One model to rule them all: Identifying priority bat habitats from multi‐species habitat suitability models

Bats are important components of global ecosystems, providing essential ecosystem services with substantial economic benefit. Yet North American bat populations have been negatively affected by numerous factors (e.g., disease, habitat loss, and wind energy development) with compounding effects. Bats use habitats at a variety of scales, from small, isolated patches to large, contiguous corridors. Landscape‐level research is necessary to identify important habitats, patches, and corridors to strategically target management interventions. We created habitat suitability models (HSMs) for hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red bats (L. borealis), and tri‐colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) across Illinois, USA using species-specific landscape and climate variables. With the 3 models from this study and a previously published HSM for Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis), we stacked binary HSMs, thereby identifying priority conservation areas across Illinois. Species exhibited different distributional patterns and habitat preferences across Illinois. Multi‐species HSMs highlight high quality habitat (i.e., ecologically important habitat that provides preferred resources for roosting, foraging, and raising young) in southern Illinois and along river riparian areas. This approach identified priority conservation areas mainly following hydrologic zones, which allows managers to strategically target restoration and conservation measures, invest funds in habitat likely to have high return‐on‐investment, and assist with decisions that affect bats (e.g., siting wind turbines and purchasing mitigation lands).

蝙蝠是全球生态系统的重要组成部分，可提供至关重要的生态系统服务，并带来可观的经济效益。然而北美蝙蝠种群正受到多种因素的负面影响，例如疾病、栖息地丧失以及风电开发，且这些因素存在复合叠加效应。蝙蝠会在多种空间尺度上利用栖息地，从小型孤立的生境斑块，到大型连续的生态廊道。开展景观尺度的研究，以识别关键栖息地、生境斑块与生态廊道，从而精准实施管理干预措施，这一点十分必要。本研究针对美国伊利诺伊州的灰红蝠（Lasiurus cinereus）、东部红蝠（L. borealis）以及三色蝠（Perimyotis subflavus），基于物种特异性的景观与气候变量，构建了栖息地适宜性模型（Habitat Suitability Models, HSMs）。结合本研究构建的3种模型，以及此前已发表的印第安蝠（Myotis sodalis）栖息地适宜性模型，我们对二元栖息地适宜性模型进行了堆叠分析，进而识别出伊利诺伊州全域的优先保护区域。不同蝙蝠物种在伊利诺伊州呈现出各异的分布格局与栖息地偏好。多物种栖息地适宜性模型显示，伊利诺伊州南部以及沿河河岸区域存在高质量栖息地——即具备生态重要性、可为蝙蝠提供栖息、觅食及育幼所需优质资源的生境。本研究方法主要依据水文分区识别优先保护区域，这一结果可帮助管理者精准制定修复与保护措施，将资金投入到具备高投资回报潜力的栖息地中，并辅助制定涉及蝙蝠保护的相关决策，例如风电机组选址以及购置补偿用地等。