Additional file 1: Table S1. Names and aliases (in parentheses) of Miniopterus natalensis and Rou... more Additional file 1: Table S1. Names and aliases (in parentheses) of Miniopterus natalensis and Rousettus aegyptiacus roosts acquired from a meta-analysis of websites and scientific literature. The table also shows the roost importance, province where caves occur, the coordinates of the site (Lat, Lon) and the website and associated scientific references. Roost (R) shows R. aegyptiacus roost sites, whereas maternity and hibernacula relates to M. natalensis only.
This file set contains the data analysed in Williams, S.T., Maree, N., Taylor, P., Belmain, S.R.,... more This file set contains the data analysed in Williams, S.T., Maree, N., Taylor, P., Belmain, S.R., Keith, M. and Swanepoel, L.H. (in review) Predation by small mammalian carnivores in rural agro-ecosystems: An undervalued ecosystem service? Ecosystem Services.
Management and conservation actions are only as effective as our ability to monitor and assess bi... more Management and conservation actions are only as effective as our ability to monitor and assess biodiversity trends. We therefore compared the cost efficiency and effectiveness of several standard methods to assess mammal diversity using camera traps, live traps, track plates, mist nets for bats, acoustic bat surveys, spotlight surveys, and block transects recording individual animals, scat, and tracks. We also assessed local knowledge through interviews. We surveyed on two contrasting arid ecosystems in South Africa. Our data indicated that block transects were the most cost-efficient and effective method at ascertaining terrestrial mammal species richness. Depending on the goal of the study and the area, a combination of block transects with camera traps or spotlight surveys is a viable option. However, our study indicated the best combination to detect species across different taxonomic groups was block transects and live traps. Local knowledge interviews can be a good addition to...
Clearly established conservation priorities are urgently required for taxa and ecosystems in crit... more Clearly established conservation priorities are urgently required for taxa and ecosystems in critical need of conservation. This helps to identify and document taxa most in need of conservation attention, and provides an index of the state of degeneration of biodiversity. Including as much relevant information as possible in a prioritisation assessment will deliver the most accurate classification, yet these variables should not overly complicate the prioritisation process. Conservation assessments depend not just on the taxon’s susceptibility to threat (i.e. risk of extinction, or Red List assessments), but also the conservation value, irreplaceability and nature and intensity of the threats. Research into the value and applicability of conservation prioritisation tools at a regional scale, allowed for the assessment of the extinction risk as well as subsequent priority ranking of South African mammals. At the outset research was directed towards investigating South African mammals...
Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered... more Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact. Results Our study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost ...
Animals partition their daily activities based on a variety of internal and external factors. For... more Animals partition their daily activities based on a variety of internal and external factors. For insectivorous bats, the availability of prey, weather conditions, moonlight and reproductive energy demands are proposed as the major influencers of temporal activity. This study investigated the temporal variation in activity of the subtropical cave-dwelling, migratory Natal long-fingered bat, Miniopterus natalensis, by temperature, humidity, lunar illumination and the time of moonrise per night. Using echolocation survey data collected 2014–2018 near a maternity roost in north-eastern South Africa, differences in activity between the summer maternity (1 September–28 February) and winter non-breeding (1 March–31 August) seasons were described. In the non-breeding season, M. natalensis exhibited peak activity during the early evening, with decreasing activity throughout the night. In the maternity season, a bimodal activity pattern was observed, probably related to peaks in insect activity and the energy requirements of lactating females. Predictably, temperature had the strongest positive influence on the magnitude of M. natalensis activity across both seasons. Humidity also positively affected activity in both seasons to a lesser extent. The time of moonrise did not affect the activity of M. natalensis during either of the seasons. Lunar illumination did not affect activity during the maternity season, but activity was diminished on nights with bright moonlight in the non-breeding season. Emergence and return times were not affected by lunar illumination in either season. The need of M. natalensis to maximise resource acquisition during the maternity season is likely a strong modulator in the temporal activity of this species and outweighs predation risk in high moonlight conditions. Subsequently, this species exhibits nightly activity behaviours that balance risk factors with intrinsic needs during different seasons.
The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protecti... more The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protection. To advise future conservation strategies, we investigated the relative importance of a range of potential environmental drivers of bat species richness and functional community composition in the Okavango River Basin. During annual canoe transects along the major rivers, originating in the central Angolan highlands, we recorded more than 25,000 bat echolocation calls from 2015 to 2018. We corrected for possible biases in sampling design and effort. Firstly, we conducted rarefaction analyses of each survey year and sampling appeared to be complete, apart from 2016. Secondly, we used total activity as a measure of sample effort in mixed models of species richness. Species richness was highest in the Angola Miombo Woodlands and at lower elevations, with higher minimum temperatures. In total, we identified 31 individual bat species. We show that even when acoustic surveys are conducted i...
ContextFor migratory animals, particularly those with long generation times, changing weather pat... more ContextFor migratory animals, particularly those with long generation times, changing weather patterns may cause a mismatch between periods of expected and actual resource availability, termed phenological mismatch. The cave-dwelling Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) is a regional migrant within South Africa for which the (hitherto unknown) phenology of migration may be affected by climate. AimsTo investigate the migration phenology of the Natal long-fingered bat in relation to climate at a maternity cave in South Africa. MethodsFive years (2014–18) of echolocation data from a maternity cave site in Limpopo, South Africa, were studied. Separate stepwise General Linear Models (GLMs) were constructed for each season using photoperiod, minimum temperature, dew point, rainfall, barometric pressure, humidity and maximum wind speed. Arrival and departure dates among years were also compared. Key resultsPhotoperiod had the greatest effect on the magnitude of Natal long-finge...
Additional file 1: Table S1. Names and aliases (in parentheses) of Miniopterus natalensis and Rou... more Additional file 1: Table S1. Names and aliases (in parentheses) of Miniopterus natalensis and Rousettus aegyptiacus roosts acquired from a meta-analysis of websites and scientific literature. The table also shows the roost importance, province where caves occur, the coordinates of the site (Lat, Lon) and the website and associated scientific references. Roost (R) shows R. aegyptiacus roost sites, whereas maternity and hibernacula relates to M. natalensis only.
This file set contains the data analysed in Williams, S.T., Maree, N., Taylor, P., Belmain, S.R.,... more This file set contains the data analysed in Williams, S.T., Maree, N., Taylor, P., Belmain, S.R., Keith, M. and Swanepoel, L.H. (in review) Predation by small mammalian carnivores in rural agro-ecosystems: An undervalued ecosystem service? Ecosystem Services.
Management and conservation actions are only as effective as our ability to monitor and assess bi... more Management and conservation actions are only as effective as our ability to monitor and assess biodiversity trends. We therefore compared the cost efficiency and effectiveness of several standard methods to assess mammal diversity using camera traps, live traps, track plates, mist nets for bats, acoustic bat surveys, spotlight surveys, and block transects recording individual animals, scat, and tracks. We also assessed local knowledge through interviews. We surveyed on two contrasting arid ecosystems in South Africa. Our data indicated that block transects were the most cost-efficient and effective method at ascertaining terrestrial mammal species richness. Depending on the goal of the study and the area, a combination of block transects with camera traps or spotlight surveys is a viable option. However, our study indicated the best combination to detect species across different taxonomic groups was block transects and live traps. Local knowledge interviews can be a good addition to...
Clearly established conservation priorities are urgently required for taxa and ecosystems in crit... more Clearly established conservation priorities are urgently required for taxa and ecosystems in critical need of conservation. This helps to identify and document taxa most in need of conservation attention, and provides an index of the state of degeneration of biodiversity. Including as much relevant information as possible in a prioritisation assessment will deliver the most accurate classification, yet these variables should not overly complicate the prioritisation process. Conservation assessments depend not just on the taxon’s susceptibility to threat (i.e. risk of extinction, or Red List assessments), but also the conservation value, irreplaceability and nature and intensity of the threats. Research into the value and applicability of conservation prioritisation tools at a regional scale, allowed for the assessment of the extinction risk as well as subsequent priority ranking of South African mammals. At the outset research was directed towards investigating South African mammals...
Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered... more Background Modification and destruction of natural habitats are bringing previously unencountered animal populations into contact with humans, with bats considered important zoonotic transmission vectors. Caves and cave-dwelling bats are under-represented in conservation plans. In South Africa, at least two cavernicolous species are of interest as potential zoonotic hosts: the Natal long-fingered bat Miniopterus natalensis and the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus. Little information is available about the anthropogenic pressures these species face around important roost sites. Both bats are numerous and widespread throughout the country; land-use changes and urban expansions are a rising concern for both conservation and increased bat-human contact. Results Our study addressed this shortfall by determining the extent of land-cover change around 47 roosts between 2014 and 2018 using existing land cover datasets. We determined the land-cover composition around important roost ...
Animals partition their daily activities based on a variety of internal and external factors. For... more Animals partition their daily activities based on a variety of internal and external factors. For insectivorous bats, the availability of prey, weather conditions, moonlight and reproductive energy demands are proposed as the major influencers of temporal activity. This study investigated the temporal variation in activity of the subtropical cave-dwelling, migratory Natal long-fingered bat, Miniopterus natalensis, by temperature, humidity, lunar illumination and the time of moonrise per night. Using echolocation survey data collected 2014–2018 near a maternity roost in north-eastern South Africa, differences in activity between the summer maternity (1 September–28 February) and winter non-breeding (1 March–31 August) seasons were described. In the non-breeding season, M. natalensis exhibited peak activity during the early evening, with decreasing activity throughout the night. In the maternity season, a bimodal activity pattern was observed, probably related to peaks in insect activity and the energy requirements of lactating females. Predictably, temperature had the strongest positive influence on the magnitude of M. natalensis activity across both seasons. Humidity also positively affected activity in both seasons to a lesser extent. The time of moonrise did not affect the activity of M. natalensis during either of the seasons. Lunar illumination did not affect activity during the maternity season, but activity was diminished on nights with bright moonlight in the non-breeding season. Emergence and return times were not affected by lunar illumination in either season. The need of M. natalensis to maximise resource acquisition during the maternity season is likely a strong modulator in the temporal activity of this species and outweighs predation risk in high moonlight conditions. Subsequently, this species exhibits nightly activity behaviours that balance risk factors with intrinsic needs during different seasons.
The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protecti... more The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protection. To advise future conservation strategies, we investigated the relative importance of a range of potential environmental drivers of bat species richness and functional community composition in the Okavango River Basin. During annual canoe transects along the major rivers, originating in the central Angolan highlands, we recorded more than 25,000 bat echolocation calls from 2015 to 2018. We corrected for possible biases in sampling design and effort. Firstly, we conducted rarefaction analyses of each survey year and sampling appeared to be complete, apart from 2016. Secondly, we used total activity as a measure of sample effort in mixed models of species richness. Species richness was highest in the Angola Miombo Woodlands and at lower elevations, with higher minimum temperatures. In total, we identified 31 individual bat species. We show that even when acoustic surveys are conducted i...
ContextFor migratory animals, particularly those with long generation times, changing weather pat... more ContextFor migratory animals, particularly those with long generation times, changing weather patterns may cause a mismatch between periods of expected and actual resource availability, termed phenological mismatch. The cave-dwelling Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) is a regional migrant within South Africa for which the (hitherto unknown) phenology of migration may be affected by climate. AimsTo investigate the migration phenology of the Natal long-fingered bat in relation to climate at a maternity cave in South Africa. MethodsFive years (2014–18) of echolocation data from a maternity cave site in Limpopo, South Africa, were studied. Separate stepwise General Linear Models (GLMs) were constructed for each season using photoperiod, minimum temperature, dew point, rainfall, barometric pressure, humidity and maximum wind speed. Arrival and departure dates among years were also compared. Key resultsPhotoperiod had the greatest effect on the magnitude of Natal long-finge...
Uploads
Papers by Mark Keith