Balancing bats and agriculture: Investigating the effects of agricultural management practices on bat species diversity in mountain ecosystems

Abstract

Changes in agricultural land use and farming practices have been recognized as significant drivers of biodiversity loss, especially when they involve intensive monoculture, excessive pesticide use, overgrazing by livestock, and habitat destruction. These practices not only reduce plant and insect diversity but also impact vertebrates, including bats. We investigated the effect of natural structural elements and intensity of agricultural practices on bat richness and activity across open mountain agricultural areas. The variables considered included the total area of natural structural elements (e.g., hedgerows, trees), the management intensity index, manure hill presence, grazing pressure, and mowing frequency. We recorded bat activity at 47 sites using passive acoustic monitoring, and classified bat species into foraging guilds based on their foraging strategies. We analyzed data using generalized linear mixed models and linear models, respectively, to assess the activity of foraging guilds and species richness in relation to agricultural intensity and landscape variables. We found that natural structural elements positively influenced bat diversity, particularly short-range echolocators and low foragers. Grazing and mowing practices showed mixed impacts on bat diversity, while the presence of manure hills displayed a negative correlation with most bat guilds. This study underscores the need for nuanced approaches to agricultural management that consider the complex effects on bat species diversity. It highlights the importance of maintaining natural structural elements and promoting extensive grazing and mowing practices. These findings contribute to a holistic understanding of how agricultural practices and natural structural elements can alter bat populations’ activity, ultimately affecting the overall biodiversity in mountain agricultural landscapes.