Roost selection by Mauritian tomb bats (Taphozus mauritianus) in Lilongwe city, Malawi - importance of woodland for sustainable urban planning.

ABSTRACT: Increasing urbanisation has led to a greater use of artificial structures by bats as alternative roost sites. Despite the widespread presence of bats, roost availability may restrict their distribution and abundance in urban environments. There is limited quantitative information on the drivers of bat roost selection and roosting preferences, particularly in African bats. We explore the factors influencing roost selection in the Mauritian tomb bat (Taphozous mauritianus), within an urban landscape in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Eight building and five landscape features of roosts were compared with both adjacent and random control buildings throughout the city. Bat occupied buildings were situated closer to woodland (mean 709m) compared to random buildings (mean 1847m) but did not differ in any

SUBMITTER: O'Malley KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7644015 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature