Many bats die at wind turbines when colliding with the spinning blades. Currently it is unclear whether all age cohorts or sexes are equally vulnerable. A comparison of age, sex and geographic origin of Nathusius’ pipistrelles killed at wind turbines and living conspecifics from nearby populations now reveals that juveniles are killed more frequently than adults compared to their proportion in local populations. Females are killed more frequently than males – yet in line with their higher proportion in local populations. The high number of killed females and the elevated vulnerability of juveniles may have a negative effect on the long-term survival of populations, indicating that the current practice of wind energy production may not be ecologically sustainable. The investigation was led by scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and is published in the scientific journal “Ecological Applications”.

Million years of evolution have produced a dazzling variety of species, each uniquely adapted to its environment. A straightforward way to measuring biodiversity is by the number of species (taxonomic diversity). Recently, there is growing emphasis to quantify diversity also in other ways: a) functional diversity, which is the diversity of phenotypic traits that allow organisms to perform their ecological functions and b) phylogenetic diversity, meaning the variation in the branches in the tree of life. In a paper published recently in the journal “Scientific Reports” a team of scientists led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) compares these approaches: They found that species richness and functional diversity of Himalayan bat communities decline at high elevation without the loss of phylogenetic diversity. Their findings provide insights on the diversity of bats in the Himalayas and serve as an important baseline in assessing this diversity in the context of environmental changes.

The artificial illumination of the night by lamps is considered a central achievement of civilisation with countless economic, social and cultural benefits for people. For many animals, however, artificial light poses a considerable challenge. Nocturnal and light-shy species are forced to move to dark areas or adjust their behaviour to the new nocturnal brightness. In a paper published in the journal “BioScience”, an international research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) provides an evidence-based overview of the effects of artificial light on European bat species. They find that especially those species that hunt insects in narrow spaces such as forests are very sensitive to artificial light. In contrast, bats hunting along forest edges or in open areas are somewhat more tolerant of artificial light. At roosts or drinking sites all species are distinctly light-shy.