Diet analysis of bats killed at wind turbines suggests large-scale losses of trophic interactions
Conservation Science and Policy|Carolin Scholz and Christian C. Voigt|May 7, 2022
This important research looked at the species of insects consumed by bats just before the bats were killed by wind turbines in Germany. The scientists conclude that the death of these bats disrupts existing food chains and could therefore lead to higher numbers of pests and nuisance species, which might drive greater use of chemical pest control. The free benefit pest reduction by bats is negatively impacted by wind turbines and therefore an emerging problem for agriculture and forestry. The abstract of the paper is provided below. The full report can be a accessed through the document links on this page.
This important research looked at the species of insects consumed by bats just before the bats were killed by wind turbines in Germany. The scientists conclude that the death of these bats disrupts existing food chains and could therefore lead to higher numbers of pests and nuisance species, which might drive greater use of chemical pest control. The free benefit pest reduction by bats is negatively impacted by wind turbines and therefore an emerging problem for agriculture and forestry. The abstract of the paper is provided below. The full report can be a accessed through the document links on this page.
ABSTRACT
Agricultural practice has led to landscape simplification and biodiversity decline, yet recently, energy-producing infrastructures, such as wind turbines, have been added to these simplified agroecosystems, turning them into multifunctional energy-agroecosystems. Here, we studied the trophic interactions of bats killed at wind turbines using a DNA metabarcoding approach to shed light on how turbine-related bat fatalities may possibly affect local habitats. Specifically, we identified insect DNA in the stomachs of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) killed by wind turbines in Germany to infer in which habitats these bats hunted. Common noctule bats consumed a wide variety of insects from different habitats, ranging from …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]ABSTRACT
Agricultural practice has led to landscape simplification and biodiversity decline, yet recently, energy-producing infrastructures, such as wind turbines, have been added to these simplified agroecosystems, turning them into multifunctional energy-agroecosystems. Here, we studied the trophic interactions of bats killed at wind turbines using a DNA metabarcoding approach to shed light on how turbine-related bat fatalities may possibly affect local habitats. Specifically, we identified insect DNA in the stomachs of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) killed by wind turbines in Germany to infer in which habitats these bats hunted. Common noctule bats consumed a wide variety of insects from different habitats, ranging from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., wetlands, farmland, forests, and grasslands). Agricultural and silvicultural pest insects made up about 20% of insect species consumed by the studied bats. Our study suggests that the potential damage of wind energy production goes beyond the loss of bats and the decline of bat populations. Bat fatalities at wind turbines may lead to the loss of trophic interactions and ecosystem services provided by bats, which may add to the functional simplification and impaired crop production, respectively, in multi-functional ecosystems.
