Emergence time in forest bats: the influence of canopy closure

The role of the forest canopy in protecting bats roosting in forest from predators is poorly known. We analysed the effect of canopy closure on emergence time in Barbastella barbastellus in a mountainous area of central Italy. We used radio-tracking to locate roosts and filmed evening emergence. Comparisons were made between roosts in open areas and those in dense forest. Median emergence time and illuminance were correlated. Moreover, from pregnancy to late lactation bats emerged progressively earlier, probably because of the exceptionally high wing loading affecting pregnant bats and the high energy demand of lactation. A significant influence of canopy closure on median emergence time was revealed after adjusting for the effects of light and reproductive state. Bats in open habitat emerged later than those roosting beneath closed canopy. In cluttered habitats, predators relying on vision may find it more difficult to detect and catch bats at light levels which would offer more chances of success when attacking prey in open habitats. Bats in dense forest are less vulnerable to predators and may take advantage of an earlier emergence by prolonging foraging. Although more vulnerable, lactating females roosting at open sites may benefit from warmer roosting conditions. Roosts in dense forest may be preferred under intense predation pressure. Forest management should favour canopy heterogeneity to provide bats with a range of roosting conditions. Our work emphasises the role of a fine-grained spatial scale in the roosting ecology of forest bats.     

Abundance and composition of forest-dwelling anurans in cashew plantations in a tropical semi-evergreen forest landscape

Plantation crops in tropical human-modified landscapes provide alternative habitats to biodiversity outside protected areas. The Western Ghats of India are home to a mosaic of closely spaced habitats, including forests and agroecosystems. Cashew is a widely grown plantation crop in the northern Western Ghats and is known to provide economic and societal benefits. However, its role as a supplementary habitat for anurans is not well understood. We assessed the factors that influence understorey anuran composition and abundance in cashew plantations, forest edges, and forest interiors in Tillari Conservation Reserve, Maharashtra. Species composition of cashew plantations differed significantly from forests and was positively influenced by understorey and canopy cover. Cashew plantations had a near equal abundance of anurans as that of forest edges and interiors, which could be due to the preponderance of habitat generalists. Understorey positively influenced anuran abundance while ambient temperature had a negative influence. Reduced understorey and low canopy cover represent habitat modifications that occur in cashew plantations. Such structural changes could lead to reduced environmental refuges for anurans, thereby exposing them to large variations in temperature and moisture. Cashew plantations in Tillari Conservation Reserve serve as supplementary habitats for anurans. That said, cashew cultivation practices and markets must be understood before biodiversity-friendly plantation practices are proposed.     

Drivers affecting habitat use in Afrotropical hipposiderid and pteropodid bats

Assessing how bats respond to habitat attributes requires an integrative approach to reliably predict direct community-level effects. We focused on hipposiderid and pteropodid bats because of their diverse resource use patterns, body size ranges, and dispersal abilities. We combined an array of bat species-level characteristics with key forest stand characteristics that may covary with habitat use. Twelve stations were sampled in the Lomami and Yangambi landscapes, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We investigated whether species-level flight ability of bats and forest stand characteristics can affect bat commuting flights and community-level estimates of both species detection and habitat occupancy. We captured bats for 108 trap-nights. Three sampling events (early evening, middle of the night, and early morning) were replicated for each survey night. Hipposiderids showed an early evening flight peak, while flight activity of pteropodids was constant throughout the night, but increased around the middle of the night. Species capture probability decreased with higher wing loading in hipposiderids and was negatively correlated with higher wing aspect ratio in pteropodids. Forest occupancy of hipposiderids increased along the gradient towards waterways, while pteropodid occurrence was not directly linked to measured forest stand variables. This suggests a consequence of habitat patterns at larger spatial scales, which would need clarifying through additional data collection. We discuss these findings in terms of resource-use strategies of clutter-tolerant and clutter-intolerant species. We argue that the occurrence of specific bat species and their habitat use patterns can serve as surrogate measures of ecosystem health.     

