Data and code for: Temporal variation in vertical stratification of neotropical bats

Abstract Previous research has shown diverse vertical space use by various taxa, highlighting the importance of forest canopy. Yet, we often fail to explore how this three-dimensional space use changes over time. Here we use canopy tower systems in French Guiana to monitor neotropical bat activity above and below the forest canopy throughout nine nights in the wet season. We show that different bats use both canopy and understory space differently, and that this can change throughout the night. We find that bats are overall more active in the canopy, but multiple species/acoustic complexes are more active in the understory. We also find that species that do not seem to prefer understory or canopy, when data are aggregated by night, do show temporally changing preferences in hourly activity. This work highlights the need to consider temporal axes in studies of space use, both throughout daily cycles and across seasons.摘要 既往研究已证实不同生物类群存在多样化的垂直空间利用模式，凸显了森林林冠层的生态重要性。然而，学界往往未能深入探究此类三维空间利用模式随时间的动态变化规律。本研究依托法属圭亚那的林冠塔系统，在湿季的9个夜间对林冠层上下的新热带蝙蝠活动情况开展监测。研究结果显示，不同蝙蝠类群对林冠层与林下层空间的利用模式存在显著差异，且该模式在夜间不同时段会发生动态变化。我们发现，整体而言蝙蝠在林冠层的活动更为活跃，但亦有多个物种/声学类群在林下层的活动频率更高。此外，本研究还观察到，当按夜间整体数据汇总分析时，未表现出对林冠层或林下层明显偏好的物种，其每小时的活动偏好会随时间呈现动态变化。本研究强调，在空间利用相关研究中，无论基于日周期还是季节尺度，都需要纳入时间维度进行考量。