and Climate Change

Changes in agricultural land use and farming practices have been recognized as significant drivers of biodiversity loss, especially when they involve intensive monoculture, excessive pesticide use, overgrazing by livestock, and habitat destruction. These practices not only reduce plant and insect diversity but also impact vertebrates, including bats. We investigated the effect of natural structural elements and intensity of agricultural practices on bat richness and activity across open mountain agricultural areas. The variables considered included the total area of natural structural elements (e.g., hedgerows, trees), the management intensity index, manure hill presence, grazing pressure, and mowing frequency. We recorded bat activity at 47 sites using passive acoustic monitoring, and classified bat species into foraging guilds based on their foraging strategies. We analyzed data using generalized linear mixed models and linear models, respectively, to assess the activity of foraging guilds and species richness in relation to agricultural intensity and landscape variables. We found that natural structural elements positively influenced bat diversity, particularly short-range echolocators and low foragers. Grazing and mowing practices showed mixed impacts on bat diversity, while the presence of manure hills displayed a negative correlation with most bat guilds. This study underscores the need for nuanced approaches to agricultural management that consider the complex effects ...