The effect of bark beetle infestation and salvage logging on bat activity in a national park

Salvage logging—the removal of dead trees in disturbed forest stands—has been controversially discussed. We investigated the impact of bark beetle attacks and subsequent salvage logging on insectivorous bats in a temperate mountain forest. We quantified bat activity (25,373?min counts; 32 plots) using batcorders during 221 all-night surveys in stands killed by bark beetles, with dead trees removed or not, and in vital, single- or multi-layered mature forest stands. We analysed the differences in activity of all bats in general and of bats of foraging guilds (open habitat, forest edge, closed habitat) in these habitats using a generalized linear Poisson mixed model, with plot and observation as random factors, and temperature and habitat as fixed factors. Only open-habitat foragers were slightly more active in salvage-logged stands than in bark-beetle-affected stands; they generally benefited from an open forest canopy, whereas closed-habitat foragers did not. Our results indicated that: (1) bats are less affected by salvage logging after a disturbance of a magnitude typical for European forests, probably because enough roosts are present in surrounding areas, (2) habitats for open foragers are improved by bark beetle infestation and (3) bats are poor bioindicators of negative impacts of salvage logging after natural disturbance in forests with a composition typical for Central Europe.     

Within‐season changes in habitat use of forest‐dwelling boreal bats

Bats utilize forests as roosting sites and feeding areas. However, it has not been documented how bats utilize these habitats in the boreal zone with methods afforded by recent technological advances. Forest structure and management practices can create a variety of three‐dimensional habitats for organisms capable of flight, such as bats. Here, we study the presence of boreal bats in a forest forming a mosaic of different age classes, dominant tree species, canopy cover, soil fertility, and other environmental variables, throughout their active season in the summer using passive ultrasound detectors. Our results indicate a preference for mature forest by Eptesicus nilssonii and a pooled set of Myotis bats. Both groups of bats also showed temporal changes in their habitat use regarding forest age. In June and July, both groups occurred more often in mature than young forests, but from August onwards, the difference in occurrence became less evident in Myotis and disappeared completely in E. nilssonii. In addition, E. nilssonii was more often present in forests with low canopy cover, and its occurrence shifted from coniferous forests to deciduous forests during the season. The results reflect the within‐season dynamics of bat communities and their ability to utilize different types of forest as environmental conditions change. Yet, the results most importantly emphasize the importance of mature forests to bat diversity and the need to conserve such environments in the boreal zone.     

The impact of rubber plantations on the diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats in southern Thailand

Although a large proportion of tropical rain-forest in South-east Asia has been replaced by rubber plantations, there is very little information about the impact of such forest conversion on bat diversity. To address this deficiency, trapping and acoustic monitoring programmes were carried out in Ton Nga Chang and Khao Ban That wildlife sanctuaries in southern Thailand with the purpose of comparing species diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats at sites in forest and in nearby monoculture rubber plantations. Insect biomass in both habitats was assessed. Bat species diversity and activity were found to be much lower in rubber plantations than in forested areas and mean insect biomass was determined to be more than twice as high in the latter habitat than in the former. Bats utilising forest were shown to have significantly higher call frequencies but marginally lower wing loadings and aspect ratios than bats found in both habitats. Management strategies to increase biodiversity in rubber plantations are discussed.     

Bat species richness and abundance in tropical rain forest fragments and in agricultural habitats at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Faced with the rapid and extensive conversion of tropical rain forests to pasture lands and agricultural fields and with the need to preserve the remaining mammalian fauna, it is imperative to determine how the different species that form the mammalian community have responded to the anthropogenic alterations of their natural habitats To provide data in this direction, we sampled bats m 45 forest islands, m 20 agricultural habitats representing five types of vegetation (cocoa, coffee, mixed, citrus and allspice), in four live-fence sites and in four pasture sites at Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico Sampling effort resulted in the capture of 2587 bats representing 35 species In forest habitats we detected 32 species We did not capture any bats at the four pasture sites, but the at the other agricultural habitats studied, we captured 38% of the bats and 77% of the species recorded Thirty-four percent of the species recorded were present at the live-fence habitats Isolating distance was an important variable influencing species richness in forests and in agricultural habitats Only 10% of the species recorded occurred m all the habitats studied, but 77% of the species occurred m a habitat other than ram forest Recaptures of bats indicated inter habitat movements in the fragmented landscape We discuss the conservation value for the bat fauna of agricultural islands of vegetation as elements reducing isolating distances among forest fragments     

Does sex matter? Gender‐specific responses to forest fragmentation in Neotropical bats

