ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 2: 193 - 202

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16829/j.slxb.150918

ORIGINAL PAPERS

Cave use strategies of five sympatric bat species in summer and winter

  • ZHANG Yuqi ,
  • CHANG Cheng ,
  • ZHU Wenming ,
  • ZHANG Shouwei ,
  • LI Xuanchi ,
  • ZHANG Mingyu ,
  • LU Guanjun ,
  • XU Zhenwen
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  • School of Geographical Sciences, Changchun Normal University, Changchun 130032, China

Received date: 2024-02-26

  Revised date: 2024-10-15

  Online published: 2025-04-01

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Abstract

Caves are important habitats for bats, often serving as breeding sites, hibernacula, and temporary nocturnal roosts for a wide range of species. Cave utilization studies are thus key to bat conservation. From June to August 2023 and from December 2023 to February of the following year, we conducted bat species and population surveys in Gu cave in Shanmen Town, Siping City, Jilin Province, to explore the cave utilization strategies of five sympatric bat species. Daytime observations revealed that Rhinolophus nippon roosted in Gu cave during summer, and one Myotis ikonnikovi roosted in the cave on July 15th only. Cluster size of R. nippon decreased and then increased overall from June to August. We recorded two instances of R. nippon mothers holding their young in July. Echolocation of four species of FM bats (Hypsugo alaschanicus, Pipistrellus abramus, Vespertilio sinensis, and Myotis ikonnikovi) was recorded during the summer by night time acoustic sampling. Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni multiple comparisons analysis showed that the number of echolocation pulses of P. abramus, V. sinensis, and M. ikonnikovi did not differ significantly between summer months, and that of H. alaschanicus differed significantly between July and August. During the nine sampling occasions in summer, the average peak emergence period of R. nippon ranged from 15 min to 60. 56 min after sunset, and the average end time of emergence was (60. 56 ±5. 27) min after sunset. Pipistrellus abramus and M. ikonnikovi ap‐peared at the peak of the activity of R. nippon on one occasion and five occasions, respectively, and H. alaschanicus and V. sinensis appeared after the peak of the activity of R. nippon, which suggests that the four species only temporarily roosted at night in the cave. No echolocation pulses from the five bat species were recorded during the winter. The results suggest that the Gu cave is used as a summer breeding site by R. nippon and as a temporary roosting site at night for the other four species of bats, and is not utilized in winter. The results of this study reveal the cave utilization strategies of the five sympatric bat species and provide a reference for subsequent bat habitat conservation and management.

Key words： Bats; Habitat utilization; Breeding grounds; Night-roosting; Habitat protection

Cite this article

ZHANG Yuqi , CHANG Cheng , ZHU Wenming , ZHANG Shouwei , LI Xuanchi , ZHANG Mingyu , LU Guanjun , XU Zhenwen . Cave use strategies of five sympatric bat species in summer and winter[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2025 , 45(2) : 193 -202 . DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150918

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