Data from: Demographic variation in the U.K. serotine bat: filling gaps in knowledge for management

Species of conservation concern, or those in conflict with man, are most
efficiently managed with an understanding of their population dynamics.
European bats exemplify the need for successful and cost-effective
management for both reasons, often simultaneously. Across Europe, bats are
protected, and the concept of Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) is used
as a key tool for the assessment and licensing of disruptive actions to
populations. However, for efficient decision-making, this assessment
requires knowledge on the demographic rates and long-term dynamics of
populations. We used capture–mark–recapture to describe demographic rates
for the Serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) at two sites in England and
investigate the transition rates between three stages: juveniles,
immatures, and breeders. We then use these rates in an individual-based
population dynamics model to investigate the expected trajectories for
both populations. Our results demonstrate for the first time the presence
and scale of temporal variation in this species' demography. We
describe the lengthy prereproductive period (3.5 years) that female
Serotines experience. Finally, we show how site-specific variation in
demographic rates can produce divergent population trajectories. Effective
management of European bat populations can be achieved through the
understanding of life histories, and local demographic rates and
population dynamics, in order to anticipate the presence of source and
sink sites in the landscape. Using the Serotine bat in England, we show
that these can be obtained from rigorous and systematic studies of
long-term demographic datasets.