Understanding the consequences of habitat modification on wildlife communities is central to the development of conservation strategies. However, albeit male and female individuals of numerous species are known to exhibit differences in habitat use, sex‐specific responses to habitat modification remain little explored. Here, we used a landscape‐scale fragmentation experiment to assess, separately for males and females, the effects of fragmentation on the abundance of Carollia perspicillata and Rhinophylla pumilio, two widespread Neotropical frugivorous bats. We predicted that sex‐specific responses would arise from higher energetic requirements from pregnancy and lactation in females. Analyses were conducted independently for each season, and we further investigated the joint responses to local and landscape‐scale metrics of habitat quality, composition, and configuration. Although males and females responded similarly to a fragmentation gradient composed by continuous forest, fragment interiors, edges, and matrix habitats, we found marked differences between sexes in habitat use for at least one of the seasons. Whereas the sex ratio varied little in continuous forest and fragment interiors, females were found to be more abundant than males in edge and matrix habitats. This difference was more prominent in the dry season, the reproductive season of both species. For both species, abundance responses to local‐ and landscape‐scale predictors differed between sexes and again, differences were more pronounced in the dry season. The results suggest considerable sex‐mediated responses to forest disruption and degradation in tropical bats and complement our understanding of the impacts of fragmentation on tropical forest vertebrate communities.     

Can wing morphology inform conservation priorities for Southeast Asian cave bats?

Adaptations for foraging in the complex airspaces of forest interiors may make bat species in the Asian tropics particularly susceptible to forest loss. However, ecomorphological analysis of Vietnamese bat assemblages challenges the hypothesis that, due to their greater vagility, cave‐roosting bats are less vulnerable to habitat fragmentation than foliage‐roosting species. Of the 13 most highly adapted forest‐interior species in our study, eight were cave‐roosting members of the Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae and had wing morphologies closely resembling five foliage‐roosting members of the Murininae and Kerivoulinae—species typically thought to have low vagility. Overall, both cave‐roosting and foliage‐roosting bats exhibited a wide range of flight indices and species' wing designs corresponded with preferred foraging habitats, suggesting that foraging strategy may outweigh roost preference as a determinant of bat wing morphology and flight performance. Consequently, where such variation occurs, cave‐roosting bat ensembles are likely to include species with low vagility and similar sensitivity to habitat fragmentation. This could have important conservation implications as Asian karst formations support high cave densities and important bat diversity yet increasingly represent forest refugia in anthropogenic landscapes. We, therefore, advocate greater consideration of species vagility in determining conservation priorities for the region's bat fauna.     

Forest edges have high conservation value for bird communities in mosaic landscapes

A major conservation challenge in mosaic landscapes is to understand how trait‐specific responses to habitat edges affect bird communities, including potential cascading effects on bird functions providing ecosystem services to forests, such as pest control. Here, we examined how bird species richness, abundance and community composition varied from interior forest habitats and their edges into adjacent open habitats, within a multi‐regional sampling scheme. We further analyzed variations in Conservation Value Index (CVI), Community Specialization Index (CSI) and functional traits across the forest‐edge‐open habitat gradient. Bird species richness, total abundance and CVI were significantly higher at forest edges while CSI peaked at interior open habitats, i.e., furthest from forest edge. In addition, there were important variations in trait‐ and species‐specific responses to forest edges among bird communities. Positive responses to forest edges were found for several forest bird species with unfavorable conservation status. These species were in general insectivores, understorey gleaners, cavity nesters and long‐distance migrants, all traits that displayed higher abundance at forest edges than in forest interiors or adjacent open habitats. Furthermore, consistently with predictions, negative edge effects were recorded in some forest specialist birds and in most open‐habitat birds, showing increasing densities from edges to interior habitats. We thus suggest that increasing landscape‐scale habitat complexity would be beneficial to declining species living in mosaic landscapes combining small woodlands and open habitats. Edge effects between forests and adjacent open habitats may also favor bird functional guilds providing valuable ecosystem services to forests in longstanding fragmented landscapes.     

Three‐dimensional stratification pattern in an old‐growth lowland forest: How does height in canopy and season influence temperate bat activity?

