e-journal

50 years of bat tracking: device attachment and future directions

---

1. Radiotelemetry and satellite-based telemetry approaches are essential to describe the behaviour and biology
of animals. This is especially true for bats, whose small size and cryptic lifestylesmake themchallenging to study.
However, only a handful of studies have evaluated how transmitter mass and the attachment method affect bat
behaviour or health, and none have assessed the development of technicalmethods in the field.
2. We review the past 50 years of bat tracking studies to determine how devices have been attached, how guidelines
have been followed or changed, and whether any health or fitness impacts from these transmitters can be
determined.
3. Half of the nearly 300 studies available used devices heavier than the recommended 5% of body mass with
minimal justification. Devices were typically glued directly to the backs of small bats and remained attached for
9 days. This is far shorter than battery life span of most devices. Little information is available regarding the
overall impact of attaching transmitters on the health, survival and reproductive success of bats, and there has
been little development in attachmentmethods since the first tracking studies.
4. We consequently developed a collar for small bats with a degradable weak link and tested it on several species.
The collar worked successfully on three of four species. This allows longer habituation and tracking times while
ensuring that the device drops off after the battery expires.
5. Future studies will need to invest more effort in assessing potential long-term effects of tracking. They also
need to build upon previous knowledge to find the best attachment method, size and shape for their study species
to effectively improve wildlife tracking.

Key-words: radiotracking, telemetry, GPS tracking, movement, 5%rule

---

Ketersediaan

Tidak ada salinan data

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

No. Panggil

-

Penerbit

: British Ecological Society., 2014

Deskripsi Fisik

Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2014, 5, 311–319

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

doi: 10.1111/2041-21

Klasifikasi

-

Tipe Isi

-

Tipe Media

-

Tipe Pembawa

-

Edisi

-

Subjek

BIOLOGI

Info Detail Spesifik

-

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Wati/Agus

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

Komentar

---

Anda harus masuk sebelum memberikan komentar