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Assessing survival in a multi-population system: a case study on bat populations
Eleni Papadatou1, Carlos Ibáñez, Roger Pradel
1Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR5175, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cédex 5, France. elena.papadatou@gmail.com
Oecologia
|September 21, 2010
Summary
Estimating adult survival in the isabelline serotine bat (Eptesicus isabellinus) revealed significant inter-colony variability. A single survival estimate for this species may be misleading, highlighting the need for multiple population data in conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Population Dynamics
- Conservation Biology
- Mammalogy
Background:
- Adult survival is a critical factor in the population dynamics of long-lived animals.
- Single species survival estimates are often used in conservation and evolutionary studies, despite potential variations.
- The isabelline serotine bat (Eptesicus isabellinus) is a long-lived species where accurate survival data is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the mean annual adult survival of female isabelline serotine bats (Eptesicus isabellinus).
- To assess temporal and inter-colony variations in survival rates across multiple maternity colonies.
- To investigate the influence of habitat type on bat survival.
Main Methods:
- Utilized capture-recapture data from six isabelline serotine bat maternity colonies over 8 to 26 years.
- Employed a Bayesian framework to model temporal and inter-colony survival variations as random effects.
- Analyzed survival on both coarse (habitat-based) and fine (colony-specific) scales.
Main Results:
- Estimated overall mean annual adult female survival at 0.72 (95% CI 0.57-0.93), with significant inter-colony variability.
- Detected a difference in survival between two habitat types, though not statistically supported.
- Survival rates varied significantly between individual colonies (ranging from 0.58 to 0.81) and temporally across colonies.
Conclusions:
- Inference based on single bat colonies can be unreliable due to significant inter-colony and temporal survival variations.
- A representative and unbiased survival estimate for the isabelline serotine bat requires data from multiple populations.
- Conservation management and evolutionary studies should account for population-specific survival dynamics.
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