The study of animal–habitat interactions is of primary importance for the formulation of conservation recommendations. Flying, gliding, and climbing animals have the ability to exploit their habitat in a three‐dimensional way, and the vertical canopy structure in forests plays an essential role for habitat suitability. Forest bats as flying mammals may seasonally shift their microhabitat use due to differing energy demands or changing prey availability, but the patterns are not well understood. We investigated three‐dimensional and seasonal habitat use by insectivorous bats in a temperate lowland old‐growth forest, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus. We acoustically sampled broadleaved and mixed coniferous plots in the forest interior and in gaps in three heights during two reproductive periods (pregnancy/lactation vs. postlactation). In canopy gaps, vertical stratification in bat activity was less pronounced than in the forest interior. Vertical activity patterns differed among species. The upper canopy levels were important foraging habitats for the open‐space forager guild and for some edge‐space foragers like the Barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus and the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Myotis species had highest activity levels near the ground in forest gaps. Moreover, we found species‐dependent seasonal microhabitat shifts. Generally, all species and species groups considered except Myotis species showed higher activity levels during postlactation. Myotis species tended toward higher activity in the forest interior during postlactation. P. pygmaeus switched from high activity levels in the upper canopy during pregnancy and lactation to high activity levels near the ground during postlactation. We conclude that a full comprehension of forest bat habitat use is only possible when height in canopy and seasonal patterns are considered.     

EFFECT OF HABITAT AND FORAGING HEIGHT ON BAT ACTIVITY IN THE COASTAL PLAIN OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Abstract: We compared bat activity levels in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina among 5 habitat types: forested riparian areas, clearcuts, young pine plantations, mature pine plantations, and pine savannas. We used time-expansion radio-microphones and integrated detectors to simultaneously monitor bat activity at 3 heights (30, 10, 2 m) in each habitat type. Variation in vegetative clutter among sampling heights and among habitat types allowed us to examine the differential effect of forest vegetation on the spatial activity patterns of clutter-adapted and open-adapted bat species. Moreover, monitoring activity at 30, 10, and 2 m permitted us to also compare bat activity above and below the forest canopy. We detected calls of 5 species or species groups: eastern red/Seminole bats (Lasiurus borealis/L. seminolus), eastern pipistrelles (Pipistrellus subflavus), evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis), big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), and hoary bats (Lasiurus cinerius). At 2 and 10 m, bat activity was concentrated in riparian areas, whereas we detected relatively low levels of bat activity in upland habitats at those heights. Activity was more evenly distributed across the landscape at 30 m. Bat activity levels above the forest canopy were almost 3 times greater than within or below the canopy. We detected significantly greater activity levels of 2 open-adapted species (hoary and big brown bats) above rather than within or below the forest canopy. However, activity levels of 2 clutter-adapted species (eastern red/Seminole bats and eastern pipistrelles) did not differ above, within, or below the forest canopy. Despite classification as a clutter-adapted species, evening bat activity was greater above rather than within or below the forest canopy. We believe our results highlight the importance of riparian areas as foraging habitat for bats in pine-dominated landscapes in the southeastern United States. Although acoustical surveys conducted below forest canopies can provide useful information about species composition and relative activity levels of bats that forage in cluttered environments, our results showing activity above canopy suggest that such data may not accurately reflect relative activity of bats adapted to forage in more open conditions, and therefore may provide an inaccurate picture of bat community assemblage and foraging habitat use.     

Responses of ground living arthropods to landscape contrast and context in a forest-grassland mosaic

Landscape context and contrast are major features of transformed landscapes. These concepts are largely described in terms of vegetation and land use, and are rarely used on how other biodiversity responds to these anthropogenic boundaries. South African grassland matrix is naturally dotted with indigenous forest patches which have recently been transformed with plantations of non-native species. We investigate how various arthropod groups (detritivores, predators, ants) respond to juxtaposition of pines, natural forests and grasslands. We assess landscape context effects between natural forests and pines by determining how species that commonly occur in the interiors of these habitats use the adjacent habitat, and how landscape contrast between natural forests and grassland affects these groups proportionately. We sampled arthropods using pitfall traps and active searches in transects running from natural forest interiors across the edge into the matrix interior (grassland or pines). Natural forests had higher predator and detritivore diversity, while grassland had greater ant diversity. Results highlighted the complementarity of natural forests and grassland for arthropod diversity. Higher beta-diversity was recorded across landscape contrast than landscape context. Pine and natural forest associated species overlapped into adjacent habitats indicating that pines are used by certain natural forest species. However, pines are not true natural forest extensions, with only some species being supported. Pines may be connecting naturally isolated arthropod populations, which could have important evolutionary consequences. Only through appreciation of a range of arthropod groups and their response to context and contrast across the whole landscape can we undertake meaningful biodiversity conservation.     

