Data from: Landscape composition and life-history traits influence bat movement and space use: analysis of 30 years of published telemetry data

Aim: Animal movement determines home range patterns, which in
turn affect individual fitness, population dynamics and ecosystem
functioning. Using temperate bats, a group of particular conservation
concern, we investigated how morphological traits, habitat specialization
and environmental variables affect home range sizes and daily foraging
movements, using a compilation of 30 years of published bat telemetry
data. Location: Northern America and Europe. Time period: 1988 – 2016.
Major taxa studied: Bats. Methods: We compiled data on home range size and
mean daily distance between roosts and foraging areas at both colony and
individual levels from 166 studies of 3,129 radiotracked individuals of 49
bat species. We calculated multi-scale habitat composition and
configuration in the surrounding landscapes of the 165 studied roosts.
Using mixed models, we examined the effects of habitat availability and
spatial arrangement on bat movements, while accounting for body mass,
aspect ratio, wing loading and habitat specialization. Results: We found a
significant effect of landscape composition on home range size and mean
daily distance at both colony and individual levels. On average, home
ranges were up to 42% smaller in the most habitat-diversified landscapes
while mean daily distances were up to 30% shorter in the most forested
landscapes. Bat home range size significantly increased with body mass,
wing aspect ratio and wing loading, and decreased with habitat
specialization. Main conclusions: Promoting bat movements through the
landscape surrounding roosts at large spatial scales is crucial for bat
conservation. Forest loss and overall landscape homogenization lead
temperate bats to fly farther to meet their ecological requirements, by
increasing home range sizes and daily foraging distances. Both processes
might be more detrimental for smaller, habitat-specialized bats, less able
to travel increasingly longer distances to meet their diverse needs.