Metabarcoding reveals the dietary patterns of bats within a unique European habitat, the pasture‐dominated landscapes of Ireland

Considered keystone predators, insectivorous bats play essential roles in maintaining the functioning of ecosystems. Investigating how bat species' diets vary across landscapes is crucial for understanding bat ecology and their role in ecosystem health. Here, we characterised the predator–prey interactions of two common bat species with different foraging strategies, the Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) and Soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus), across the unique pastureland-dominated landscape of Ireland. Over 3 years (2021–2023), faecal samples (n = 4627 in total) were collected annually at three time points (gestation, lactation, post-lactation) from 12 maternity roosts and analysed using metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing. Both bat species showed broad diet diversity, with 392 and 350 arthropod species identified for the Brown long-eared bat and Soprano pipistrelle, respectively, primarily Lepidoptera and Diptera. The Brown long-eared bat exhibited a generalis..., , # Data from: Metabarcoding reveals the dietary patterns of bats within a unique European habitat, the pasture‐dominated landscapes of Ireland

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18vt](10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18vt)

## Description of the data and file structure

Files to replicate our analysis from NovaSeq sequencing data are provided. Multiple files in this repository require a Linux environment for execution. The dataset includes raw NovaSeq sequencing data, scripts, and supporting files required for bioinformatic processing and analysis. Additionally, land cover data from areas surrounding bat roosts are included.

### Files and variables

#### File: Nova_Sequencing_raw_data.zip

**Description:** This folder contains the raw NovaSeq sequencing data obtained from NovaSeq sequencing. Raw sequences data are organised by sequencing library, with 74 in total.

#### File: Metadata.csv

**Description:** Metadata file summarises information for each sequenced bat faecal sample.

##### Variables

* S...,