西双版纳片段化石灰岩森林附生兰科植物多样性研究

西双版纳石灰岩地区拥有丰富的兰科植物资源,但近年来随着橡胶树的大面积种植,使得该地区很多石灰岩森林呈片段化。为了解片段化石灰岩森林中附生兰科植物多样性状况以及片段化对附生兰科植物的影响,该研究选取了生境片段化的青岩寨和曼纳览,以及连续生境的绿石林和巴卡新寨等4个样地的29个样方进行多样性调查和对比研究。结果表明:4个石灰岩森林样共记录到附生兰科植物34属76种1 528株(丛)。通过对坡向、坡度、海拔、地形、郁闭度和森林类型等6个环境因子与附生兰科植物丰富度进行CCA分析,发现石灰岩地区附生兰科植物的分布主要受海拔和森林类型2个因素的影响,在海拔较高的青岩寨和巴卡新寨附生兰科植物物种丰富度高于低海拔的绿石林和曼纳览,而片段化对附生兰科植物的物种多样性和多度均无显著影响,这可能与片段化的历史较短有关。虽然目前来看生境片段化对石灰岩地区的附生兰科植物多样性无显著影响,但生境脆弱的石灰岩森林植被的保护对于兰科植物多样性保护则更具重要性。     

Poor effectiveness of Natura 2000 beech forests in protecting forest-dwelling bats

With the establishment of the Natura 2000 (N2000) network, the European Union intends to develop strategies to conserve Europe's threatened habitats and species, including bats. Forest-dwelling bats are highly reliant on forest structures, such as snags and hollow trees, which the bats need as roosts. The decrease in such forest microhabitats significantly affects the habitat use and, therefore, the activity in forests. To determine whether N2000 beech forests under active timber production offer better habitats for bats compared to commercially used non-N2000 forests, we measured the bat activity and assessed the potential roosts in trees and snags in eleven pairs of stands. All survey stands represented mesotrophic beech forests (Fagus sylvatica L.) of the N2000 habitat type 9130 (Asperulo-Fagetum) in three European Biogeographic Regions. The activity of all bat species, the activity of priority N2000 species, the species number, the number of trees with roosts and the snag volume did not differ significantly between the N2000 and non-N2000 stands. We conclude that the current management of the N2000 beech forests is almost identical to that of non-N2000 commercial forests, and thus, the N2000 status has not led to an increase of bat-relevant habitat variables yet. Consequently, additional efforts beyond the administrative assignment of N2000 areas are required to build and ensure an ecologically effective and sustainable network of beech forests in Europe, including increasing important forest requirements for bats, such as roosts and snags.     

贵州省松桃县东部地区翼手目物种多样性

2008年7月至2009年2月,对贵州省松桃县东部地区的14个镇(乡)47洞穴翼手目的种类、数量、分布及生境进行调查研究。通过标本的采集、鉴定,确定该地区共有翼手目动物3科14种,其中2种为待定种;爪哇伏翼(Pipistrellus javanicus)、棒茎伏翼(P.paterculus)、单角菊头蝠(Rhinolophusmonoceros)3种在贵州省首次发现,其中单角菊头蝠是在中国大陆首次发现。另外,还对该地区蝙蝠的冬眠行为、对冬眠地的选择以及栖息环境的受胁现状进行了初步调查,发现不同种类蝙蝠的冬眠行为是不一样的;同时发现,洞外捕食生境的不同会造成洞穴内分布翼手目种类的不同。     

Bat activity and species richness in different land‐use types in and around Chome Nature Forest Reserve,Tanzania

Bats have important ecological roles in ecosystems, but many species are threatened because of anthropogenic impacts. Tanzania has limited information on how bats respond to habitat modification. This makes it difficult to anticipate which bat species are at risk. Bat activity and species richness were assessed in five land‐use types: forest and banana–coffee (upland habitats), rice paddy, riverine and sisal estate (lowland habitats). Mist nets, harp traps and bat detectors were used to sample bats. Species richness differed between habitats. Bat activity levels were higher in lowland habitats than upland habitats. Riverine and rice paddy habitats were shown to have an important role as foraging sites for many insectivorous bats as bat species richness and activity were generally higher than other habitats. Fruit‐eating bats preferred riverine and banana–coffee habitats. We recommend using organic manure as alternatives to chemical fertilisers, and pesticide use should be avoided in rice paddies. Riparian vegetation along rivers and water bodies should be maintained as important faunal nesting, roosting and/or foraging grounds. The requirement that farming practices be at least 60 m from the river should be strictly enforced. These recommendations will help in the conservation of bats and their habitats in modified agricultural landscapes.     

Edge-related changes in tree communities in the understory of mesic temperate forest fragments of northern Japan

We have assessed the effects of habitat fragmentation on understory tree communities in mesic temperate forests of the Tokachi plain of northern Japan. Tree community composition was analyzed across 13 forest fragments of various sizes ranging from 0.30 to 8.51 ha. The community composition varied along the edge-to-interior gradient: there was a lower abundance of shade-tolerant shrubs in forest edges than in forest interiors, while saplings of dominant canopy trees and pioneer trees were more abundant near the edges. The edge influence extended approximately 56 m into the forest interiors. Even the interior area of small fragments were likely to be affected not only by the nearest edge but also by more distant edges. Consequently, most areas in fragments smaller than 2 ha were covered by these “edge-type” communities. These results indicate that it is of primary importance to conserve and restore forests with an area at least larger than several hectares to sustain forest-interior tree communities.     

Heard but not seen: Comparing bat assemblages and study methods in a mosaic landscape in the Western Ghats of India

We used capture (mist‐netting) and acoustic methods to compare the species richness, abundance, and composition of a bat assemblage in different habitats in the Western Ghats of India. In the tropics, catching bats has been more commonly used as a survey method than acoustic recordings. In our study, acoustic methods based on recording echolocation calls detected greater bat activity and more species than mist‐netting. However, some species were detected more frequently or exclusively by capture. Ideally, the two methods should be used together to compensate for the biases in each. Using combined capture and acoustic data, we found that protected forests, forest fragments, and shade coffee plantations hosted similar and diverse species assemblages, although some species were recorded more frequently in protected forests. Tea plantations contained very few species from the overall bat assemblage. In riparian habitats, a strip of forested habitat on the river bank improved the habitat for bats compared to rivers with tea planted up to each bank. Our results show that shade coffee plantations are better bat habitat than tea plantations in biodiversity hotspots. However, if tea is to be the dominant land use, forest fragments and riparian corridors can improve the landscape considerably for bats. We encourage coffee growers to retain traditional plantations with mature native trees, rather than reverting to sun grown coffee or coffee shaded by a few species of timber trees.     

Reconsidering the importance of harvested forests for the conservation of tree-dwelling bats

Intensively managed forests are often seen as of low priority to preserve forest bats. The main conservation strategy recommended, i.e. saving unmanaged “habitat islands” from logging to preserve some suitable habitat, detracts conservationists’ attention from ameliorating conditions for bats in harvested sites. We studied the threatened bat Barbastella barbastellus, mostly roosting in snags, in two beech forests: an unmanaged forest—the main maternity site—and a nearby, periodically logged area. We compared roost availability, roost use, capture rates, food availability and movement between these areas. The managed forest had a greater canopy closure, fewer dead trees, a smaller tree diameter and trees bearing fewer cavities than the unmanaged one. These differences helped explain the larger number of bats recorded in the unmanaged forest, where the sex ratio was skewed towards females. Prey availability was similar in both areas. We radiotracked bats to 49 day roosts. Five individuals caught in the managed area roosted in the unmanaged one at 6.7–8.2 km from the capture site. Few bats roosted in the managed forest, but those doing so proved flexible, using live trees and even rock crevices. Therefore, bats utilise areas in the matrix surrounding optimal roosting sites and sometimes roost there, highlighting the conservation potential of harvested forests. Besides leaving unmanaged patches, at least small numbers of dead trees should be retained in logged areas to favour population expansion and landscape connectivity. Our findings also question the validity of adopting presence records as indicators of forest quality on a site scale.